Farbio. Not sold on the name, but we're sure there's a good reason behind it. Someone from the English sports car maker will email us and tell us that it's the maiden name of owner Chris Marsh's beloved grandmother or something, so we won't mock it, just state that it doesn't roll off the tongue. Besides, why would we want to upset the maker of such a nicely turned out car as the Farbio GTS?
There are two versions of the mid-engined sportster: fast and faster. Fast is the 262HP GTS, which can run to 60MPH in 4.8 seconds thanks to its 3-liter V6. Faster sees the V6 fitted with a supercharger, boosting the horsepower by over 100 to 384, and shaving 9 tenths off the 0-60 time, which drops to 3.9 seconds. No new ground is broken when it comes to styling, but that's not to say it's ugly, either. The GTS is reminiscent of several of our favorite cars, and the lines are trim and simple. Inside the carbon fiber shell is plenty of comfort with leather and alcantara, a nav system, and enough room for a 6' 6" driver in the Sparco seats. There's even decent storage space in the rump, so you could go grand touring for a weekend with actual luggage. Orders are backed up for the next 8 months, so you'll have time to save.
[Source: World Car Fans]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Adam @ Sep 20th 2007 10:12AM
Good trunk space and a sharp looking car.
Can we get it stateside though?
cowboy bob @ Sep 20th 2007 10:24AM
Ho hmm. Another cookie cutter look-a-like to a bunch of others. Put'em all side by side and tell me if anyone can tell me what they are. Can't we see something different, really cool, and even more important, obtainable by average people?
ender @ Sep 20th 2007 10:55AM
Agreed. Imo, most mid-engine super cars are boring as far as the aesthetics go. I dig the performance aspect of middies but they all look just about the same to me.
The only obtainable middy that comes to mind (as of late) is the MR2 and MRS. The Elise and Exige are the closest high-speed low-drag middy sports cars that come close to obtainable. But I may be forgetting a car or two XP
Guenther @ Sep 20th 2007 10:27AM
I wonder what they use for power in that thing. Certainly any number of off-the-shelf engines could be used. This is along the lines of the NSX- super-car with a regular motor. I dig it
Joe @ Sep 20th 2007 12:55PM
According to Wikipedia, the original, noted below, had an Audi-derived V6, while this one has the same Ford/Cosworth sourced Duratec V6 as the Noble. Pretty cool that the same engine (give-or-take) that's in my Taurus is powering both the noble and this beast.
I think it looks pretty good, though. Many of the lines are derivative, but I like it. It isn't a Ford GT, but it looks pretty damn good.
Yago Bal @ Sep 20th 2007 10:34AM
The brand was named "Farboud", after it's founder, Arash Farboud, in 98.
We saw the concept of this car a few year ago, as the Farboud GTS.
All I know is that this Arash guy wan't happy about it: he wanted to build more extreme sportscars, so he founded a nre company called "Arash", and left the "Farboud GTS" development to Chris Marsh.
Why is it called "Farbio" now, I don't know...
But it sells in the US, from Miami.
Frank Filipponio @ Sep 20th 2007 1:54PM
http://www.autoblog.com/2007/06/07/farboud-changes-its-name-to-farbio/
el-indiano @ Sep 20th 2007 10:48AM
Front: Carrera GT
Side: NSX
Back: Elise
TrueDis @ Sep 20th 2007 12:37PM
I think you hit the nail on the head.
ME @ Sep 20th 2007 11:01AM
I think it really nice looking. Much better purportioned and detailed than say a Noble.
mat.bech @ Sep 20th 2007 11:02AM
I donno, It looks like the typical super car, nothing special, and the rear looks like a Artega Gt. (google it)
Its only a V6 that would be fine if it had a million turbos but it hasnt. and its not as light as an Elise, I would rather have a Tesla Roadster, not becouse its "eco-freindly" but becouse its fast and better looking!
felipe @ Sep 20th 2007 11:02AM
luv da butt.
if i get it for under 25K i'd grab it : )
Richard @ Sep 20th 2007 11:57AM
Farbio huh?
Is there a "Bliatore" package?
Snark @ Sep 20th 2007 1:24PM
Whoop de fookin' doo. Another anonymous-looking pre-assembled kit car that looks like what a 5th grader might doodle in his math class notebook, promising the standard levels of performance and horsepower, from another blink-and-you'll-miss-it boutique manufacturer started by a rich kid with too much time on his hands. Time to find another niche, niche manufacturers.
Snark @ Sep 20th 2007 1:25PM
Oh, and mad props to 'em for their singularly memorable, distinctive name. That really distinguishes this car from a Koenegsegg or a Noble.
Takeo @ Sep 20th 2007 1:46PM
It looks how the NSX should have looked after 15 years of development. Not as outrageous as the Italian makes, I like it.
mk @ Sep 20th 2007 6:21PM
I liked the Farboud GTS concept better.
The new rear quarter windows are ugly, and don't fit the lines. The previous iteration of the concept had up-swept rear quarter windows, that looked alot like aston martin, which is probaby why they are gone.
Over-all the car looks a little iffy in the details. the trims and detail pieces somehow look like more of an afterthought now than they did on the previous concept. I understand that things have to be "Productionized", but this looks like major corners have been cut.
And, BTW, what V6 are they using? Last I heard it was going to get the Audi 4.2 V8, but that was a while back.
It is good to see that people are still working away in the cottage sportscar industry, but there are better examples. The newly announced production Artega GT comes to mind.