Ascort

The Ascort was an automobile manufactured by Continental Coachwork of Sydney, Australia,[3] from 1958 to 1960.[4]

Designated as the Ascort-TSV-1300 G.T.,[3] it utilized a mildly modified Volkswagen chassis fitted with a four-seat coupé body which was based on that of the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia coupé, although significantly different in appearance.[1] The body, which was constructed of fibreglass, had a prestressed double shell with a bonded-in light steel tubular frame, and was mounted on an 11-inch rubber seal.[1] The 1.3-litre Volkswagen flat-4 engine was modified using Okrasa and Porsche components to produce 54 bhp at 4300 rpm.[1] The vehicle's total weight was 1467 lb,[2] 33% less than that of a standard Volkswagen Beetle sedan.[4] The Ascort had a top speed of 96 mph [2] and could accelerate from zero to 50 mph in 12.0 seconds.[2]

19 cars were built before production was terminated.[5] Although there were plans to offer the car with a 70 hp, 1500 cc engine, which would have given the car a top speed of well over 100 mph, this variant was never produced.[5]