From the Classifieds: 2002 Ultima GTR
Low-volume British kit cars might be a penny a dozen, but they are invariably – erm – interesting.From the same nation that has spawned Lotus, Morgan, Caterham and countless do-it-yourself sports cars with more zip than should be legal, comes the Ultima GTR, a mid-engined, lightweight missile that looks as if it’s fresh from a lap of Le Mans and is available either in kit form, or fully built-up from the factory in Leicestershire, U.K.
Using a tubular steel space frame chassis with a GRP body and a choice of numerous mid-mounted V8 engines hooked up to a Getrag or Porsche transaxle, the Ultima tips the scales at typically less than one tonne.
Although most factory-built Ultimas come with a small-block Chev V8 supplied by American Speed, that is far from the only engine choice. This is evidenced by the application of a special 537kW American Speed V8 in the GTR720 version, giving an astonishing power-weight ratio that exceeds even the Bugatti Veyron, and setting a raft of world speed records.
The GTR720 Ultima claims world’s fastest times for 0-60mph (97km/h) in 2.6 seconds, 0-100mph (160km/h) in 5.3 seconds, 30mph (48km/h) to 70mph (110km/h) in 1.8 seconds, 100mph (160km/h) to 0mph in 3.6 seconds, 0-100mph (160km/h) to 0mph in 9.4 seconds, best performance on a skidpad with 1.176g of lateral grip in a 60-metre) circle, and fastest road car over the old quarter mile at 9.9 seconds and 230km/h. All that eclipses some stellar cars, including the aforementioned Bugatti, Ferrari Enzo, McLaren F1 and Porsche Carrera GT.
Okay, the regular small-block Ultima isn’t going to be quite that quick, but a Chev V8 in a car weighing about as much as a Suzuki Alto is never going to be slow.
Which is undoubtedly the case with this 2002 factory-built, Australian-compliance Ultima currently offered for sale at $158,000 on carsales.com.au.
The bright red car lives in the rural town of Kilmore, just a short drive north of Melbourne and is one of only a handful of Ultimas built with full Australian compliance plates. The legitimate supercar has 12 months worth of registration on board, but won’t come with a roadworthy certificate.
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