Ultima GTR

The Ultima GTR is a supercar manufactured by Ultima Sports Ltd of Hinckley, Leicestershire, England. The car was available both in kit form and as a "turnkey" (i.e. assembled by the factory) vehicle until early 2015, when it was replaced by the Ultima Evolution. The design is mid engined, rear wheel drive layout, with a tubular steel space frame chassis and GRP bodywork. A convertible version called the Ultima Can-Am was also produced. Kit builders were free to source and fit a variety of engines and transmissions but the Chevrolet small block V8 supplied by American Speed mated to either a Porsche or Getrag transaxle was the factory recommended standard, and this configuration was fitted to all turnkey cars.

Performance
Ultima focused their marketing efforts on record-breaking activities using a model equipped with a 640 bhp American Speed engine, called the Ultima GTR640, and subsequently, a 720 bhp at 6700 rpm and a maximum torque of 855 Nm at 4400 rpm Chevy V8 engine called the GTR 720. As a result, they established the following official, independently verified records for a production car equipped with road tyres and exhaust:


 * Fastest 0–60 mi/h time: 2.6 seconds
 * Fastest 0–100 mi/h time: 5.3 seconds
 * Fastest 30 mi/h–70 mi/h time: 1.8 seconds
 * Fastest 100 mi/h to 0 mph braking: 3.6 seconds
 * Fastest 0 – 100 mi/h – 0 mph time: 9.4 seconds
 * Best performance on a skidpad: 1.176g lateral grip in a 200 ft circle.
 * Fastest road car over the 1/4 mile: 9.9 seconds @ 143 mi/h

Due to its kerb weight of 980 kg, the power-to-weight ratio for the GTR720 is 745 bhp per tonne, which is a better ratio than the Bugatti Veyron, Enzo Ferrari, Ascari A10, Koenigsegg CCX or CCGT, but less than the Koenigsegg CCXR or the Caparo T1. However, the Ultima chassis is rated for engines up to 1000 bhp and some of Ultima's customers, notably Jeff Schwartz, have fitted engines producing 1000 bhp or more, for a power-to-weight ratio of over 1000 bhp per tonne, which is approximately twice the power-to-weight ratio of the aforementioned cars and nearly the same as the Caparo T1's (1170 bhp per tonne, but this is a "dry" tonnage and the bhp PS kW/tonne would be reduced once oil, coolant, gasoline, etc. are added, compared to the Ultima figures above which are "wet" weights). There are also other model designations for the kits, including the GTR 660 and GTR 730.

In 2007, the GTR720 was independently timed lapping the Top Gear test track in 1 minute 12.8 seconds, at least one second faster than all other times listed on the Top Gear television programme's Power Board at the time. In October 2009 Ultima set another time of 1 minute 9.9 seconds, but this time in a configuration not suitable for use on public highways. Ultima have been keen to point out that this time is faster than those set by both the Ferrari FXX and the Caparo T1; of which neither were deemed to be acceptable road cars by the Top Gear presenters shortly after these times were set.

In 2011, Romanian workshop Black Falcon Cars mated an Ultima GTR chassis and a modified Porsche GT3 transmission with a Chevrolet V8 turbocharged by Nelson Racing Engines to achieve 1716 bhp on racing fuel and made it fully road legal under the brand name Black Falcon SBC-TT1750.

In 2015 the GTR and Can-Am names were retired and replaced by the Ultima Evolution range, which represents a complete reengineering of the package.