US Ultima fans congregate
Two-and-a-half days spent just talking Ultima
For the first time ever a gathering of North American Ultima owners and prospective buyers met for two and a half days of Ultima talk. The “USA Ultima Gathering”, as the event was billed, was held in a large, heated aircraft hanger in West Chicago, Illinois.
The event was unique in North America in that the various Ultimas in attendance were in different stages of their build. Allan Rinehardt brought his GTR chassis down from Canada, 
Mark Koch with his turbocharged Can-Am from Maryland, Al Ingle and Brad Zeman with their GTR builds from Illinois, while Jeff Schwartz drove down in his GTR to make sure that every person who hadn’t had a ride in an Ultima got one…”Ted Marlow style!”
More than 20 interested Ultima fans arrived from all over North America and were thrilled to see the cars from early build stages, to nearly complete, to road legal. Both the GTR and 
Can-Am were there with more than a few variations of engine and gearbox combinations
This sharing of information between builders was event host Brad Zeman’s idea.
Zeman says, “What a great group of guys with a wide variety of mechanical and driving abilities, professions and personalities! What we had in common was we all love cars and in particular, Ultima’s. Very little partying took 
place as many of us talked ourselves into exhaustion! It sounds like this was the first annual USA Ultima Gathering with discussions already begun on next year’s event. I think the USA group will be much more active in years to come…which I am very thankful for. Mark Koch is to be commended for the hours of time he has spent hosting and updating the USA Ultima Club Web site which has turned into an excellent resource for North American builders.”
The Ultima factory is reportedly pleased to see the US customers sharing their build experiences and liaising with one another and is confident that this initial USA Ultima Gathering is just the start of what will become a huge stateside Ultima following.
Are you guys thinking of having it a little earlier in the year? The drive can be iffy coming from the mountain states and across the plains...
I know its difficult to make veryone happy, but if planning is commencing, I thought I'd share my .02... I'd love to attend!
Allen
www.ultimaclub.us/2005ClubMeet.asp
mark
Just think of the "gawking factor" with a drive down the strip. Plus, the combination of superbly waxed Ultimas, superbly waxed show girls, free casino drinks and the nearby wedding chapels! The gambling risk would greater than a single roulette number.
Oh, and bring the wife: Barry Manilow will be performing at Caesars Palace (so we are sure to be left to our own devices).
I'm just looking for an excuse to ship the LHD GTR over for a summer.
Vegas works, too. There are mountains and flats, but a fair number of Nevada State Patrol around. However, there is the Speedway there and they do have a road course. Vegas is about 500 miles south of Reno, so that works for me. But, both Reno and Vegas may not be the most convenient for the majority of those driving their Ultimas...about 2,400 miles from the east coast.
>> Edited by builder on Tuesday 21st December 17:15
Vegas also has the disadvantage of having some of the straightest, flattest roads in America. There is ONE curvy road near Vegas, and it is 1) heavily patrolled, 2) in a natural resource area so the fines are doubled. (ask me how I know this)
Also about 120 degrees in July and Aug.
Also, kind of a moot point, as nobody on the list lives there. I wouldn't feel comfortable parking all those Ultimas overnight without an armed guard in Vegas!
Allen
Allen-GTR said:
Well, I would be up to hosting it. How does the Denver area sound to everyone? I know a good many of the owners are East Coast...
I would be inclined to do it Aug or so. The weather here is good and the mountain roads are simply awesome...
Thoughts???
A
allen email me your proposal and I'll add it to the website when I get back in town.
mark
Allen-GTR said:
Well, I would be up to hosting it. How does the Denver area sound to everyone? I know a good many of the owners are East Coast...
I would be inclined to do it Aug or so. The weather here is good and the mountain roads are simply awesome...
Thoughts???
A
I like Denver. The roads are great and the scenery is awesome to us flat landers. If my schedule worked I'd be willing to come out. Put together a proposal and send it to Mark K.
Brad Z
Cheers. Harry. (Mk4 Sports)
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