British bulldog bares its fangs

Most of us have heard of Morgan and TVR, but there's plenty more where that came from.

Say hello to the latest proposed addition to the genre -- the 448kW Ascari A10, which is stuffed full of a 5.0-litre V8 engine mated to a six-speed manual (or optional sequential) gearbox.

High-tech engineering abounds throughout the car. It features a six-piece carbon fibre body that helps keep weight down to just 1280kg -- considerably less than rival supercars such as the Ferrari F430 (1450kg) and Lamborghini Gallardo (1520kg).

Test mules are said to be currently undergoing a rigorous evaluation as the mid-2006 UK launch date draws nearer. Like the existing Ascari KZ1, the A10 will be a highly exclusive proposition, with just 50 hand-built examples destined to roll out of the Banbury factory.

The small production run is hardly surprising when you factor in the price -- a gob-smacking £350,000 ($824,000 in our money). For this substantial wad of cash, buyers will receive a car that's claimed to be capable of topping 352km/h, and knocking off the 0-100km/h split in not less time than it takes to read this sentence.

Although named after Italy's Alberto Ascari -- the first double world Formula 1 champion -- the niche marque is as British as warm beer and toad in the hole.

Ascari Cars was established in Dorset in 1995 by a team of race engineers and the company's first limited-edition super car, the Ascari Ecosse, was launched in 1998.

In 2000 Ascari built a new facility in Banbury to develop their second car, the Ascari KZ1, and to house Team Ascari's racing assets. For the first time the road and race side of the Ascari group came together in one place under one roof.

To complete the Ascari experience, in 2000 Ascari began development of the first Race Resort in the world.  Situated in a secluded valley in the south of Spain, visitors can reportedly experience a totally new concept, where both "high-speed adrenalin and luxurious relaxation" are on offer at a modern race circuit.