Ascari Cars Ltd. was a British automobile manufacturer based in Banbury, England, and founded by Klaas Zwart. Zwart was the former chairman and majority owner of oil and gas company Petroline, which designed and manufactured its own downhole technology. Ascari filed for bankruptcy in 2010.
The company was named after Alberto Ascari (1918–1955), the first double winner of the World Championship of Drivers.
History Ascari Cars was established in Dorset in 1994. Its first limited-edition car, the Ascari Ecosse, was launched in 1998.
In 2000 Ascari Cars built a new facility in Banbury, Oxfordshire. Ascari Car's second car, the Ascari KZ1, was developed at Banbury, which also housed Team Ascari's racing assets. The premises are now occupied by Haas F1 Team.
Due to declining sales of the Ascari KZ1 and the high cost of production Ascari suffered heavy financial losses. The company filed for bankruptcy in 2010.
Road cars
Year Model Details 1995 Ascari FGT Initial concept car created for racing 1998 Ascari Ecosse Production version of the FGT 2003 Ascari KZ1 Production version of A410 Race car 2005 Ascari KZ1-R Road-going version of the KZ1-R GT3 race car 2006 Ascari A10 Upgraded version of the KZ1
Race cars Year Model Details 1995 Ascari FGT Racing version of the FGT concept, run in the British GT Championship 2000 Ascari A410 Le Mans Prototype 2002 Ascari KZR-1 Upgraded version of the A410 2005 Ascari KZ1-R GT3 Racing version of the KZ1, running in the FIA GT3 class
Team Ascari Team Ascari was the racing team of Ascari Cars, also founded by Klaas Zwart to race in the BOSS GP Series, where it won 7 drivers and 7 team titles. The team also participated in endurance events with the Ascari A410.
See also List of car manufacturers of the United Kingdom
References