Car Style - The Ascari KZ1

An alluring supercar was unveiled in 2003 when Ascari released the KZ1. This is purely a British car except for the BMW V8 engine at the back. This car does not impose. If anything, the Ascari KZ1 is a B-level supercar that is capable of 200 mph. It's quite expensive- costing over $364,000 USD! But when you consider that this car isn't an elite supercar or among the elite supercars, one may say this costs too much for a car of its class. And how's this for a cool bonus? You get to race at the Ascari Race Resort in Spain with your Ascari to enjoy performance driving/racing with this car. I was introduced to this car playing "Test Drive Unlimited."

This blog entry discusses how I feel about this car's style.

--- Car Style: The Ascari KZ1 ---

Here is a look at the beautiful supercar (mouse over image for picture credits):

^ from: techepics.com - the Ascari KZ1 is a supercar, but not to the levels of the elite supercars.

Maybe it isn't an overbearing supercar, but it is definitely a beautiful supercar. It is like the McLaren F1- a British car with a German engine. Only unlike the McLaren F1, this car has 100+ less horsepower and powered by a BMW V8. And also unlike the F1, this isn't a center drive car. A lot of people liken this car to the Ferrari 360 Modena, Ferrari F430, and Lamborghini Gallardo. When I looked up YouTube videos for this car, some comments suggest that this is a real driver's alternative to the three aforementioned cars. The car offers very little in the way of electronic aids. No traction control here, so you'd better know how to handle a car like this if you expect to be a driving king (or queen) with this car.

Exterior.

The front of the Ascari KZ1 is more alluring than imposing. The headlights are almost Peugeot-esque. The headlights are kind of like those from the Peugeot 307. The two fog lights on either side on the front bumper are rather miniscule. Actually, its front and front bonnet appeal are a lot reminiscent of the Ferrari 360 Modena, which is more like this car's primary opposition.

While Ascari is an Italian name and thought this is a British car, the Ascari KZ1 has a combination of British and German cues on the sides. Take a good look at the car, and it somewhat reminds me of the Jaguar XJ220. Evidence of this can be found in how the sides are styled as well as the roofline. One extra cue of XJ220 style comes with the area around the windshield wipers. Then too, the KZ1 has a much shorter wheelbase than the XJ220. So where does the German detail come in? For some reason, I want to imagine Porsche with the side air ducts. I want to imagine a Cayman (which I blogged on in the past) or even the beautiful Carrera GT with those side ducts. Then too, the roofline is also a little Porsche-like.

Ascari's exotic appeal extends to the rear. My only disappointment with it is that the tail lights could have been designed cleaner and more exotic. They don't appeal to me as much. The car comes with a low arch-like spoiler. The GT3 variant of the KZ1 has a low GT wing instead of the arch spoiler. The rear is flanked with a single exhaust pipes on either side of the rear bumper. If you want your cars to look imposing from the rear, this car almost sufficiently lacks any extreme character. Even the first Mazda RX-8 models have an intimidating rear.

Interior.

The Ascari KZ1 will seduce you on the outside. On the inside? The inside is very sport-focused. The dashboard and center console are nothing to be awed over, but it certainly isn't an economy car-style interior. The car is plenty stylish nonetheless. All of the gauges are designed beautifully with lots of exotic appeal. I couldn't find very many pictures of the KZ1's seats, so I can't comment on those.





The latest model is the Ascari A10, but thanks for reading my blog entry on the KZ1! Learn more about Ascari by visiting Ascari's homepage. Subscribe to my blog via FeedBurner (or any other aggregator in the sidebar)! Click on the graphics below to subscribe to both of my blogs, and also Become a Fan of my Facebook Fan Page:
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