Remembering Sbarro's Orbital Wheel: World's First Hubless Concept for Car and Motorcycle

Folks, if you can successfully reinvent the wheel, you will literally redefine an entire industry. Well, this idea isn't a new one, and over the ages, countless humans have taken a crack at designing and building a better, stronger, faster, more efficient wheel.

One human that tried to do things differently is Franco Sbarro, and back in 1989, he unveiled what would be considered the first working hubless wheels. Part of Osmos (Original Sbarro Mottas Orbital System), this new wheel style was designed to be the answer to the traditional wheels we grew up with. But why make something like this?

Well, it would seem that we may never know what was on Franco Sbarro's mind when this venture was undertaken. Still, according to countless publications on the dynamics and functionality of a hubless wheel, this design is unique because it eliminates an array of components typically used in a wheel's assembly and functionality. What does this mean? It means less weight. Less weight means more speed, assuming traction is unaffected.

As part of the program, four machines were developed, one of which included a coupe with a 350 BHP (345 HP) V12 Jaguar engine with butterfly doors. The remaining three vehicles are some out-of-this-world motorcycles that took the late 80s and seemingly did thrust them into the present day; I could easily see someone riding one of these bikes around town, turning heads as they do. As for the Osmos coupe, there's no need to point out your reaction to seeing something like this down the street.

But, what the heck does it take to make a functioning and safe hubless wheel? Well, to understand more about what Sbarro achieved, I need to point out that his design, and many after, are based upon the dynamics of a wheel bearing. Sure, with clear modifications in size and possible interior layout, but the principle is the same.

What really blew me away about the design was the level of variety that Sbarro brought to the game. Not only do we see the hubless variations found on the coupe, but each motorcycle seems to showcase a different propulsion system. The white bike showcases a rear hub that's spun by a massive chain, possibly the first of the mix, while the red motorcycle seems to have eliminated the chain system or hid it in those arms that hold the front wheel in place. The rear wheel on this version seems to be used only for braking.

The last motorcycle in his unveiling was a wire machine designed and used for nothing more than to showcase the dynamics of this wheel style. I know the images aren't the best around, but it seems that his work hasn't drawn considerable attention since those faithful days.

According to a website created by Philippe Calvet, it was in 1991 that Sbarro sold his rights to the design to Dominique Motta, who was meant to take the hubless wheel further and to the next level, one where it could be appreciated for the years to come. Looking around outside, I can see that this design didn't succeed in taking off. But why?

Well, upon exploring countless discussion threads, scientific papers, and even other publications such as autoevolution, I realized that the hubless wheel is nothing more than a visually pleasing system. That's it; problems include power transfer, safe braking, and accelerated component wear and tear. Frankly, before something like this can be taken further and made into a functioning system, it will need a bit more work.

Luckily, since Sbarro and Motta unveiled this system, over 30 years have passed. So, is the hubless wheel any better? Well, we've seen countless folks expressing their own idea of what these wheels should look and function, and finally, we're starting to see businesses based entirely around the hubless wheel. One team is Reevo Bikes, Verge Motorcycles, and the occasional YouTube engineer that shows you how to make your own in your garage. I wonder what they'll think of next.