Rare Car Archive

Makes › Continental Coachwork Australia › Ascort · Rare colour

Continental Coachwork
Ascort

Coachbuilt car, more than 12 built.

Still being researched: identification guide, full specifications. Everything shown is checked against the cited sources. Know more? Send us a source.

IDENTIFICATION CARD · CONTINENTAL COACHWORK ASCORT
No licensed photograph yet. Photographs are published only when their licence permits it.
?ProductionNot yet verified
0Chassis documentedin this archive
7SurvivingIndependently researched
Contents
  1. 01Overview
  2. 02Production & history
  3. 03Specifications
  4. 04Colours & options
  5. 05Individual cars
  6. 06Reference

01Overview

At a glance

Built
Not yet verified
Years
Not yet verified
Engine
1,296 cc / 1.3 LFactory: 1,296 cc
Power
13.4 kW / 18.2 PSFactory: 18 hp · converted
Top speed
153 km/hFactory: 95 mph · converted
Body
Not yet verified
Designer
Mirek Craney
In this archive
Not yet verified
Surviving
7 (independently researched)

Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.

Why it matters

The Ascort was a fibreglass sports car built in Victoria, Australia, on a Volkswagen Beetle chassis. Its double-walled body on a light steel tubular frame and its twin rear-seat fuel tanks are among the features the source calls unique.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Model rarityNot yet assessed
Specification rarityNot yet assessed
Colour rarityNot yet assessed Production figure not yet verified.
Individual rarityNot yet assessed
Historical rarityNot yet assessed
Survival rarityNot yet assessed 7 · Surviving1

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

02Production & history

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

What is countedFigureBasisStatus
Total model productioncars known to exist in 1981 (per the source's contributor, not a current count) 71 Surviving examples Independently researched

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

Czech-born engineer Mirek Craney built the Ascort on a Beetle chassis, starting from the shape of his Karmann Ghia, with fibreglass and epoxy resin bodywork. The company Continental Coachwork Pty. Ltd. planned to sell the TSV 1300 at just under 2000 Australian pounds, when a Beetle export cost 972 pounds. The line stopped after a production run of 19 vehicles, because the price was unrealistic.

Variants

How each version differs from the standard Ascort.

No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.

03Specifications

Technical specifications

Engine

Engine familyNot yet verified
Engine codeNot yet verified
LayoutNot yet verified
Displacement 1,296 cc / 1.3 LFactory: 1,296 cc1 Independently researchedAchieved with a 69 mm stroker crank on the VW 1200 engine.
BoreNot yet verified
StrokeNot yet verified
Compression ratio7.5:11 Independently researchedSource prints '7:5:1'; read here as 7.5:1.
Fuel systemTwin Solex carburettors1 Independently researched
Power 13.4 kW / 18.2 PSFactory: 18 hp · converted1 Independently researchedThis is the gain over the standard 36 hp VW 1200 engine as printed in the source, not a total output figure.
Power at 5,200 rpm1 Independently researched
TorqueNot yet verified

Transmission & drivetrain

GearboxNot yet verified
GearsNot yet verified
Driven wheelsNot yet verified

Chassis, body & dimensions

ChassisLight steel tubular frame with rollbar1 Independently researched
Front suspensionBeetle front suspension with an added stiffer anti-roll bar1 Independently researched
Rear suspensionNot yet verified
BrakesStandard VW items1 Independently researched
SteeringNot yet verified
Body constructionDouble-walled body of fibreglass and epoxy resin fitted over the tubular frame1 Independently researched
WheelbaseNot yet verified
LengthNot yet verified
WidthNot yet verified
HeightNot yet verified
Front trackNot yet verified
Rear trackNot yet verified
Kerb weightNot yet verified
Dry weightNot yet verified

Performance

Maximum speed 153 km/hFactory: 95 mph · converted1 Independently researched
0–100 km/hNot yet verified
Fuel tank 37.9 LFactory: 10 gal-us · converted1 Independently researchedEach of two tanks, 'almost 10 U.S. gallons'.

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

04Colours & options

Factory colours & interiors

Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

Factory options & codes

Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

05Individual cars

Chassis register

Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

Competition history

Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

Auction & sale history

Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

See one in person

Museums where an example of this car can be seen.

No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.

06Reference

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

  1. 1
    Weird & Wonderful VWs – The Ascort Level C LTV-VWC (Wheelspin newsletter) · 2001-06
    • in 1981, just seven such cars exist
    • thus obtaining a capacity of 1296 cc
    • The compression was raised from 6:6:1 up to 7:5:1
    • a pair of Solexes fitted instead of the usual one
    • standard output 36hp
    • That was 18 hp, or 50 percent more than standard
    • ran smoothly up to 5200 rpm
    • a light steel tubular frame over which the body was fitted
    • the addition of a stiffer anti roll bar to the front suspension
    • The brakes, wheels and tires were all standard VW items
    • The body had a double walled construction
    • a top speed of just short of 95 mph
    • Each of these metal containers held almost 10 U.S. gallons
    Accessed 2026-11-13

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