Thinking of an Ultima....

[sixspeed]

Hello people..

Thought i'd venture into some of these more obscure forums on PH..

Currently own a Tuscan S but getting tired of the Cadbury's Flake engines (only the crumbliest, flakiest chocolate....).

I can only think of an Ultima as a worthy replacement for the Tuscan. The practicality side of the TVR is less of an issue now since I bought it as I have a decent daily driver for lugging stuff around in, so I'm just after a good, fast, fun car for the weekends etc.


I had a brief look around this weekend, and saw a black Ultima Sports at Fernhurst for sale.

Any thoughts on whether this is a good buy?

It is convenient for me since Fernhurst are a TVR specialist, so I should be able to get a better trade-in for the Tuscan.

I have arranged to see the car on Saturday. Is there anything I should be aware of? At 2,500 miles though, and as a factory finished car, I guess there shouldn't be too much wrong with it.


Anyway, will keep an eye out - if anyone knows of any good cars for sale, let me know! I'll probably just lurk in these forums for a bit, and try and pick up some info. On that subject, are there any other good Ultima owners forums?


-andy-

[Stig]

sixspeed said:

Hello people.. Thought i'd venture into some of these more obscure forums on PH.. Currently own a Tuscan S but getting tired of the Cadbury's Flake engines (only the crumbliest, flakiest chocolate....). I can only think of an Ultima as a worthy replacement for the Tuscan. The practicality side of the TVR is less of an issue now since I bought it as I have a decent daily driver for lugging stuff around in, so I'm just after a good, fast, fun car for the weekends etc. I had a brief look around this weekend, and saw a black Ultima Sports at Fernhurst for sale. Any thoughts on whether this is a good buy? It is convenient for me since Fernhurst are a TVR specialist, so I should be able to get a better trade-in for the Tuscan. I have arranged to see the car on Saturday. Is there anything I should be aware of? At 2,500 miles though, and as a factory finished car, I guess there shouldn't be too much wrong with it. Anyway, will keep an eye out - if anyone knows of any good cars for sale, let me know! I'll probably just lurk in these forums for a bit, and try and pick up some info. On that subject, are there any other good Ultima owners forums? -andy-

Andy,

Obscure!!! We're almost as popular as the Ferrari, Lambo/Maserati forum combined!!!

Looks to be a fair price for the black GTR although, it sounds like a 'stock' .350 Chevy which is still fine for the car. You can always upgrade it. However, there doesn't seem to be any aircon (not so good and extremely hard to retro-fit) and it has the 'cheaper' wheels and brakes (Granada), so it looks as if the car's been built on a reasonably tight budget. Check to see if it has a full roll cage - it may be rear hoop only and that it has dual fuel tanks. A single tank will only give it a range of about 100 miles!!

It may be factory built, or factory finished - it's hard to tell from the ad and would need to see it up close to determine.

Still, it does have the s/steel exhausts and carbon wing.

There are a LOT of little extras which bump up the price, some are hard to spot (type of fuel pumps for example). Still, from the information in the ad, a fair price I'd say.

I'd offer to come along but am racing this weekend at Pembrey.

This is definitely THE forum nowadays and gets good traffic. Dunno if you've seem my site, but that will give you the lowdown on every nut/bolt/washer in a GTR. www.ultima-gtr.info

Good move from the Tuscan!!

[Ultimapaul]

Sixspeed - That is a good price. But, as Stig has said, the lack of A/C may be a problem. The cars do get very hot and it would be a real nightmare to retro fit.

Try looking here .....

www.ultimaclub.com/index-site.htm

at the "For Sale" section or in the Ultima section in the pistonheads "Cars For Sale" on the home page.

Oh, did I mention mine is available

Good hunting though, you'll not regret getting one.

Paul

[sixspeed]

Thanks for the help so far! Looking very interesting

Can you guys help me out on one thing though. I realise there are different flavours of the car (GTR, Sports, Spyder etc etc)...

What is the difference between the Sports and the GTR? Or more importantly, is there any fundamental difference between them that means you could not say buy a Sport and then upgrade it to full GTR spec over time?


-andy-

[Stig]

sixspeed said:

Thanks for the help so far! Looking very interesting Can you guys help me out on one thing though. I realise there are different flavours of the car (GTR, Sports, Spyder etc etc)... What is the difference between the Sports and the GTR? Or more importantly, is there any fundamental difference between them that means you could not say buy a Sport and then upgrade it to full GTR spec over time? -andy-

The 'Sport' was the predecessor to the GTR. They have a more rounded rear, some with a fixed GRP and some with a 'pylon' style wing.

You could replace the Sport body with a GTR (it's been done a few times), but for the cost, you might as well start off with a GTR!

[sixspeed]

Certainly if I'm going to go from new (and I'm getting quite tempted at the thought of building one up myself), then that's what I'd do.

I'm just wondering if I went the cheaper (easier?) option of buying a built Sports that's a few years old, could I upgrade it to a GTR-spec car over time? What about mechanicals? Apart from the GTR body, is there anything different underneath that can't be replaced on the Sports to make it a GTR?


-andy-

[Stig]

sixspeed said:

Certainly if I'm going to go from new (and I'm getting quite tempted at the thought of building one up myself), then that's what I'd do. I'm just wondering if I went the cheaper (easier?) option of buying a built Sports that's a few years old, could I upgrade it to a GTR-spec car over time? What about mechanicals? Apart from the GTR body, is there anything different underneath that can't be replaced on the Sports to make it a GTR? -andy-

Mechanicals are similar, chassis almost identical. However, the car evolves (and continues to do so), so brakes/suspension etc. may be less efficient as the newer items.

If I was in your position and was tempted by a Sport, I'd got for the Purple Dutch one in the Pistonheads ads.

Very tidy, well specc'd car. Just needs and engine and tranny.

Click here for the ad

If you want to tinker, then James has a MkIV for sale for buttons compared to what he's spent on it.

Click here for the ad

[Steve_D]

The downside of a rebody will be the impact on the resale value. Don't forget that a new build GTR will be registered as a new vehicle with a current registration. The rebody would retain its original registration and model descrption (sport). It may in the worst case end up with a 'Q' plate
Steve

[Stig]

Ah, just seen that the Dutch one is a left hooker!

I assume you've seen this one: silver sports

Not bad at that price. Looks like a bit of a scrape on the rear N/S wheel arch though and silver is a bast to blow in!

[ultimaandy]

And I have a large rear spoiler that will fit it to replace the tee tray

[sixspeed]

Yeah, I saw that one.. but I couldn't put my lovely plate on it as it's too old

I just managed to get through the build diary on ultima-gtr.info.... bit daunted again now by the thought of building one.

Oh dear... maybe I'm not going to be mechanically minded enough for Ultima ownership :-/


-andy-

[ultiman]

Sixspeed, lt certainly helps to be mechanically minded but there is lots of help on this forum and in various web sites, especially Stig's. Most of the build is quite simple, it is just a matter of knowing how. The factory are helpful and instructions are much better for the GTR and CanAm than they were for the Sport and Spyder. BTW, the newer models are an improvement in lots of detailed areas such as aerodynamics, hinges, etc but mechanically they can be identical as brakes and engines etc can be fitted up to top spec on both. The appearance is a matter of taste.

[Ultimapaul]

Stig said:

sixspeed said: Certainly if I'm going to go from new (and I'm getting quite tempted at the thought of building one up myself), then that's what I'd do. I'm just wondering if I went the cheaper (easier?) option of buying a built Sports that's a few years old, could I upgrade it to a GTR-spec car over time? What about mechanicals? Apart from the GTR body, is there anything different underneath that can't be replaced on the Sports to make it a GTR? -andy- Mechanicals are similar, chassis almost identical. However, the car evolves (and continues to do so), so brakes/suspension etc. may be less efficient as the newer items. If I was in your position and was tempted by a Sport, I'd got for the Purple Dutch one in the Pistonheads ads. Very tidy, well specc'd car. Just needs and engine and tranny. Click here for the ad If you want to tinker, then James has a MkIV for sale for buttons compared to what he's spent on it. Click here for the ad

Stig, I keep looking at the Dutch one but am not sure it would go through SVA very easliy. Good money though.

[jamieheasman]

Just to add my two-penneth. I'm also in the position of owning a TVR (Chimaera - used to own a Cerbera before moving to NZ, now can't import any of the marque - stupid LTSA) and I am considering an Ultima as a replacement.

I want a focussed road/track car that can be well supported in NZ. Chevvy V8 parts are dirt cheap here and everyone knows about them and the rest looks pretty straight forward.

I would love to build my own Ultima GTR but at the moment the cost is an issue. I'd want to build it to a high spec but I know we'd be looking at the wrong side of 45k for that. I think I'd also like to build up some experience with one before I take the plunge, so I'm going to look for a Sport (unless a cheap GTR comes up like the one at Fernies - although it would have to have air-con fitted) and then perhaps sell that on in the future to help fund the GTR build.

I like the styling of both the Sports and the GTR so that's not an issue.

[ultimapeter]

there`s a 97 reg sport inthis months kit car for 20k
its an awfull shade of purple though