Ascari Cars Ltd for sale: it would pass into Chinese hands

It seems that most small manufacturers are destined not to survive the avalanche of the crisis. We have shown you the most representative case of all, the American brand Mosler, which could not stay on its feet, thanks to almost non-existent sales. The same has happened to Ascari, a craft brand based in Great Britain that would be bought by the Chinese.

Dutch entrepreneur Klaas Zwart seems to be unable to keep the brand running, and in the coming days it would be sold to a Chinese brand, about which nothing is known. The Chinese would have access to the Ascari intellectual property, but not to the facilities located in Banbury. All of this becomes understandable when we look at some curious details about how disastrous the trajectory of Ascari Cars Ltd has been in recent years.

And so, Ascari has built only 15 units since it opened its doors in 1996. Of these, one was sold to a sheikh in the Middle East, two were crashed, and the rest are in Zwart’s possession. In short, with this kind of track record, no company can last long.

Ascari’s flagship has been the KZ1-R, launched in 2008 and used to win the British GT championship in 2009. Not many have been able to verify these figures, but it is said to have 520 horsepower and to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 3 seconds, with a top speed of 320 km/h.

The name Ascari was used by Klaas Zwart as a tribute to Alberto Ascari, Formula 1 champion in 1952 and 1953.

Via | Inautonews