If you had to hazard a guess as to what it was based on, the chances are that you’d never guess it was the Jaguar XJ-S and borrowed heavily from the style of Bertone’s Ferrari-based 308GT Rainbow from the previous year. As a result, the Ascot packed a 5.3-liter V12. There was hatchback practicality, and an interior swathed in suede that looked nothing like the Jaguar offering. It was presented at the 1977 Turin Motor Show.
Source: The brilliant car designs of Marcello Gandini | Autocar. https://www.autocar.co.uk/slideshow/brilliant-car-designs-marcello-gandini
Images: Bertone; Concept Car Central
