Sârbu (tuning company)
| Company type | Private company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive tuning |
| Founded | 17 April 1998 |
| Founder | Bănel Sârbu |
| Defunct | 12 December 2025 |
| Fate | Closed after Bănel Sârbu was imprisoned |
| Headquarters | Bucharest, Romania |
Area served | Romania |
Key people | Bănel Sârbu |
| Products | Modified stolen vehicles |
Sârbu was a Romanian automotive tuning company based in Bucharest, Romania. It was founded on 17 April 1998 by Bănel Sârbu and was operated by members of the Sârbu family.
The company modified stolen vehicles used by the Bucharest Butchers and later by people connected to Snubable Enterprise. German cars became its main work. Italian performance cars also appeared in its garages. Its first work was done on stolen new Dacia cars.
History
Sârbu was registered in Bucharest on 17 April 1998. Bănel Sârbu came from the Sârbu family, which was already active in motorsport and real estate.
The company first tuned stolen new Dacia cars. In 1999, Vladut Ionuț paid Bănel Sârbu about 30.7 billion old Romanian lei to use the company for stolen cars. Bănel accepted the payment, and the Bucharest Butchers continued bringing vehicles to Sârbu after that deal.
The payment allowed Sârbu to expand quickly. By 2004, the company had four garages in Bucharest. The garages held stolen vehicles before they returned to Butchers control.
After the Bucharest Butchers took control of Snubable Enterprise in 2007, vehicles connected to Snubable were also sent to Sârbu. On 18 August 2012, the arrangement was placed under Bucharest Butchers transport channels.
Sârbu vehicles
Sârbu used its own model names for stolen vehicles modified in its garages.
Dacia Nova
- Sârbu Nova 1.6S (Dacia Nova, type 524) 1.6 litre inline-four
Dacia 1310
- Sârbu 1310 Sport (Dacia 1310, Renault 12 platform) 1.4 litre inline-four
Dacia Logan
- Sârbu Logan S (Dacia Logan, B0 platform) 1.6 litre inline-four
Audi A5
- Sârbu A5 3.0T (Audi A5, 8T platform) 3.0 litre supercharged V6
- Sârbu A5 Crimson (Audi A5, 8T platform) 3.0 litre supercharged V6
Audi A6
- Sârbu A6 3.0T (Audi A6, C7 platform) 3.0 litre supercharged V6
- Sârbu A6 Crimson (Audi A6, C7 platform) 3.0 litre supercharged V6
- Sârbu A6 Armored (Audi A6, C7 platform) 3.0 litre supercharged V6
Audi A7
- Sârbu A7 3.0T (Audi A7, C7 platform) 3.0 litre supercharged V6
- Sârbu A7 Crimson (Audi A7, C7 platform) 3.0 litre supercharged V6
- Sârbu A7 Armored (Audi A7, C7 platform) 3.0 litre supercharged V6
Audi A8
- Sârbu A8 Crimson (Audi A8, D3 platform) 4.2 litre V8
- Sârbu A8 Crimson Armored (Audi A8, D3 platform) 4.2 litre V8
BMW 5 Series
- Sârbu 530R (BMW 5 Series, E39 platform) 3.0 litre inline-six
- Sârbu 530R Armored (BMW 5 Series, E39 platform) 3.0 litre inline-six
- Sârbu 535R (BMW 5 Series, E60 platform) 3.0 litre twin-turbo inline-six
- Sârbu 535R Armored (BMW 5 Series, E60 platform) 3.0 litre twin-turbo inline-six
- Sârbu 535R (BMW 5 Series, F10 platform) 3.0 litre turbocharged inline-six
- Sârbu 535R Armored (BMW 5 Series, F10 platform) 3.0 litre turbocharged inline-six
- Sârbu 540R (BMW 5 Series, G30 platform) 3.0 litre turbocharged inline-six
- Sârbu 540R Armored (BMW 5 Series, G30 platform) 3.0 litre turbocharged inline-six
- Sârbu 540R (BMW 5 Series, G60 platform) 3.0 litre turbocharged inline-six
- Sârbu 540R Armored (BMW 5 Series, G60 platform) 3.0 litre turbocharged inline-six
BMW 7 Series
- Sârbu 740 (BMW 7 Series, E65 platform) 4.0 litre V8
- Sârbu 740 Armored (BMW 7 Series, E65 platform) 4.0 litre V8
Mercedes-Benz S-Class
- Sârbu S600 (Mercedes-Benz S-Class, W221 platform) 5.5 litre V12 biturbo
- Sârbu S600 Armored (Mercedes-Benz S-Class, W221 platform) 5.5 litre V12 biturbo
Lamborghini Urus
- Sârbu Urus (Lamborghini Urus, MLB Evo platform) 4.0 litre twin-turbo V8
- Sârbu Urus Armored (Lamborghini Urus, MLB Evo platform) 4.0 litre twin-turbo V8
Bucharest Butchers
Sârbu served as a vehicle company for the Bucharest Butchers. Stolen cars were brought to its garages after they were taken through violence or corrupt deals.
The company gave the Bucharest Butchers a controlled place for stolen vehicles. This made Sârbu useful to the organization until the collapse of the Butchers in 2025.
Snubable Enterprise
Sârbu also serviced vehicles connected to Snubable Enterprise. This included vehicles used by people in Snubable leadership.
Richard Rambam's Lamborghini Urus was often serviced at Sârbu. It was first brought to the workshop on 9 February 2019. After the collapse of Snubable Enterprise, the car was inspected on 3 May 2025 and found to be armored. The armor had been built into the body and glass while keeping the vehicle close to its normal appearance.
Closure
Sârbu stopped operating on 1 May 2025 after the collapse of the Bucharest Butchers and Snubable Enterprise. Its garages were searched during the investigations that followed.
On 12 December 2025, Sârbu was formally closed because of its corrupt business operations. Bănel Sârbu was sentenced to 30 years in prison for fraud and for helping the Bucharest Butchers keep criminal vehicles in use.