The Ultima GTR is a mid-engined sports car built by Ultima Sports Ltd of Hinckley, Leicestershire. Sold as a kit or as a factory-assembled turnkey car, it used a tubular steel space frame, glass-reinforced plastic bodywork and a Chevrolet small-block V8, and it was replaced by the Ultima Evolution in 2015.
Ultima GTR at a glance
| Maker | Ultima Sports Ltd, Hinckley, Leicestershire, England |
|---|---|
| Layout | mid-engined, rear-wheel drive |
| Chassis | tubular steel space frame |
| Body | GRP |
| Engine | Chevrolet small-block V8 from American Speed |
| Transaxle | Porsche or Getrag |
| Sold as | kit or turnkey car |
| Record car | GTR640 with a 640 bhp engine; GTR720 with 720 bhp |
| 0–60 mph | 2.6 seconds (record car) |
| Kerb weight | 980 kg (GTR720) |
| Other designations | GTR 660, GTR 730 |
| Replaced by | Ultima Evolution, 2015 |
The article is based on one source, the English Wikipedia page on the Ultima GTR; the Can-Am is described there as the convertible version of the GTR.
History of the Ultima GTR
The GTR was the model that made Ultima known beyond kit-car circles. It was offered both as a kit and as a turnkey vehicle assembled by the factory until early 2015, when it was replaced by the Ultima Evolution, a complete re-engineering of the package. The design is mid-engined and rear-wheel drive, with a tubular steel space frame chassis and glass-reinforced plastic bodywork. A convertible version, the Ultima Can-Am, was produced alongside it and retired at the same time.
Kit builders were free to source and fit a variety of engines and transmissions, but the factory recommended a Chevrolet small-block V8 supplied by American Speed, mated to either a Porsche or a Getrag transaxle. This was the configuration fitted to all turnkey cars, and it is the one behind the car’s reputation.
Ultima concentrated its marketing on record-breaking rather than on conventional advertising. It used a car with a 640 bhp American Speed engine, the GTR640, and later a GTR720 with a 720 bhp Chevrolet V8 producing 855 N·m at 4,400 rpm. With these cars the company claimed a series of independently verified records for a production car on road tyres and with a road exhaust: 0–60 mph in 2.6 seconds, 0–100 mph in 5.3 seconds, 30–70 mph in 1.8 seconds, 100–0 mph braking in 3.6 seconds, 0–100–0 mph in 9.4 seconds, 1.176 g on a skidpad and a quarter mile in 9.9 seconds at 143 mph.
Design and features
- Space frame and GRP body: light, simple and cheap to repair, which suited both kit builders and racers.
- Chevrolet V8 power: the factory standard was an American Speed small-block V8 with a Porsche or Getrag transaxle.
- Record-breaking performance: the GTR720 was quoted at 0–60 mph in 2.6 seconds and a quarter mile in 9.9 seconds.
- Low weight: 980 kg gave the GTR720 a power-to-weight ratio of 745 bhp per tonne — better than the Bugatti Veyron, Enzo Ferrari, Ascari A10 and Koenigsegg CCX.
- Engine flexibility: the chassis was rated for engines up to 1,000 bhp, and some customers fitted more.
Ultima GTR versions
- Ultima Can-Am: the convertible version of the GTR, sold alongside it until 2015.
- GTR640: the record car with a 640 bhp American Speed engine.
- GTR720: 720 bhp at 6,700 rpm and 855 N·m at 4,400 rpm; the source of most of the published records.
- GTR 660 and GTR 730: further kit designations by power output.
- Black Falcon SBC-TT1750 (2011): a Romanian-built car using a GTR chassis, a modified Porsche GT3 transmission and a turbocharged Nelson Racing Chevrolet V8; 1,716 bhp on racing fuel and road legal.
The GTR was preceded by the Ultima Spyder and its Sport sister car, and it was replaced in 2015 by the Ultima Evolution. More cars are in the Ultima collection.
Video: Ultima GTR – Start Up, Spin Out and Accelerating Sounds!
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Ultima GTR, English Wikipedia: design, engines, records, variants
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