2005 Ultima GTR

The Ultima Sports Ltd. was founded by serial sports car designer Lee Noble of Noble Motorsports Ltd. in 1983 in Hinckley, Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom. Most of the models they have created have been in component form, meaning that the purchaser was required to construct the vehicle off-site. The company's first model was the Ultima Mk1 produced in 1983, and only one example was built. It was followed by the MK2 in 1989 and was similar to the MK1 but with improved mechanical componentry. Approximately 13 examples were built before it was replaced by the MK3 which continued to use the same PRV V6 engine as its predecessor but with a new fiberglass body.

Ted Marlow was the first customer and the first to install a small-block Chevrolet unit in the mid-engined two-seater, and his involvement in the project continued to grow to the point where he assumed full responsibility for the company during 1992. Six years later, work began on the GTR derivative.

The Ultima GTR
The Lee Noble-designed Ultima GTR road car was the result of two decades of factory research and development, designed to compete in the very competitive supercar market. It was built for easier home assembly and designed as a more refined supercar to rival the best in the world. The Ultimate GRP two-door coupe was introduced in 1999 and built through 2016. It was offered in both 'kit' and 'turnkey' configurations, with a mid-engine, rear-wheel drive layout and a tubular steel space frame chassis with GRP bodywork.

The close coupe version was known as the GTR and the convertible was the Can-Am.

Specification
The Ultima GTR rested on a 100.8-inch wheelbase, a width of 72.8 inches, a length of 157.5 inches, and stood approximately 42.1 inches tall. A variety of eight-cylinder engines were installed, including those from Chevrolet, Ford, and American Speed. Among the transmissions were a Porsche G50 five-speed unit and a Porsche G52 6-speed transaxle.

The Ultima GTR640 was equipped with an American Speed engine (640 horsepower) and was used in the company's record-breaking marketing efforts. The GTR 720 used a Chevy V8 engine with 720 horsepower and 855 Nm (631 lb-ft) of torque. Other model designations for the kits included the GTR 660 and GTR 730.

The spaceframe chassis was rated to handle up to 1,000 bhp, and a few of the customers (notably professional road racer Jeff Schwartz) had engines of this specification installed. With a kerb weight of 980 kg, the Ultima with the 1,000 bhp engine had a power-to-weight ratio of over 1,000 bhp per tonne.

In 2011, Black Falcon Cars installed a modified Porsche GT3 transmission and a turbocharged Chevrolet V8 engine (tuned by Nelson Racing) in the Ultima GTR. The engine produced 1,716 horsepower on racing fuel!

Records
Ultima set the following official, independently verified records for a production car equipped with road tires:
- Fastest 0-60 mph (2.6 seconds)
- Fastest 0–100 mph (5.3 seconds)
- Fastest 30 mph–70 mph (1.8 seconds)
- Fastest 100 mph to 0 mph braking (3.6 seconds)
- Fastest 0 – 100 mph – 0 mph (9.4 seconds)
- Best performance on a skidpad: 1.176g lateral grip in a 200 ftcircle.
- Fastest road car over the 1/4 mile: 9.9 seconds @ 143 mph

In 2007, the GTR 720 was independently timed around the Top Gear test track and set a time of 6.2 seconds per lap quicker than the Ferrari Enzo.

In 2015, the GTR and Can-Am were replaced by the Ultima Evolution.

by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2023