Top Gear Test Track Record Time OBLITERATED! (NOT a show spoiler!)

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Probably the reason why it hasn't been in the show is that it wouldn't be good TV to have it. It would totally smash the previous record and we would have to wait for season 27 before anything comes even close. It's much more entertaining when the record is only slightly improved and it is constantly improved or contested.
 
Probably the reason why it hasn't been in the show is that it wouldn't be good TV to have it. It would totally smash the previous record and we would have to wait for season 27 before anything comes even close. It's much more entertaining when the record is only slightly improved and it is constantly improved or contested.

Well you could tell the Stig to slow down ;)
 
My dad spoke with a man from Caparo (they build them here in Basingstoke) and according to him the same car that Plato drived will be going to Top Gear soon, whether it's the show or the magazine I'm not sure, but if it's the show then we will probably find out how fast it goes round the track.

Holy crap! sweeeeeeeeeet 8) Keep us updated on any more inside info!

Isn't this more of a track day car like TG showed in there first season? With the Radical and such?
I think its better that them car or off the board.

And the Ariel Atom ISN'T a track day car because.....? yeah. The "trackday car" argument falls flat on its face because if that were the case then the Ariel Atom, the 360CS, the GT3RS, the Noble, M3 CSL, etc. etc. should also have to be removed.

There's a local guy here with a red Ultima GTR... I think the 500HP version. He got it registered road-legal in MN, he drives it 150+ miles to and from track days. He says he wears earplugs because it's loud on the road, but otherwise is pretty comfy.

Here's a pic of it in the track paddock next to my old Volvo :D

DSC_1292_Custom_.JPG


And BTW, the car is A LOT more beautiful in person than it is in photos. Dunno why, it just is.

Just goes to show how daily usable this car really is, unlike many others that are on the board.

yes it may be cheap, but in case of an accident how will it stand ? can it absorb the impact because i see the front end quite short, the passanger cell may remain intact but your insides not.

Anyway, astonishing never the less car.

Astonishing indeed. But why does safety matter? How will the Ariel Atom fare in an impact?

Probably the reason why it hasn't been in the show is that it wouldn't be good TV to have it. It would totally smash the previous record and we would have to wait for season 27 before anything comes even close. It's much more entertaining when the record is only slightly improved and it is constantly improved or contested.

It might not be 27 seasons....in fact the Caparo T1 looks very promising to obliterating not only the CCX's record but the GTR's record as well!
 
The only reason I can think of as to why they have not tested the GTR is because it is basically a kit car and although the 720 was tested on the track, it is not the only configuration you can have. Maybe they feel if they let this one on then someone will get one with a bigger engine or a supercharger or whatever and then they'll have to test that as well. I notice that the caterham is not present on the board. That is a kit car as well. The atom is built by Ariel and always has the honda or GM engine. Despite this i'd love to see the GTR on there but then I suppose the radical et al should go there too.
 
not to beat a pulverized horse, but that is too damn ugly!
 
error in the video

error in the video

i just checked out the ultima website and downloaded the in car video of the guy doing the lap (here's the website http://www.ultimasports.co.uk/topgearlaprecord.html)
at about 1:02 seconds as he is breaking for the second to last corner there is a discontinuity error in the video. if u look on the side of the track (on the grass) u'll see the break markers and the big <- arrow jumps forward. did anyone else have this or was it just my download?? This may suggest that they added two videos together of the guys best run or he may have spun? I don't want to start pointing fingers but it is interesting.
 
Top Gear are jerks, even if it passes all the rules to be eligible for the power board they still wont put it up, it all depends on whether they think it really is a road car or not.

I personally don't think it passes for a road car.
 
I read that article and a Owner's diary before I made my comments. Call me a cynic but manufacturer marketing claims and reality are rarely in agreement, I find it hard to distinguish fact from fiction without an unbiased review..
I can see no reason doubting real hard facts when they are supplied by the manufactuer. When they say that a car can be supplied with said equipment, I can see no reason doubting it. Remember the running gear in this car is a smooth 383 smallblock V8 and a transaxle from a Porsche 911, which should be tractable. EVO ran a test of the slightly lesser 640 hp model on the Isle Of Man, and they didn't complain about it being too hardcore for the road.

As far as the Owner's diary about the GTR goes, I can't really see what you're on about. Those points can be made against almost any of todays supercars, like the Zonda, Carrera GT, Enzo and Murchielago, except whith said supercars running them is at least 10x more expensive. EVO magazine has actually had said supercars as longthermers, and don't for a minute think that they are like normal cars to run. They require just as much attention as an Ultima, if not more, and when someting does go wrong, you can't do anything but throw huge heaps of money onto the problem to have someone fix it for you. The Zonda for instance had to be brought back to Italy for a new gearbox and an overhaul. The Murchielago had an engine replacement and some rebuilds.
 
i just checked out the ultima website and downloaded the in car video of the guy doing the lap (here's the website http://www.ultimasports.co.uk/topgearlaprecord.html)
at about 1:02 seconds as he is breaking for the second to last corner there is a discontinuity error in the video. if u look on the side of the track (on the grass) u'll see the break markers and the big <- arrow jumps forward. did anyone else have this or was it just my download?? This may suggest that they added two videos together of the guys best run or he may have spun? I don't want to start pointing fingers but it is interesting.

It's your download:

[YOUTUBE]http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZtRlzYTjhOE[/YOUTUBE]
 
I got bored & put the Ultima into Top Gear with a quickie bit of ham-fisted editing using their press release footage...

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wim9W2h_QVg[/YOUTUBE]
 
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I must say that out of all the various track specials, I've seen more Atoms on the road (about 5) than I have anything else. Of course, in the UK, it appears to be legal to wear a helmet (full face) while driving it, which makes it easier to manage.

I'll provide more Atom feedback in a couple of weeks after I've had a chance to drive one :)

Steve
 
I have the same slight jump at 1:02, but its only very very brief so you might not notice. I think the camera was probably overwhelmed by the G's while braking!
 
I think the Stack gauge clusters are garbage. I don't know why car makers use them in their cars... :thumbsdown:
 
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.
 
^Welcome. You bring up good, yet pretty obvious points about the car. It may not be suited for you, but you have to respect its presence on the track. Anyone who buys a Ultima GTR knows what they're buying, and it will likely see some good track time. If anyone buys it and finds out what you have while you were looking into them, and complains, they've made a seriously uneducated purchase.

Everyone should look at it as a track car capable of driving on the street, rather than a reasonable street car capable of putting down great track times. In this respect, it is a nice achievement.
 
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On a lighter note, it's a pretty amazing car, wonder why they've been rejecting it...
Well i may be quite wrong, but it seems quite obvious to me.
Have you noticed how all the fastest vehicles has been removed from the board for different reasons ?
If they put Ultima on the top, it's likely it will not be beaten in the next few years. So no more "Welcome everyone to the fastest car we've ever tested!", and no more "THIS IS A NEW LAP RECORD EVERYONE11!!11".
Which means no more sensation.
Which means less viewers.

God oh god i hope i'm wrong, because it just makes me sick.
 
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