Here it goes...
Here it goes...
I was so amused by this topic that I couldn't resist joining the forum. Let's get a couple things out of the way before anyone questions my credibility.
Yes, I have visited a distributor for Ultima Cars in the U.S.
Yes, I have taken a ride a factory demonstrator. It was equipped with an LS1 motor from a corvette.
No, I do NOT own an Ultima GTR, and here is the reason why...
The car is a purpose built track car. The factory offers very little interior options to set this apart as a road car. The Ultima demonstrator had a small a/c system, no radio, the windows are sealed into the body and don't move. Only a helicopter vent, cut into the side windows, gives you access to the outside world. To get into the car you need to master gymnastics. Once inside you realize that you are sealed in a coffin consisting of sheet metal and mild steel tubing with a thin layer of fiberglass bodywork. When the motor fires up you realize that you have been swallowed by a fire breathing monster. The entire cabin is filled with the glorious noise of the SBC...and this is fine when you are ideling at a red light. The problem begins when the car is in motion. The body panels flex, buzz, and pop as they move against the rollcage. IT IS TOTALLY ANNOYING! You have to yell to be heard over the engine. The brake squeel is amplified by the sheet metal work giving it an extra gruesome bright sound. The road noise is laughable. If the car's massive tires kick up one small rock your ears will be able to trace the sound as it bounces underneath the floor.
You feel as if you are sitting directly on the floor pan with your feet stretched directly out in front of you. This is not a problem for the driver, he can anchor his feet to the pedal assembly. However, the passenger has nothing but a slick sheet metal floor and a fire wall 6" beyond the soles of his shoes (I am 5'9"). The g-forces in this machine are phenomenal! But every turn the passenger finds his legs flying about underneath the sorry excuse for a dashboard (it is nothing more than fiberglass and a 2mm thick layer of alcontara).
But I will make no argument to its speed. It is FAST. It has to be the fastest darn thing I have ever seen on the street. The driver had no problem kicking it in 125 MPH in no time at all.
My Opinion...
It is a RACE CAR!!! Just because it passes government ordinances does not mean it offers one bit of utility beyond the purpose of going flat out on a track. There is a reason why many of these cars are offered for sale 2nd hand with low miles. People cannot drive this daily as a road car without extensive (and not to mention EXHAUSTIVE) modifications.
The possible rebuttals...
Rebuttal #1
Well the Enzo, and the Carrera GT, and the blah blah blah!...
I have sat in a Carrera GT. I even fired it up. There is a distinct difference between a super exotic like the GT and the Ultima GTR. The Carrera GT is not as spartan and brutal as the GTR. The GT doesn't have it's body panels moving all over the place. There is no sloppy flex in the chassis (yes, the GTR has a chassis that is more liken to a spaghetti noodle than a top quality exotic). Furthermore, there is actually a bit of shoulder clearance between you and the person next to you in the Carrera GT. In the GTR, you might as well be sitting in your neighbors lap!
Rebuttal #2
Well you could trim the interior on the GTR to be more user friendly and blah blah blah!...
This is true, but you could also take James May's Aston Race car and retrim it...then you would have a regular Aston. The clearances for the Ultima GTR bodywork makes it difficult to apply luxurious appointments to different panels in the car. For example, the inner door panels... Ultima does not recommend skinning the door panels because it might mess with the delicate balance of the struts that enable the doors to rise effortlessly. In other words, this car was not meant to be decked out in leather and luxurious nonsense. It is a RACE CAR!
I have spoken to only 1 Ultima GTR owner who bothered to put together a custom interior. He lives in Canada. He says that his car is very comfortable to drive. It has sound deadening material in it. No buzzing, fizzing, cracking, or popping of the bodywork. Just don't ask what he had to do to get the car to behave so domestically! Lemme give you a hint. He is an engineer, and a damn good one. He had to redesign certain aspects of the chassis. Namely, the floor pan, the roof, the entire suspension geometry... you get the picture. If you don't believe me you can go to his website at
www.ultimav12.ca. His name is Jay Esterer and if you email him he would be more than happy to explain in depth what modifications were done to the original design.... starting with a really sweet BMW V12 motor!
Rebuttal #3
Why does TG count the ariel atom and not the GTR on it's lap board?
Good question. Ask them.