Features

True, those 305-section rear tyres tip into lorry ruts and cambers like over-eager meerkats on the hunt, but if you loosen up and let the car steer itself, it's not quite as tiring as it seems.

Until that is, you open wide and swallow a mouthful of revs.

At this point the Ascari goes berserk and you discover that there is no traction control. Not in first. Not in second. Definitely not in third, and most probably not in fourth on a road outside Reading. Diesel really does get everywhere these days.

Strangely it's not the terror of getting jiggy in a TVR, the Ascari feeling well balanced and calm no matter how hard you push.

Again, it took me a while to get used to the car - especially in the recent wintry conditions - but there are deep rewards from the Ascari if you take the time to find them.

Criticisms come from a lack of suspension travel on British roads. The Ascari simply runs out of travel if you hit a mid-corner lump with the front axle, which translates into understeer a bit too much.

No bumps? The KZ-1 will nail its nose in like an Elise and you can balance the car on the throttle if you dare. It's a sweet thing when you get it right, 8,000rpm of V8 making purely hysterical noises behind you.

The gearbox is lovely when it's working, crap when it's not. Double-declutching - something I haven't done in a while - is the order of the day. And it didn't work all the time.

Under par as it is, this car really doesn't show the Ascari up in its best light. And that's going to affect the decision. This isn't representative of a £235k car, no matter which way you paint it.

It feels awesome when it's in the groove and everything's working - I'd love to try one on a track and Ascari is more than happy to oblige with a trip to the Club Ascari circuit in Spain where you can drive the caged-up 'Academy' car - but I've worked out what I could have for that much money. And it wouldn't be a KZ-1.