Tuesday 23rd October 2007

Top Gear Test Track Record Smashed

Ultima's Stig shows Swedish supercar who's quickest

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Getting ready for lift-off

British supercar manufacturer Ultima has celebrated its 15th anniversary in style by shattering the lap record on the Top Gear test track.

The record was held by the Koenigsegg CXX, complete with wing, but the Ultima GTR720 stopped the clock over four and half seconds before the Swedish supercar could cross the line.

In order to make the test completely kosher, the Ultima used was fully road legal, with standard tyres, and was even driven to the test track.

According to Ultima’s director, Richard Marlow, the company has approached Top Gear on a number of occasions to let the Stig take the wheel of the GTR but have been repeatedly turned down.

So, with their very own benchmark driver at the helm, the independently figured time for the Ultima is so fast that, in a head to head race with a Ferrari Enzo, the 720bhp GTR would lap it every 12 laps.

He also announced that the British firm wouldn’t rule out further attempts at lowering the record still further, with their more powerful and faster GTR800 variant.

For the record, the Ultima lapped the track in 1:12.8, making the Koenigsegg's 1:17.6 seem positively pedestrian.

 

[chrisbr68]

Thats what I like to hear, but will it ever make it onto top gear in the hands of the real Stig?

What was the turbo Dax's time again?

[Twincam16]

Looking at it, I think they dressed the Ultima driver up as the Stig. That's the idea behind the Stig - he can be any racing driver who happens to be to hand.

Even so, it just shows that, firstly, there are British supercars out there that can wallop the opposition into the floor, and two, they can be all stripped-out and spare and don't have to pander to a market which, it's assumed, expects leather, brake distribution systems and a CD autochanger.

[sniff petrol]

Remember the Renault R25? did a 1min dead. That shows what an acheivement this is. Well done Ultima!

[mattikake]

Yeah only about 13 secs slower than an F1 car! That gap between the ever-restricted F1 cars and road cars is getting ever smaller...

[Strawman]

sniff petrol said:

Remember the Renault R25? did a 1min dead. That shows what an acheivement this is. Well done Ultima!

That was one of these
not one of these

[sniff petrol]

mattikake said:

Yeah only about 13 secs slower than an F1 car! That gap between the ever-restricted F1 cars and road cars is getting ever smaller...

Lets see it race an F1 car around LM - that would be interesting

[trackdemon]

frazer guest said:

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know how long the lap is?

Just under 1:13 in a fast Ultima

[jon-]

"standard road tyres", anyone know what these are? I see a lot of ultimas on shaved track tyres (normally the Kumho V70a) which is probably worth 2 or 3 of those seconds over a high performance road tyre.

Edited by jon- on Tuesday 23 October 13:38

[williamp]

Strawman said:

sniff petrol said:

Remember the Renault R25? did a 1min dead. That shows what an acheivement this is. Well done Ultima!

That was one of these

OOOOH, I always knew those Reanualt 25's were good. Was it the DL versions??

Seriously, well done Ultima! Another success for Leicestershire

Edited by williamp on Tuesday 23 October 11:44

[sniff petrol]

jon- said:

"standard road tyres", anyone know what these are? I see a lot of ultimatas on shaved track tyres (normally the Kumho V70a) which is probably worth 2 or 3 of those seconds over a high performance road tyre.

So you mean if they put those tyres on the Liana then Werry Togan would get round in under a minute! Wow thats some tyre!

[classiccooper]

That's amasing, wonder what a Capparo will do.

[jon-]

sniff petrol said:

jon- said:

"standard road tyres", anyone know what these are? I see a lot of ultimatas on shaved track tyres (normally the Kumho V70a) which is probably worth 2 or 3 of those seconds over a high performance road tyre.

So you mean if they put those tyres on the Liana then Werry Togan would get round in under a minute! Wow thats some tyre!

If Terry Wogans time was just over a minute, probably.

I wasn't detracting from the Ultimas raw pace - it's mega and I hope one day to own an ultima. I'd rather live with any of the other cars daily though!

Edited by jon- on Tuesday 23 October 13:37

[TonyHetherington]

Was this an officially done Top Gear thing? As Top Gear, I understood, have never had a desire to have Atoms/Radicals/Ultimas around the track; not least, to actually have them on the leader board.

Which I, for one, can understand. I'm left a little cold by this "oh my god amazing record". So what, is my response. It's a stripped out racer. And for that, it's great. I am a Lotus owner, so understand and positively adore the lightweight approach. But why try to put the ultima in the same context as an Enzo or Koennigsegg? It's not even close.

[130R]

TonyHetherington said:

It's a stripped out racer. And for that, it's great. I am a Lotus owner, so understand and positively adore the lightweight approach. But why try to put the ultima in the same context as an Enzo or Koennigsegg? It's not even close.

The Enzo and Koenigsegg are hardly practical are they. Apart from the price I think the Ultima can definitely be compared with them.

[emicen]

TonyHetherington said:

Was this an officially done Top Gear thing? As Top Gear, I understood, have never had a desire to have Atoms/Radicals/Ultimas around the track; not least, to actually have them on the leader board.

Which I, for one, can understand. I'm left a little cold by this "oh my god amazing record". So what, is my response. It's a stripped out racer. And for that, it's great. I am a Lotus owner, so understand and positively adore the lightweight approach. But why try to put the ultima in the same context as an Enzo or Koennigsegg? It's not even close.

Precisely.

I'd far sooner be in an Enzo/Zonda/Koenigsegg listening to the stereo in refined air conditioned luxury than in an ally panelled tube chassis sweating my arse off and contemplating every possible variation of tinitus. (thats the ear ringing condition yes?)

[TonyHetherington]

Practicality is all relative, of course, so I take your point.

But a 2 seater with luggage space, air con and a radio I would argue is more practical than an Ultima.

I'm not quite sure the point of my post. Practicality has never been a part of a track time, of course, so it is totally invalid. But I wonder whether it's in the "spirit" of the top-gear-test track. Perhaps that's the best way to put across my point? As I said, I'm just left cold by it.

[SCOOTERMAN]

classiccooper said:

That's amasing, wonder what a Capparo will do.

Burst into flames and toast the Stig, probably.

[mattikake]

classiccooper said:

That's amasing, wonder what a Capparo will do.

It'll set you on fire! Or get you a bit hot under the collar!

Edited by mattikake on Tuesday 23 October 11:59

[Bada Bing!]

emicen said:

Precisely.

I'd far sooner be in an Enzo/Zonda/Koenigsegg listening to the stereo in refined air conditioned luxury than in an ally panelled tube chassis sweating my arse off and contemplating every possible variation of tinitus. (thats the ear ringing condition yes?)

But what are you more likely to be able to own? Wouldn't it be nice to know what they thought of a supercar you really could buy if you wanted?

[Mars]

They showed those stripped out versions of "normal" supercars recently, on a drive through Europe. Seems to me that the Ultima is entirely in keeping with this.

Not only that, they have a Noble on the Leaderboard and there's no more luggage space in one of those than in an Ultima. Similar concept which originated from the same person (although I applaud what the current owners have done with the Ultima).

Their own criteria for cars they will consider is for any road legal car which can manage a road hump. Can anyone confirm whether the Ultima could? I assume it's no lower than the supercars they took over the Millau Bridge a couple of years ago (and which struggled to get out of an underground Hotel car park).