Ascari Cars Ltd. is a British automobile manufacturer that is based in Banbury, United Kingdom founded by Dutch millionaire Klaas Zwart. The company is named after Alberto Ascari (1918–1955) who was the first double world Formula One champion. Ascari also manages a racetrack, Race Resort Ascari, which continues to operate. Ascari Cars was established in Dorset in 1995. Its first limited-edition car, the Ascari Ecosse, was launched in 1998. After the release of the Ecosse, Dutch businessman Klaas Zwart purchased the company. In 2000 Ascari built a new facility in Banbury in northern Oxfordshire. Ascari's second car, the Ascari KZ1, was developed at Banbury, which also housed Team Ascari's racing assets.
ASCARI ECOSSE
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The Ascari Ecosse is a mid-engine sports car produced by Ascari Cars from 1998 to 1999. It was the second production car released by the company and is based on the Ascari FGT. In 1995 Ascari introduced the FGT at various European motor shows, with a design by Lee Noble. It featured a Chevrolet six litre fuel injected V8 engine placed midship behind the driver. Following the 1997 season, Ascari built 10 production versions of the FGT.
The production version of the Ecosse was given a BMW V8 powerplant in place of the Chevrolet and Ford units, although this was further tuned by Hartge. The 4.4 liter engine produced around 300 hp (220 kW), while later larger 4.7 liter units produced around 400 hp (300 kW). The last three cars were produced with the Hartge 5.0 litre V8 engine, around 420 hp and 520 nm. The last one was built at Blandford in 2000 with a sequential gearbox and is still in the possession of Ascari. The spaceframe chassis and wishbone suspension carried a lightweight fibre glass body, weighing 1,250 kg (2,756 lb). The Ecosse, with the larger 4.7 litre engine, could accelerate from 0-to-60 mph in 4.1 seconds while top speed was achieved at 200 mph (322 km/h). Only 17 were produced, with only nine of these remaining as the others have been destroyed. The Ecosse was replaced by the Ascari KZ1 in 2003.
ASCARI KZ1
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The Ascari KZ1 is a sports car made by Ascari. It can reach 201 mph (323 km/h), and is powered by a highly tuned BMW S62, a 4941cc V8 engine originally used in the E39 M5 and Z8. It can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 3.7s and to 100 mph (160 km/h) in 8.0s. The car is named from the initials of Ascari's owner Klaas Zwart, a wealthy Dutch businessman. Only 50 Ascari KZ1 cars will be produced, making it among the most exclusive cars produced today; by comparison, 400 of the well-known Enzo Ferrari have been made. Each car is priced at £235,000 and requires 340 hours of handcrafting. Owners also receive the opportunity to drive the car at the Ascari-managed Race Resort Ascari in Spain. The KZ1 was featured in November 2005 on the BBC television show Top Gear, where it set the 5th fastest lap time ever recorded on the show at 1 minute 20.7 seconds; currently, the KZ1 holds 26th place, the seventh-fastest time being 1:17.3 set by an Ascari A10.
Engine
The KZ1-R uses the same mid-mounted, naturally-aspirated, dry sump BMW S62 90-degree V8, but it has been tuned for a total of 520 bhp (388 kW; 527 PS) at 7000 rpm. Displacement stays the same at 4941 cc (301.5 in3), with torque at 550 N·m (410 lb·ft) at 4500 rpm. This allows the KZ1-R to produce 416 bhp (310 kW; 422 PS) per tonne.
Chassis
The KZ1-R uses a six-speed manual gearbox with a standard clutch and shift-lever, mounted to a carbon fiber monocoque chassis and a tubular steel rear frame. Both front and rear suspension are double-wishbone with coil over dampers, mated to anti-roll bars for stability. The wheels are 19-inch (483 mm) forged aluminum racing wheels mounted to 305/30x19 tires in the rear and 235/35x19 tires in the front. The front brakes are cross-drilled and vented with 6-piston racing-type calipers in the front and four-piston calipers in the rear brakes. Fortunately, the KZ1-R retains power steering, a feature that is sometimes absent from race cars.
Performance
The KZ1-R can accelerate from 0-62 mph (0–100 km/h) in 3.8 seconds, thanks to its increased power-to-weight ratio. Ascari claims that it will reach 100 mph(160 km/h)in 8.0 seconds. The eight-cylinder M5 engine will continue to push the KZ1 to a non-limited top speed of 201 mph (321.9 km/h). The racing model manages to reach 62 mph (100 km/h) in about four-tenths of a second less than the standard KZ1, with numbers comparable to the Lamborghini Murcielago LP640.
ASCARI A10
The Ascari A10 is a prototype automobile produced by the British company Ascari Cars that was conceived by Dutch millionaire Klaas Zwart. It is a road-going evolution of the KZ1-R GT race car that participated the Spanish GT Championship, with both cars penned by ex-Formula One designer Paul Brown. It was intended as third road car produced by the company, after the Ecosse and the KZ1, with the name A10 intended to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the company, but it did not reach production despite a planned fifty cars.
The A10 features a modified 4,941 cc (302 cu in) BMW V8 engine producing 625 bhp (466 kW), delivered via a six-speed sequential manual gearbox, with a regular manual transmission available as an option. The A10 shares the same basic carbon fibre chassis as the KZ1, with all-new bodywork and racing-derived suspension. Despite the addition of an FIA-spec roll cage and the fire-suppression system, the removal of sound proofing, air conditioning, and stereo system contributes to the A10's relatively light weight of 1,280 kg (2,822 lb).
On December 9, 2007 the Ascari A10 was featured in the UK show Top Gear and driven around the track by The Stig in 1:17.3, making it the fastest car at the time, and as of 2014, the sixth fastest. (Text: Adapted from Wikipedia)
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