Details of Cars

Ascari KZ1: the 50-car British supercar

ASCARI

Ascari KZ1 at the British International Motor Show 2006
Ascari KZ1 at the British International Motor Show in 2006. Photo by Mike Roberts from London, United Kingdom, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The Ascari KZ1 is a sports car made by Ascari Cars and named from the initials of the company’s owner, the Dutch businessman Klaas Zwart. It made its worldwide debut at the 2003 Autosport International with a price tag of £235,000, and production was limited to 50 cars.

Ascari KZ1 at a glance

Ascari KZ1 key facts
Maker Ascari Cars, Banbury, England
Debut 2003 Autosport International
Price at launch £235,000
Engine BMW S62 4,941 cc V8
Top speed 201 mph (323 km/h)
0–60 mph 3.7 s
0–100 mph 8.0 s
Handbuilding 340 hours per car
Workforce 30 craftsmen in a 45,000 sq ft facility
Production limited to 50 cars

This page is based on English Wikipedia only, so its figures could not be checked against a second source.

History of the Ascari KZ1

Origins

Ascari KZ1-R at the Essen Motor Show 2006
The racing KZ1-R with its fixed wing at the Essen Motor Show in 2006. Photo by Thomas Vogt from Paderborn, Deutschland, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The KZ1 was the road car of Ascari Cars, the company Klaas Zwart built around his own race circuit in Spain. Every car required 340 hours of handcrafting at Ascari’s 45,000 square-foot manufacturing facility in Banbury, England, by a team of 30 highly skilled craftsmen, and buyers were also offered the chance to drive their car at the Ascari-managed Race Resort Ascari in Spain. Production was limited to 50 units.

Engine and performance

The car is powered by a highly tuned BMW S62, a 4,941 cc V8 originally used in the E39 M5 and the Z8. With that engine the KZ1 reaches a maximum speed of 201 mph (323 km/h) and accelerates from 0–60 mph in 3.7 seconds and from 0–100 mph in 8.0 seconds.

The KZ1-R racing version

The Ascari KZ1-R is the racing version of the KZ1, primarily featured in the new FIA GT3 European Championship and the United SportsCar Championship as well as smaller championships running a similar formula. It is similar to the road car but vastly improved: a pronounced front splitter raises downforce, a large fixed racing wing replaces the small adjustable spoiler, the headlights gained HID bulbs and turn signals, and the rear fenders were widened slightly to house the larger wheelbase. The wheels are forged aluminium alloy, the interior is stripped with power windows removed, fine leather replaced by Alcantara and cloth, carbon fibre racing seats and an integral roll cage. Curb weight falls to 1,250 kg thanks to a carbon fibre chassis tub and body shell, and the KZ1-R keeps power steering, a feature usually absent from racing cars.

The racing engine is the same mid-mounted, naturally aspirated, dry-sump 90-degree BMW S62 V8, tuned to 520 bhp at 7,000 rpm with 550 N·m at 4,500 rpm, giving a power-to-weight ratio of 416 bhp per tonne. The chassis is carbon fibre with a tubular steel rear frame, double wishbones with coil-over dampers and anti-roll bars at both ends, 19-inch forged racing wheels on 235/35×19 front and 305/30×19 rear tyres, and cross-drilled vented brakes with six-piston calipers at the front and four-piston at the rear. The KZ1-R reaches 62 mph in 3.8 seconds, four-tenths quicker than the standard car, with figures comparable to the Lamborghini Murcielago LP640, and the same 201 mph top speed.

On Top Gear

The KZ1 was featured in November 2005 on the BBC television show Top Gear, where it set the fifth fastest lap time ever recorded on the show at 1 minute 20.7 seconds. It has since slipped down that table, and the seventh-fastest time, 1:17.3, belongs to an Ascari A10.

Design and features

  • Carbon-fibre construction: the KZ1-R uses a carbon fibre chassis tub and body shell, bringing weight down to 1,250 kg.
  • BMW M5 power: a 4,941 cc S62 V8, tuned to 520 bhp in racing form.
  • Handbuilt in Banbury: 340 hours of work per car by a team of 30 craftsmen.
  • Race track included: owners could drive at the Ascari-managed Race Resort Ascari in Spain.
  • Scarce: production of the road car was limited to 50 units.
Ascari KZ1 GT3 raced by Darren Berry in Adelaide
A KZ1 GT3 raced by Darren Berry in Adelaide. Photo by GTHO, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Ascari KZ1 versions

  • KZ1 road car (from 2003): the £235,000 road version, limited to 50 cars.
  • KZ1-R: the racing version with 520 bhp, 1,250 kg, a fixed wing and a stripped interior.
  • KZ1-R in GT3 racing: the car as campaigned in the FIA GT3 European Championship and the United SportsCar Championship.

The KZ1 was preceded at Le Mans by the Ascari A410 prototype, and the racing KZ1-R continued the company’s competition programme. More cars are in the Ascari collection.

Video: Ascari KZ1 Review | Top Gear

Video on YouTube.

Sources

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