Ascari
Encyclopedia
Ascari Cars Ltd. is a British automobile
manufacturer that was based in Banbury
, United Kingdom founded by Dutch millionaire Klaas Zwart. The company was named after Alberto Ascari
(1918–1955) who was the first double world Formula One
champion. Besides manufacturing cars, Ascari also manages a racetrack, Race Resort Ascari. The resort business continues to operate.
, England 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, England. Ascari's second car, the Ascari KZ1
, was developed at Banbury, which also housed Team Ascari's racing assets.
The premises are now occupied by Virgin Racing
.
, in southern Spain. The track includes recreations of famous corners from other tracks around the world, and may be set up as one long track, three separate short tracks, or some combination in between. The full track is approximately 5.5 km in length. By 2002 the three part track was finished and accompanied by a high-end resort, with several road and racing cars available to members to test, including former Formula One
machinery. The resort operates a membership based system. Members are able to make use of pits and storage garages for their cars at the resort. The resort does also operate a few weekend open days to the public, including visits of the facilities and track experience days in Lotus Elises, BMW 325i and Radicals.
In series 10, episode 10 of Top Gear
the test track was used to test the BMW M3
, the Audi RS4
and the Mercedes C63 AMG
.
Jeremy Clarkson
also filmed most of his DVDs, Supercar Showdown and Duel at the track.
The A10 also appeared in another Top Gear episode, where it was compared to a Daihatsu Materia
. The Dahaitsu won, but Clarkson still said he would rather own the Ascari.
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
manufacturer that was based in Banbury
Banbury
Banbury is a market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in the Cherwell District of Oxfordshire. It is northwest of London, southeast of Birmingham, south of Coventry and north northwest of the county town of Oxford...
, United Kingdom founded by Dutch millionaire Klaas Zwart. The company was named after Alberto Ascari
Alberto Ascari
Alberto Ascari was an Italian racing driver and twice Formula One World Champion. He is one of only two Italian Formula One World Champions in the history of the sport, and the only one winning his two championships in a Ferrari....
(1918–1955) who was the first double world Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
champion. Besides manufacturing cars, Ascari also manages a racetrack, Race Resort Ascari. The resort business continues to operate.
History
Ascari Cars was established in DorsetDorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, England in 1995. Its first limited-edition car, the Ascari Ecosse
Ascari Ecosse
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.- FGT :...
, 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, England. Ascari's second car, the Ascari KZ1
Ascari KZ1
-Modifications:The Ascari KZ1 has been adapted for racing, primarily being featured in the new FIA GT3 European Championship as well as other smaller national series which run a similar formula. These cars, known as the KZ1-R,are similar to the KZ1, but vastly improved. The most obvious...
, was developed at Banbury, which also housed Team Ascari's racing assets.
The premises are now occupied by Virgin Racing
Virgin Racing
Marussia Virgin Racing, the trading name of Virgin Racing Limited, is a Russian owned Formula One racing team based in the United Kingdom and racing on a Russian licence, which made its debut in the 2010 Formula One season. It was granted entry as Manor Grand Prix on 12 June 2009, as one of four...
.
Road cars
| Year | Model | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Ascari FGT | Initial concept car created for racing |
| 1998 | Ascari Ecosse Ascari Ecosse 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.- FGT :... |
Production version of the FGT |
| 2003 | Ascari KZ1 Ascari KZ1 -Modifications:The Ascari KZ1 has been adapted for racing, primarily being featured in the new FIA GT3 European Championship as well as other smaller national series which run a similar formula. These cars, known as the KZ1-R,are similar to the KZ1, but vastly improved. The most obvious... |
|
| 2006 | Ascari A10 Ascari A10 The Ascari A10 is an 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 currently contesting the Spanish GT Championship, with both cars penned by ex-Formula One designer Paul Brown... |
Upgraded version of the KZ1 |
| 2008 | Ascari KZ1-R | Road-going version of the KZ1-R GT3 race car |
Race cars
| Year | Model | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Ascari FGT | Racing version of the FGT concept, run in the British GT Championship British GT Championship The Avon Tyres British GT Championship is a sports car racing series currently based in the United Kingdom, although they have had select races outside of Britain in the past few years. The series was created by the British Racing Drivers' Club in 1993 and for its first two seasons was called the... |
| 2000 | Ascari A410 | Le Mans Prototype Le Mans Prototype A Le Mans Prototype is a type of sports prototype race car most notably used in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, American Le Mans Series and Le Mans Series... |
| 2003 | Ascari KZR-1 | Upgraded version of the A410 |
| 2005 | Ascari KZ1R GT3 | Racing version of the KZ1, running in the FIA GT3 FIA GT3 European Championship The FIA GT3 European Championship is a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation and regulated by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . It is a championship derived from the international FIA GT1 World Championship, but meant to provide competition for more... class |
Ascari Race Resort
In 2000, Ascari began developing a racetrack near RondaRonda
Ronda is a city in Spanish province of Málaga. It is located about West from the city of Málaga, within the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its population is approximately 35,000 inhabitants.-History:...
, in southern Spain. The track includes recreations of famous corners from other tracks around the world, and may be set up as one long track, three separate short tracks, or some combination in between. The full track is approximately 5.5 km in length. By 2002 the three part track was finished and accompanied by a high-end resort, with several road and racing cars available to members to test, including former Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
machinery. The resort operates a membership based system. Members are able to make use of pits and storage garages for their cars at the resort. The resort does also operate a few weekend open days to the public, including visits of the facilities and track experience days in Lotus Elises, BMW 325i and Radicals.
In series 10, episode 10 of Top Gear
Top Gear (current format)
Top Gear is a British television series about motor vehicles, primarily cars. It began in 1977 as a conventional motoring magazine show. Over time, and especially since a relaunch in 2002, it has developed a quirky, humorous style...
the test track was used to test the BMW M3
BMW M3
The BMW M3 is a high-performance version of the BMW 3 Series, developed by BMW's in-house motorsport division, BMW M. M3 models have been derived from the E30, E36, E46 and E90/E92/E93 3-series, and sold with coupé, sedan and convertible body styles...
, the Audi RS4
Audi RS4
The Audi RS4 quattro is the top tier and highest performing version of some specific generations of the Audi A4 range of automobiles. It is a sports-focused compact executive car , produced by Audi's high-performance private subsidiary quattro GmbH, in limited numbers, for German car manufacturer...
and the Mercedes C63 AMG
Mercedes-Benz C-Class
The Mercedes-Benz C-Class is a compact executive car produced by the Mercedes-Benz division of Daimler AG. First introduced in 1993 as a replacement for the 190 range , the C-Class was the smallest model in the marque's lineup until the 1997 arrival of the A-Class...
.
Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson is an English broadcaster, journalist and writer who specialises in motoring. He is best known for his role on the BBC TV show Top Gear along with co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May...
also filmed most of his DVDs, Supercar Showdown and Duel at the track.
The A10 also appeared in another Top Gear episode, where it was compared to a Daihatsu Materia
Daihatsu Materia
The Daihatsu Materia is a mini MPV manufactured by the Japanese automaker Daihatsu.-First generation:It is based on the platform of the second generation of the Daihatsu Sirion and is largely identical to the second generation of the Toyota bB....
. The Dahaitsu won, but Clarkson still said he would rather own the Ascari.