Ultima proves it really is the ultimate

British sports car specialist Ultima claims to have eclipsed the production-car world record for sprinting from standstill to 100mph (160km/h) and then back to rest with its hard-core, lightweight GTR coupe.

Piloted by Ultima director Richard Marlow along a 2.9km runway at the Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground, Leicestershire, the road-legal GTR scorched to 60mph (96km/h) in 2.8sec, while 100mph (160km/h) was dispatched in a blistering 5.9sec. Another 4.4sec later, the car was stationary.

"This record time beats the legendary McLaren F1 road car by well-over a full second at less than one-tenth of the cost," boasts Ultima.

The manufacturer claims the times were set by a "standard, factory built, fully road legal, road tyred Ultima GTR built using all of the high spec factory specified and proven parts".

Power for the 993kg missile was provided by a 478kW 6.2-litre Chevrolet V8 engine, mated to a Porsche G50 five-speed transaxle gearbox. The car was equipped with air-conditioning (which adds weight), but devoid of traction-control devices, launch control systems or ABS braking aids.

"The 0-100mph-0 test is believed by many to be the ultimate test for any car and is a true indicator of a cars all round performance ability," gushed Marlow after the run.

"We haven't strapped any timing gear onto one of our cars for a few years now and decided that the time was right to demonstrate to everybody how we have been successfully developing our product over the years and gained a world record in the process.

The world record attempt was overseen and verified by an official from Datron Technology, which is acknowledged by the Guinness Book of Records as official timekeepers, using state-of-the-art Microsat GPS equipment.

0-100mph-0 comparison times
Ultima GTR 9.9secs
Ferrari Enzo 10.9secs
McLaren F1 LM 11.5secs
Porsche Carrera GT 11.6secs
Pagani Zonda 11.8secs
Porsche 911 Ruf R Turbo 13.1secs
Ferrari F40 13.8secs
Lamborghini Murcielago 13.9secs
Aston Martin DB9 14.9secs
Honda NSX Type-R 16.2secs

0-60mph comparison times
Ultima GTR 2.7secs
Ferrari Enzo 3.4secs
McLaren F1 LM 3.2secs
Porsche Carrera GT 3.7secs
Pagani Zonda 3.7secs
Porsche 911 Ruf R Turbo 3.7secs
Ferrari F40 3.8secs
Lamborghini Murcielago 4.0secs
Aston Martin DB9 5.0secs
Honda NSX Type-R 4.9secs