The unique Sbarro Osmos sports car with four hubless orbital wheels

Unique ONES If we talk about something unique and unusual it may be endless. Especially now that we live in an advanced technology era that's full of wonders and surprises. No wonder if it's associated with the automotive world today, there are many unique vehicles creation been born that have never been thought of before.

The Sbarro Osmos sports car with four hubless orbital wheels built by Franco Sbarro and has debuted at the 1989 Geneve Motor Show. (Picture from: Dyler)

Well, maybe the following vehicle can be a perfect example for that. If previously there was a vehicle that carried the hubless wheels concept, usually our minds would automatically contacted to a motorcycle figure. That's natural, because it is a motorcycle that usually carries such a concept. But did you ever know that there was once a creation of four-wheeled vehicles that carried such a concept? Really!

The Sbarro Osmos sports car with four hubless orbital wheels was known to be the first serious attempt to install hubless wheels on a passenger car. (Picture from: Dyler)

Hubless wheel, that's the idea that was presented by an Italian-born Swiss automotive designer named Franco Sbarro whose famous for his love of cars, especially those that look extreme. And through the company he founded in 1971 named Sbarro, he has always strived to create vehicles that stand out in every possible sense.

The Sbarro Osmos sports car's cabin interior appeared in red, equipped with a steering wheel and many buttons has attached on the dashboard. (Picture from: Dyler)

At first Sbarro started producing replicas of various models of Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche, etc. but Franco Sbarro then decided to go a step further and started making original and authentic models pleased by many rich eccentric car enthutiats.

The Sbarro hubless orbital wheeled motorcycle built in 1989 before the Sbarro Osmos sports car. (Picture from: Sbarro)

In the 1980s, he came up with the idea for a completely new type of wheel that didn't require a hub, according to him the rim can be limited to the rim itself. After that he made several prototypes of his own wheels, then built a hubless-wheel motorcycle concept in 1989. And at the Geneva Motor Show 1989 he showed the Sbarro Osmos, a phenomenal sports car concept featuring with four hubless orbital wheels.

The Sbarro Osmos sports car with four hubless orbital wheels measures approximately 4.50 m long, 2.10 m wide, 1 m of high, and wheelbase of 2,85 m. (Picture from: Dyler)

This unique 1,150 kg weighted sports car measures approximately 4.50 m long, 2.10 m wide, 1 m of high and wheelbase of 2,85 m. It is powered by a Jaguar V12 mid-mounted engine capable of producing around 300 hp of power with a unique exhaust channeling system. Reportedly this Sbarro sports car takes less than five seconds to accelerate from rest to one hundred kilometers per hour. In addition, the Sbarro Osmos is also equipped with butterfly-style doors like most of the world's famous premium brand sports cars at the time.

The Sbarro Osmos sports car with four hubless orbital wheels is also featured with butterfly-style doors like most of the world's famous premium brand sports cars. (Picture from: Dyler)

But the most outstanding feature of this car is of course its four hubless orbital wheels. When Franco Sbarro decided to make hubless wheels, it wasn't just because he wanted to make his dream come true. As we all know this type of wheel has been widely used for various motorcycles, but did you know this was the first serious attempt to install hubless wheels on a passenger car, and Sbarro felt challenged to make it happen.

The Sbarro Osmos sports car with four hubless orbital wheels is powered by a Jaguar V12 mid-mounted engine capable of producing around 300 hp of power with a unique exhaust channeling system. (Picture from: Dyler)

Of course, it doesn't end with the wheels themselves, Sbarro also has to solve the problem of the transmitting drive to them. The wheel rim consists of two rings connected by a chain or "axle" with very small bearings, placed as close to the road surface as possible. Of course, this should significantly lower the vehicle's center of gravity, reduce unsprung mass and facilitate cooling of the brakes, and thus improve handling.

The Sbarro Osmos sports car with four hubless orbital wheels is claimed takes less than five seconds to accelerate from rest to one hundred kilometers per hour. (Picture from: Sbarro)

However, at the same time, it requires high precision, durability and expensive materials, which ultimately complicates the production process. So the innovation of hubless wheels did not succeed in attracting the interest of larger car manufacturers, and the concept introduced in 1989 remained as it was, due to the complex and expensive use and manufacture it.

In the early 1990s, Franco Sbarro sold all his shares to Dominique Mottas, and the hubless wheel innovations such as the Osmos continued to develop for the next few years. Therefore it was then used in a series of prototypes of cars and motorbikes (BMW, Toyota Neo Cosmic Voyager, Metzer Monocorps, Fouquereau Orchide, Thunder Cycle), then it disappeared for a moment. 

And the hubless wheel concept similar to the Osmos appeared again in a concept called the Sbarro Orbital Hybrid shown at the 2009 Geneve Motor Show. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | SBARRO | DYLER | AUTOGEN.PL ]

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