Ultima advice

[Cordiner-gy6d4]

Hi all

I am after a bit of Ultima buying / owning advice. Many thanks for anyone who takes time to reply.

I am very tempted by an Ultima RS with LT5. I think they look amazing - but I can find very little information really on Ultima ownership or comparison.

What I am looking to achieve from the RS is: i) 5-6 track days per annum; ii) odd euro trip; and iii) an experience every time I jump in it. What matters to me is performance and handling. I want something which handles like a big go kart, with significant stability at speed.

Alternative cars on my possible list would be:

Radical RXC (my concern .... just too low and turning circle is horrendous)
991 GT3 RS (superbly capable ... but dare I say it a little dull)
720s / 600 LT (v quick, nice place to sit ... but maintenance costs are high and dare I say it a bit soft)
Exige 430 Cup (nice / engaging, but a slower alternative to GT3)

I currently have a tuned 620R which I would plan to keep.

All thoughts welcome.

Thanks!!

[Racingroj]

Hi
I’ve owned both a 2010/Ultima GTR with an LS7 and a custom built Radical RXC with the Bosch ABS and Traction Control. Both are amazing cars and both seat heights from the road are the same. The Radical has adjustable power steering which makes tight turning easier, some have added this feature to the Ultima. Both need noise cancelling ear defenders on most journeys especially longer ones. I took both on long journeys and track days and really enjoyed both. On the track nothing could come close to the Radical and I only used road tyres. With slicks it would have been incredible. On long journeys on the road including the NC500 and with the dampers set to 10 from full soft it was one of the most comfortable cars I’ve ever driven. The Ultima produced a better sound track and was easier to work on but was definitely more basic which some owners prefer. Of course a factory built Radical is more expensive than the Ultima, at around £170,000 last time I looked. The Ultima for a basic factory built RS I think is pushing £120,000 now but I could be put right on that. If you want an earlier example then the price will be anywhere from £50,000 upwards depending on who built it, to what spec and in what condition.
Hope that helps.

Edited by Racingroj on Sunday 2nd May 22:13

Edited by Racingroj on Sunday 2nd May 22:15

Edited by Racingroj on Tuesday 4th May 12:32

[Caterham620R]

Thanks Racingroj

Very helpful to have the direct comparison. Did you find the Radical was manageable with speed humps / angle changes (with a lifer I presume)?

[Racingroj]

Hi
Yes they fit a hydraulic lifter as standard and it was fine for those square bumps and the ‘across the road’ speed bumps. Obviously you have to slow down as in a traditional road car.
Again damper settings as described above are really important. For Trackdays I set them 10 from hard (50 clicks available).
Cars like the Ultima and the Radical are by nature ‘extreme’ cars and are very visceral.
I have added an internal picture which might help to explain why I said it was comfortable. The centre dash also was excellent and easy to read at speed. Try 150mph plus at the end of the hanger straight!
Hope this helps.

Edited by Racingroj on Tuesday 4th May 12:33

[Caterham620R]

Excellent!

Looks quite civilised vs my caterham haha 😂

[UltimaCH]

Real world experiences with the RS may take a bit of time coming as the version is still relatively young. I strongly recommend in the Ultima having A/C and also perhaps EPS as working the steering at low speed is very muscular

[Thevet]

Racingroj said:

Hi
The centre dash also was excellent and easy to read at speed. Try 150mph plus at the end of the hanger straight!

Edited by Racingroj on Tuesday 4th May 12:33

Well the dash on my ~GTR was perfectly readable at 199 at Vmax, the car was perfectly straight and composed, with no wind in my hair.

[dandare]

Thevet said:

Well the dash on my ~GTR was perfectly readable at 199 at Vmax, the car was perfectly straight and composed, with no wind in my hair.

Do you have hair?

[Thevet]

That's insulting sir!! Time for a challenge, fastest 1/4 mile allows shaving of the other's head?

Edited by Thevet on Thursday 6th May 19:31

[dandare]

Thevet said:

That's insulting sir!! Time for a challenge, fastest 1/4 mile allows ahving of the other's head?

IT'll have to be on foot. My car still isn't ready (hopefully the summer, though).

I think you'll win. I only have a cooking motor in mine. I'll shave my head now...

[Thevet]

Actually, with hindsight, that was a lie, there was wind in my hair on the first run as I hadn't shut the door properly and it blew up a bit (a foot) at about 160, not sure where the wind came from, outside or me?