One of the features of the early 21st century has been the growth in the number of independent supercar makers. Names such as Pagani and Koenigsegg have entered the motoring vernacular and proved that with the right backing and the right expertise, small consortiums can challenge the might of Ferrari and Lamborghini.

Pagani and Koenigsegg have stolen the limelight with their outlandish creations, but there is another supercar company that calls subtlety a virtue. Based in the heart of England, Ascari is well-resourced and deadly serious. The company's latest supercar, the carbon-fiber KZ1, will be built in a limited run of 50 cars, guaranteeing unrivalled exclusivity in return for £235,000 (about $428,000). Inside Line was given the keys to chassis No. 1, and invited to drive it in the Supercar Run at the famous Goodwood Festival of Speed.

The 1.16-mile Goodwood hillclimb course is, literally, the Earl of March's driveway, and it snakes its way past his beautiful home — Goodwood House. I've driven it several times, but experience doesn't dispel the nerves. The driveway feels incredibly narrow when you know there are 50,000 watching and god knows how many on live TV. As you can see on the video, I tried hard but emerged unscathed, which is more than can be said for the test driver behind the wheel of the UK's first Ferrari 599. He misjudged a left-hander and plowed headfirst into the hay bales — doh!

It's carbon fiber, stupid
Take a peek through the KZ1's rear window and you'll be given an insight into why this car costs such an outrageous sum. The clue lies not with the 5.0-liter BMW V8 — more of that in a moment — but rather with the carbon-fiber weave that surrounds it. The Ascari consists of a carbon-fiber monocoque, onto which carbon-fiber body panels are attached. If you want to see more carbon in a single application, you'll need to visit an air show. Both the body panels and chassis are built by Lola, the company responsible for a high proportion of the world's racing cars.

The use of carbon not only helps to justify the Ascari's lofty price tag; it also has practical advantages. Not only does it contribute massively to the car's structural rigidity, it's also exceptionally lightweight. The KZ1 tips the scales at 2932 pounds, a handy 500 pounds less than Porsche's new 911 Turbo and a mighty 1124 pounds less than a Ferrari 612 Scaglietti.

The KZ1 is also pleasingly small. At 169 inches long and 73 inches wide, it's shorter and exactly the same width as the Porsche. On challenging country roads, such diminutive proportions lend it a key advantage over its more portly, ostentatious hypercar rivals.

The oily bits
Where other humble sports car manufacturers — notably TVR — have dabbled with building their own engines, Ascari took the sensible decision to buy its power plant from the greatest engine-builder in the world: BMW. The KZ1 uses the 4941cc 32-valve V8 that was designed for the previous-generation M5, but it's retuned in-house by Ascari engineers.

In the BMW, the V8 was good for 400 horsepower, but the introduction of new pistons and camshafts, coupled with a new ECU and a sports exhaust, lift the output to 520 hp at 7000 rpm and 368 pound-feet of torque at 4500 rpm. In a world in which the BMW M6 boasts 500 hp and a Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG 507 hp, these figures are adequate but no more.

The KZ1 employs a classic setup of unequal-length wishbones and an antiroll bar at the front, and double unequal-length wishbones with an antiroll bar at the rear. Six-piston front and 4-piston rear calipers combine with cross-drilled and ventilated discs to provide the stopping power.

The aesthetics
Ascari's sales manager, Chris Burton, reckons that most of the 13 people who have placed an order for a KZ1 already own a Ferrari or a Lamborghini or both. They probably also have a helicopter, a boat and maybe even a jet. The KZ1 is therefore no more than another accessory to an already opulent lifestyle, but this does not mean that it's unduly compromised. "The Ascari is a car that owners really can use as their everyday transport," says Burton.

It's more of a GT than a no-frills hypercar, and the styling reflects this. It's a neat, inoffensive and by no means unappealing design, but it's bereft of visual drama. Passers-by tend to stop and inquire about its identity, but this car fails to draw a crowd like a Pagani. For some, this will be part of the Ascari's charm, while for others it will be reason enough to cross it off their wish lists.

The interior of the KZ1 is equally modest. The fascia is simple to use and ergonomically sensible — with the exception of the absurdly fiddly stereo. There are some nice touches, such as the aluminum pedal set and the chassis identification plaque, and it's great to see that all the key touch points are bespoke — there are no parts-bin specials here.

But while it's beautifully finished, the Ascari's cabin still lacks the sense of theater expected from a car of this value. In particular, the leather-wrapped steering wheel is disappointingly anonymous. More serious from a dynamic perspective is the flawed driving position. The pedal box is cramped and slightly offset to the left, and even taller drivers will find themselves reaching for the steering wheel. A straight-armed, bent-legged posture is not ideal when there's 520 hp on offer.

The trunk can accommodate a soft overnight bag, but no more.

The dynamics
Ascari's revisions have fundamentally altered the character of the BMW V8. Whereas once it was all about effortless torque and creamy delivery, it now begs to be revved and emits a much angrier bark. Ascari's engineers reckon that it's good for 8000 rpm but in the interests of longevity, the rev limiter intervenes at 7500 rpm. The sound is strident and confident, even if the Ascari lacks the sonorous soundtrack of a V12 Ferrari.

The KZ1 is, by any reckoning, a rapid car. Ascari claims a 0-62-mph dash of 3.7 seconds and a top speed a smidgen over 200 mph, which places the car in the upper echelons of the supercar league. At higher engine revolutions — anything above 5000 rpm — the KZ1 does feel slightly otherworldly, but this is no peaky racer. In the best BMW tradition, this car is happy to pootle around in 5th or even 6th gear at modest speeds. It really would make a comfortable long-distance companion.

The manual gearbox is by Cima and is shared with the Pagani and Koenigsegg. It's rated for 1000 hp, so has little trouble coping with the Ascari's output. This 6-speed unit has a manly, mechanical shift that requires more than a little patience and precision when cold. Matters improve when the oil gets warm, but it always feels slightly at odds with the relatively lightweight clutch, steering and brakes. The consistency of controls that's the hallmark of any great Porsche is missing here.

The brakes also warrant criticism. There's nothing wrong with their stopping power, but the standard antilock system is much too intrusive. This is a problem that reared its head both on the road and on the Goodwood Hillclimb (see video). One suspects that this is no more than a calibration issue and a fix would be relatively simple to achieve.

The Ascari's chassis, though, stands comparison with the best regarding poise and consistency. Time and again on tight, undulating back roads we expected to feel the uncomfortable crunch of the KZ1's bumpstops, only to have the damping to work its magic, sending the car serenely on its way. The steering, which has 2.7 turns from lock to lock, has just enough feel and the turn-in is crisp and sharp, but not to the extent that the car feels nervous. For something that's built in such tiny numbers, this car feels astonishingly well sorted.

Vast Pirelli P Zero Rosso tires — 305/30 ZR19s at the rear and 235/35 ZR19s at the front — provide plentiful grip and traction is further aided by the midengine configuration. There's no traction control, but you have to be a hooligan to encourage it to slide, at least in the dry.

Conclusion
Later in the year, Ascari will launch a new version of the KZ1 called the A10. It will be based on Ascari's GT racecar and it will have 630 hp and the option of a sequential paddle-shift gearbox. That car will be the road racer to the KZ1's GT.

The KZ1 will continue to be built alongside the A10 until Ascari has built 50, at which point production will cease. Burton reckons that each car takes a team of four people 12-16 weeks to assemble in Ascari's impressive workshops. Each car will be supplied with a technician's mobile phone number, which they can call 24/7 if they have a problem.

Ascari is willing to deliver a car anywhere in the world for a sum of £200K ($364,000) plus local taxes. Even in the legislation-happy U.S., Burton says owners need only sit back and wait for their car to be delivered. And when it needs to be serviced — every 5000 miles — they'll deliver a technician to your door.

This personalized service matters in the supercar world. Ascari's owners are used to the finest things in life and they expect certain things from their cars. In many ways, the KZ1 delivers. It's quick, exclusive and blessed with a terrific chassis.

Yet having driven the car extensively on the road and then again at Goodwood, I found myself admiring and respecting the Ascari, but no more. For me, a supercar needs to be a little more "super." For others, however, an exclusive supercar that goes hard but understates its intentions might be just the ticket.