Ascari FGT

Posted on November 5, 2021 by classiccarweekly

1993 Ascari FGT Prototype

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | London, U.K. | November 6, 2021

This is something you don’t see every day. Or year. Or decade. Ascari Cars was founded by Klaas Zwart and was named for Alberto Ascari. Based in the U.K., they built very limited-run supercars throughout the late 1990s and 2000s. Their former HQ is now home to the Haas F1 team.

The FGT was their first product. The car was actually designed by Lee Noble independently and sold to Zwart, who founded Ascari around the car and produced it as a race car. The FGT competed in the British GT Championship through 1997, after which Ascari produced 17 road-going versions of the car and called them the Ecosse.

This example is the first FGT built (and likely the only true road-going version) – the initial Noble-produced prototype and what would become the first car to wear the Ascari name. It’s powered by a mid-mounted 6.0-liter Chevrolet V8 making 420 horsepower with an upgraded ECU.

It was apparently found by the current owner in a barn after sitting for 13 years. Lee Noble was called in, and the car was restored to as you see it now. Ascari built less than 100 cars in 15 years, and this is the first one. No pre-sale estimate is yet available, but you can read more about it here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Sold $26,269.

Ascari Ecosse

Posted on February 10, 2021 by classiccarweekly

1997 Ascari Ecosse

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Paris, France | February 13, 2021

Well, check this out. Ascari Cars is no longer around, but in the late 1990s and 2000s, they were a British supercar company that built extremely low volume stuff out of Banbury, Oxfordshire. Their models included the FGT race car, the Ecosse (their first road car), and the KZ1. They went out of business in 2010, and their old place is now used by the Haas F1 team.

The Ecosse was produced between 1997 and 2003 and was kind of a road-going version of the FGT. In that time, only 19 examples were built. This one was once owned by the family of Ascari owner Klaas Zwart. It was sold by his family in 2019 to the current owner.

This car is powered by a 4.4-liter BMW V8 that makes 300 horsepower. That is enough to push the car to 200 mph. Oh, by the way, the car isn’t black. It’s a very dark green, which really makes it better. This ultra-rare late-90s supercar should sell for between $185,000-$235,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Ascari FGT Race Car

Posted on December 26, 2013 by classiccarweekly

1995 Ascari FGT-GT1

Offered by Coys | Birmingham, U.K. | January 11, 2014

Ascari is one of those little boutique automobile manufacturers that could’ve gone out of business five years ago and no one would’ve known. Apparently they are still in business but the company can trace its roots back to this car.

Lee Noble designed the FGT (he now builds cars under his own name) and it took about five years to actually get the thing built. This racing version was built for company owner Klaas Zwart to compete in the British GT Championship. He won one race at Silverstone. It also raced in 1996 and 1997 before being mothballed back at Ascari HQ.

Fast forward to 2009 when the car was completely rebuilt by an ex-Ascari team member to 1997 race spec. The car is being offered with spares as well. Only 17 road-going versions of the FGT were built (few if any remain). And only one race-going GT1 version was produced by the factory. This is that car. It should sell for between $100,000-$115,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Coys in Birmingham.

Update: Sold $108,000.