RE: Ultima reveals new 'RS' model

[anonymous-user]

200Plus Club said:

Ultima have traded for years off the old top gear test track time with not much else in the way of reviews, articles or tests in the mainstream media, just kit industry stuff. They launched a new evo model a year or 3 ago and I don't believe there have been many if any recorded track times or pro reviews out there unless someone knows otherwise. It's a fabulous looking thing for sure, would be good to see someone like Harris on-board video reviewing it etc, or a Ring time etc.

Seems they need a PR person!

[RobM77]

fblm said:

200Plus Club said:

Ultima have traded for years off the old top gear test track time with not much else in the way of reviews, articles or tests in the mainstream media, just kit industry stuff. They launched a new evo model a year or 3 ago and I don't believe there have been many if any recorded track times or pro reviews out there unless someone knows otherwise. It's a fabulous looking thing for sure, would be good to see someone like Harris on-board video reviewing it etc, or a Ring time etc.

Seems they need a PR person!

I was thinking the same. Back when I was looking to buy one all there was were a few videos of private performance tests. They need to put their cars out there more: magazines, You Tube, some racing, a stand at the FoS, even an IOM lap, plus also bums on seats: if they truly believe in their cars they need to give some passenger rides at trackdays etc.

[renmure]

RobM77 said:

fblm said:

200Plus Club said:

Ultima have traded for years off the old top gear test track time with not much else in the way of reviews, articles or tests in the mainstream media, just kit industry stuff.

Seems they need a PR person!

I was thinking the same. Back when I was looking to buy one all there was were a few videos of private performance tests. They need to put their cars out there more: magazines, You Tube, some racing, a stand at the FoS, even an IOM lap, plus also bums on seats: if they truly believe in their cars they need to give some passenger rides at trackdays etc.

Disclosure: I've got an Ultima so might be biased but...

Do they need a PR person? It's a small specialist company selling a premium priced 6 figure (plus) specialist kit car and they've already got over 20 orders for this new halo model and they have a 2 year waiting list for a turnkey car. I don't think they are worried about not having enough interest or taking orders.

The Ultima "community" is fairly enthusiastic about promoting the Company and the Company is fairly supportive of the community. They have open days, factory visits, they've paid the entry costs of all owners attending the Silverstone Classic infield display in the past and this year are providing branded products and a marquee for owners attending. I think they are expecting 25-30 cars attending this year who will be doing parade laps. All the owners I know who do trackdays regularly take folk out in their cars. All the kids who take photos of mine seem to know of them through Forza.

Think my point is that the "Ultima" brand is already out there at a level where demand way exceeds supply and perhaps the costs and hassle and implications of scaling up to meet a "PR person" driven interest might have as many downsides as upsides.

Anyhow. I'm too much of a wuss to do trackdays in mine and limit myself to the Forza track in a car that I spent hours replicating my own. I still wince everytime I crash it (which is often!)

Gratuitous pic.

Edited by renmure on Wednesday 12th June 22:03

[deadscoob]

Been on track days with gd t70, high spec atoms and caterhams, plus the normal production “track” stuff. Am yet to be overtaken by any of them on road tyres and road legal.
If a pro took all out I’d expect an Ultima and gtd t70 to be similar, on a power circuit a high spec Atom to be a little behind and a high spec caterham to be a little behind that. Make the track twisty and tight and reverse the above of course.
A well set up Ultima on track remains a quick car, not race Radical on slicks quick, but for a road car they’re great on track.
I had great fun playing with Tony Freeman in his Radical a few years ago, he was surprised mine was road legal, on road tyres and I drove it to and from the circuit.

[200Plus Club]

deadscoob said:

Been on track days with gd t70, high spec atoms and caterhams, plus the normal production “track” stuff. Am yet to be overtaken by any of them on road tyres and road legal.
If a pro took all out I’d expect an Ultima and gtd t70 to be similar, on a power circuit a high spec Atom to be a little behind and a high spec caterham to be a little behind that. Make the track twisty and tight and reverse the above of course.
A well set up Ultima on track remains a quick car, not race Radical on slicks quick, but for a road car they’re great on track.
I had great fun playing with Tony Freeman in his Radical a few years ago, he was surprised mine was road legal, on road tyres and I drove it to and from the circuit.

https://youtu.be/4MZ3Rbhui7c

600+bhp GD T70 at the Ring with a pro driver.
No driver aids or TC. That's a fairly mild spec ls7 litre NA on-board. You wouldn't want to drive a 1000bhp version I guess. I went round croft in that same car, I also got by the original builder/owner in my 500bhp version on the same day as he'd previously bent his at cadwell in the damp and was prob intimidated a little as you would be.
Ignore the Speedo bouncing about in the video, but they had GPS on-board and it was clocked at 179mph I believe on the straight.
A mixture of skill and builder preservation always precludes the original owner/builder nailing Ultima / GD type cars at ten tenths, they are beasts to drive even at 8/10 I think.

[anonymous-user]

renmure said:

...Do they need a PR person? It's a small specialist company...

Maybe I should have said someone who works there should do some PR. The spec of the RS puts a factory built, hundredish grand road car comfortably in million pound+ hypercar territory... perhaps it's now time for it to be recognised as such by the mainstream press. It doesn't look like a kit car any more...

Edited by anonymous-user on Thursday 13th June 01:11

[anonymous-user]

I like Ultima doesn’t have a PR person. I don’t want to talk to a PR person I want to talk to the people who make the cars. It’s so very British. And thank fk it’s so.

[MKnight702]

jason61c said:

Packs A+B are £36k +vat so £43
550ish bhp engine is £8k
gearbox £3k
iva will be about £1k
Say 8k in misc/better cockpit etc
Tyres, £1k

so £63k ish......

Its rare in the kitcar world that it'll actually hold its money fairly well. and if you did it for around 60k you'd get it back.

Oh no you wouldn't, ask me how I know.

[200Plus Club]

If you go crazy spec and factory built you may not see your money back with any kit car. If you self build and do a quality job you should be ok with residual values on the high end manufacturers. I certainly did well on my GDT70 after having enjoyed it for a good few years.

[RobM77]

200Plus Club said:

If you go crazy spec and factory built you may not see your money back with any kit car. If you self build and do a quality job you should be ok with residual values on the high end manufacturers. I certainly did well on my GDT70 after having enjoyed it for a good few years.

What was it like to drive? What power output did yours have? Any pics?

[200Plus Club]

6 litre LS6 with msd ignition and a big demon carb. Very easy to tune and set up. 900kg.
440ft/lb at about 1800rpm to 6200rpm max. Approx 500bhp give or take. 330mm AP 4 pots all round and 888s.
Very little got round quicker on trackdays. It's now road legal and driving around the Midlands I believe. (Throttle bodies and ecu)

[RobM77]

Very nice - thanks for the pics and details.

[bigdog3]

200Plus Club said:

6 litre LS6 with msd ignition and a big demon carb. Very easy to tune and set up. 900kg.
440ft/lb at about 1800rpm to 6200rpm max. Approx 500bhp give or take. 330mm AP 4 pots all round and 888s.
Very little got round quicker on trackdays. It's now road legal and driving around the Midlands I believe. (Throttle bodies and ecu)

We run a similar powertrain but struggle to get through static noise. Typically records 102 to 103 dBA (race limit is 105) which is still too noisy for many trackdays.

Any information on those re-packable silencers? Were they obstructive? What static noise level did the car record? Any advice would be much appreciated

[RobM77]

bigdog3 said:

We run a similar powertrain but struggle to get through static noise. Typically records 102 to 103 dBA (race limit is 105) which is still too noisy for many trackdays.

Any information on those re-packable silencers? Were they obstructive? What static noise level did the car record? Any advice would be much appreciated

I recently spoke to Merlin Motorsport at Combe about them - info is on their website I think.

[200Plus Club]

bigdog3 said:

We run a similar powertrain but struggle to get through static noise. Typically records 102 to 103 dBA (race limit is 105) which is still too noisy for many trackdays.

Any information on those re-packable silencers? Were they obstructive? What static noise level did the car record? Any advice would be much appreciated

100-102db with 200 cell race cats plus the repackable silencers full of horrible itchy glassfibre lol. Croft claimed I was at 104 and borderline as did castle combe but lower everywhere else.
Quieting down a big v8 in an Ultima or any kit car to acceptable levels is something to consider if folk want to build one.

Edited by 200Plus Club on Thursday 13th June 18:10

[bigdog3]

Thanks guys

[anonymous-user]

bigdog3 said:

We run a similar powertrain but struggle to get through static noise. Typically records 102 to 103 dBA (race limit is 105) which is still too noisy for many trackdays.

Any information on those re-packable silencers? Were they obstructive? What static noise level did the car record? Any advice would be much appreciated

Try raceco for really quiet silencers.

[big_joe]

BadBull said:

The F1 was over £600k
The 720 lists at well over £200k
The Ultima (most expensive 1000bhp model) is circa £100k.

The car in this article cost significantly more than that, but it does have every available option and upgrade including a lot of expensive carbon upgrades. Expected power/torque is 800/825 but you can push them more.

For anyone interested in having a look at it, it will be at Goodwood Festival of speed. It's not ready to go down the track yet though unfortunately.

[200Plus Club]

big_joe said:

The car in this article cost significantly more than that, but it does have every available option and upgrade including a lot of expensive carbon upgrades. Expected power/torque is 800/825 but you can push them more.

For anyone interested in having a look at it, it will be at Goodwood Festival of speed. It's not ready to go down the track yet though unfortunately.

That's a bit of a fail surely, ideal opportunity for putting in some times at the event in front of crowds and tv cameras alongside the other modern supercars and suchlike, as opposed to a static display of parts?

[big_joe]

200Plus Club said:

That's a bit of a fail surely, ideal opportunity for putting in some times at the event in front of crowds and tv cameras alongside the other modern supercars and suchlike, as opposed to a static display of parts?

It's not mapped yet or even SVA'd. This isn't an Ultima demo car, it belongs to my friend. He started building a normal GTR and half way through they asked him if he wanted it to become the first/development incarnation of the new RS model.