2008 Ascari Z1

NEWS & REVIEWS A combo of Dutch cash and ex-Lotus engineers has created this ultra-rare British-built supercar. Rare, as in only 50 are being built, which makes the Bugatti Veyron as common as a Chevy Malibu. Combine a featherweight carbon-fiber monocoque with a tuned 5.0-liter 500-horse Bimmer V-8 from the last-gen M5 and you get true supercar legs. Foot hard in and 60 comes up in 3.6 secs on the way to the must-have 200-plus-mph top whack. This is not a hard-edged road racer but a comfy highway cruiser that won’t jar your eyeballs. But get onto the twisty bits and it delivers racecar handling that the factory will tune to your own preferences. Rumor has it that a KZ1 will make its film debut in next year’s remake of the cheesy 1970s television series The Persuaders that starred Tony Curtis and Roger Moore. We can hardly wait. But with a price tag of 235,000 British pounds—that’s about $470 grand—you’ll need a Hollywood-sized salary to buy one. PHOTOS: click photos to enlarge