Discussion
There are many cars for hire of this type, Caterham, Atom, Mono, Radical etc etc. Although I have yet to see an Ultima for hire other than in a wedding car format I thought I would ask the people who may know. A reasonable question.
I like the car and wouldn't mind trying one out. So if it is the case that these cars are not hired out a reply with helpful suggestions or reasons why not would be good rather than people jumping in to take the piss from the off. It does your group no favours, I do hope there are some Ultima owners on this site who'd reply in a reasonable way to my question, if not then I don't think I want to be associated with Ultima or their owners.
Happy to be proved wrong.
I like the car and wouldn't mind trying one out. So if it is the case that these cars are not hired out a reply with helpful suggestions or reasons why not would be good rather than people jumping in to take the piss from the off. It does your group no favours, I do hope there are some Ultima owners on this site who'd reply in a reasonable way to my question, if not then I don't think I want to be associated with Ultima or their owners.
Happy to be proved wrong.
All the cars you mention above are very simple to drive - I can't see anyone being able to make a business of hiring Ultimas to the public, they'd just be too high risk. To cover that the rental cost would be too high, and for similar money you'd probably get a nice 458 spider which the majority of joe public would probably prefer.
You'd be best off trying to find when owners are going trackdays and see if you can get a ride, plus go to the factory for a demo. Not exactly what you're after but it may be the best you'll get.
You'd be best off trying to find when owners are going trackdays and see if you can get a ride, plus go to the factory for a demo. Not exactly what you're after but it may be the best you'll get.
Okay, cheers. What a shame, these cars look a lot of fun. I could quite happily spend a day zipping around some B roads in an Ultima. I will certainly think about the track day idea. I've had my eye on the Radical hired out by http://www.swracecarhire.com/Racecar%20Hire.html. It looks quality.
Hoonfest said:
Okay, cheers. What a shame, these cars look a lot of fun. I could quite happily spend a day zipping around some B roads in an Ultima. I will certainly think about the track day idea. I've had my eye on the Radical hired out by http://www.swracecarhire.com/Racecar%20Hire.html. It looks quality.
hmmm, at 2k for a days track hire for the SR3 I would think a road going Ultima would be considerably more for a days use on road?Hoonfest said:
There are many cars for hire of this type, Caterham, Atom, Mono, Radical etc etc. Although I have yet to see an Ultima for hire other than in a wedding car format I thought I would ask the people who may know. A reasonable question.
I like the car and wouldn't mind trying one out. So if it is the case that these cars are not hired out a reply with helpful suggestions or reasons why not would be good rather than people jumping in to take the piss from the off. It does your group no favours, I do hope there are some Ultima owners on this site who'd reply in a reasonable way to my question, if not then I don't think I want to be associated with Ultima or their owners.
Happy to be proved wrong.
Tends to be a lot of that on here unfortunately. It's a shame as I'm sure many people are put off the marque by the excessive trolling, constant thread-jacking and the amount of off-topic sI like the car and wouldn't mind trying one out. So if it is the case that these cars are not hired out a reply with helpful suggestions or reasons why not would be good rather than people jumping in to take the piss from the off. It does your group no favours, I do hope there are some Ultima owners on this site who'd reply in a reasonable way to my question, if not then I don't think I want to be associated with Ultima or their owners.
Happy to be proved wrong.
te posted. Refrained from contributing for the above reasons to be honest.Although, with that said I look forward to driving my Ultima and keeping a good relationship with the factory for future support. I've also met a couple of good people/builders that aren't active on here and intend on meets/drives in the near future.
Personally I'd only hire out my car if all the legal measures were in place and I didn't think you were a tool/precarious/untrustworthy character
I await flaming...
I don't think you appreciate MrT that most Ultima owners have put there heart and sole into building these cars or have bought them and put there own stamp on them after spending a shed load of money, I doubt very much if you will find a private owner who will hire out his pride and joy to an individual but the best of luck with your quest.
Personally I wouldn't let a potential buyer test drive my car either unless I had full payment 1st, as there have been a couple of accidents previous, these cars will bite you in the a55 if you are not used to them.
again best of luck
Personally I wouldn't let a potential buyer test drive my car either unless I had full payment 1st, as there have been a couple of accidents previous, these cars will bite you in the a55 if you are not used to them.
again best of luck
i think if Ted doesnt offer test drives anymore due to the high risk, its why other wont hire out their car too.
I certainly would let anyone i didnt know near mine, as its so easy to get yourself in trouble.
and B roads.... sorry my friend, but thats not the road you want to be taking Ultimas down to have some fun, that will end in tears. These cars can bite, not traction control, power steering, abs, or even servo brakes. its a full race car on the road, and faster than most cars to 100 mph by a long way.
Good luck though
I certainly would let anyone i didnt know near mine, as its so easy to get yourself in trouble.
and B roads.... sorry my friend, but thats not the road you want to be taking Ultimas down to have some fun, that will end in tears. These cars can bite, not traction control, power steering, abs, or even servo brakes. its a full race car on the road, and faster than most cars to 100 mph by a long way.
Good luck though
I was at a track day recently and had two friends with me that helped me with the build. I offered to both of them to take my car out for a session each.
I've also lent my car out to a friend to drive for a couple of weeks and wasn't nervous about it at any time.
Just depends on the person. To me, I'd hire my car to someone who wasn't a tool and I had a reference for. I always just say "you break it you fix it" and "don't crash it unless you write it off" as I hand over the keys.
I've also lent my car out to a friend to drive for a couple of weeks and wasn't nervous about it at any time.
Just depends on the person. To me, I'd hire my car to someone who wasn't a tool and I had a reference for. I always just say "you break it you fix it" and "don't crash it unless you write it off" as I hand over the keys.
Cheers all for the replies. Interesting to know these cars aren't really B road types. This did surprise me as I thought they maybe similar in behaviour to fast Caterhams and alike but now I know better.
When I first posted I did not expect these cars to offered by private individuals and am not surprised to see how well they are loved. I thought that perhaps some company may offer an experience as you get with other similar cars. Obviously they are too much of a risky prospect but then again are they more risky than an fast Atom or huge Lamborghini?
I see someone mentions that a 2k track day in a Radical would be cheaper than running a Ultima for the day, I must say I'm surprised to hear that.
Anyway really like these cars and congrats to you all on your fine works of art.
When I first posted I did not expect these cars to offered by private individuals and am not surprised to see how well they are loved. I thought that perhaps some company may offer an experience as you get with other similar cars. Obviously they are too much of a risky prospect but then again are they more risky than an fast Atom or huge Lamborghini?
I see someone mentions that a 2k track day in a Radical would be cheaper than running a Ultima for the day, I must say I'm surprised to hear that.
Anyway really like these cars and congrats to you all on your fine works of art.
have you concdidered a day at palmer sports.
when i was in the UK last i did one and it was fantastic. Ultima will be quicker in a straight line than anything you can drive at palmer sports. i spun just about everything at palmer sports as you have an instructor pushing you on for most of the day. given that i could loose mose things at palmer sports on the track where you have run off and no oncomming cars to worry about, imagine what i would be like in an ultima on the Rd.
i think you seriously need to think about what you have just asked. im not sure i understand why a test drive would be nesssesary in comparison to a passenger ride.
if you went off in a fool hardy manner in an Ultima it could be a very big life altering accident.
the following day after being a palmer sport i went for a test spin with Ted driving at Ultima. I could easily get a feel for the acceleration, noise, handling compliance, brakes and the speed these cars are capable of on the Rd. Everythign else that was a concern to your personal tastes could be made perfect during the build. i was more than supprised with the level of fit and finish in the factory car, and thankfull for being able to try it for size so to speak.
i hope that helps.
having said that, the UK does get a lot of tourists, having the option of hiring something unique to the UK would be tempting. i know of a few Australians that have hired Caterhams whilst they have been visiting.
regards Ryan
(Melbourne Australia)
when i was in the UK last i did one and it was fantastic. Ultima will be quicker in a straight line than anything you can drive at palmer sports. i spun just about everything at palmer sports as you have an instructor pushing you on for most of the day. given that i could loose mose things at palmer sports on the track where you have run off and no oncomming cars to worry about, imagine what i would be like in an ultima on the Rd.
i think you seriously need to think about what you have just asked. im not sure i understand why a test drive would be nesssesary in comparison to a passenger ride.
if you went off in a fool hardy manner in an Ultima it could be a very big life altering accident.
the following day after being a palmer sport i went for a test spin with Ted driving at Ultima. I could easily get a feel for the acceleration, noise, handling compliance, brakes and the speed these cars are capable of on the Rd. Everythign else that was a concern to your personal tastes could be made perfect during the build. i was more than supprised with the level of fit and finish in the factory car, and thankfull for being able to try it for size so to speak.
i hope that helps.
having said that, the UK does get a lot of tourists, having the option of hiring something unique to the UK would be tempting. i know of a few Australians that have hired Caterhams whilst they have been visiting.
regards Ryan
(Melbourne Australia)
I own a radical as well as an Ultima.The radical is an absolute pussy compared to an Ultima albeit with a similar power to weight ratio and loads of downforce. People do pay me to drive and be driven in the radical which although it cost twice as much as my Ultima I am happy to allow (on track) given a suitable damage deposit in cleared funds. However I would never let anybody whose skill I wasn't 100% sure of drive the Ultima!
Mark
You are totally correct. People are used to being able to get out of one car and into another and belt off down the road. This is because manufacturers have had to make them user friendly with a good margin of safety engineered in (not just the abs, esp, etc, etc.) but in the chassis and handling also.
The Ultima is a great handling, super performance car. But it has no driver aids at all. With the power, and more importantly, the torque from the engines that most builders install we create a car that is almost unique on the road. Under hard acceleration they can move about a fair bit, even in the dry and the rapid building of speed is relentless. The brakes are powerful but need a strong leg as there is no assistance. But no ABS so locking wheels is easily done.
If you drive one at normal road speeds they are fine. But if you hire a car you usually give it the gun a bit. Do this in an Ultima and you will probably end up in the hedge or Armco.
If you relate it to motorsport - you wouldn't get an F1 team to let you out in one of their cars if you normally drove in the Clio Cup or Formula Ford and probably not even from GP3 unless they saw you as a next F1 'big thing'.
Personally the last thing I would want to see is a company hiring out Ultimas as it would push up our insurance rates.
Paul
BTW. We like a little humour here as we tend not to take ourselves too seriously. Life is too short!
You are totally correct. People are used to being able to get out of one car and into another and belt off down the road. This is because manufacturers have had to make them user friendly with a good margin of safety engineered in (not just the abs, esp, etc, etc.) but in the chassis and handling also.
The Ultima is a great handling, super performance car. But it has no driver aids at all. With the power, and more importantly, the torque from the engines that most builders install we create a car that is almost unique on the road. Under hard acceleration they can move about a fair bit, even in the dry and the rapid building of speed is relentless. The brakes are powerful but need a strong leg as there is no assistance. But no ABS so locking wheels is easily done.
If you drive one at normal road speeds they are fine. But if you hire a car you usually give it the gun a bit. Do this in an Ultima and you will probably end up in the hedge or Armco.
If you relate it to motorsport - you wouldn't get an F1 team to let you out in one of their cars if you normally drove in the Clio Cup or Formula Ford and probably not even from GP3 unless they saw you as a next F1 'big thing'.
Personally the last thing I would want to see is a company hiring out Ultimas as it would push up our insurance rates.
Paul
BTW. We like a little humour here as we tend not to take ourselves too seriously. Life is too short!
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