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So why build or own an Ultima GTR? Good question, but I’m sure you already know part of the answer. Put an Ultima, any model, beside a Ferrari or Lamborghini (which I have) and I guarantee onlookers will be immediately drawn to the Hinckley masterpiece. The GTR’s form, in particular, has unashamedly taken inspiration from the racetrack. No thrills. No glitz. It has one purpose in life and one alone: to go very quickly indeed. Period. My next question is have you ever sat in one? If the answer is no, what the heck are you waiting for? Get down to the factory, the cockpit environment is unparalled. Once in situ you could be mistaken for thinking you are sitting in a Group ‘C’ Le-Mans Porsche. The bucket seats and four point harnesses weld your torso to the floor. Your feet rest perfectly on the adjustable pedals and your hands fold around the ergonomically designed Momo wheel. Looking up all you can see is a crisscross of seamless steel tubing which constitutes the roll cage and as for the view through the windscreen, it’s undoubtedly the eighth wonder of the world! If you are still debating whether such a car is for you, pushing the button etched ‘START’ will unquestionably seal the deal. Chevrolet V8 muscle is fitted to all GTRs and once awoken from its slumber you know why. The noise from the American lump is truly amazing, especially when you consider it’s only inches behind your left ear. Blip the throttle and the taught chassis pulses momentarily in response to the immense torque. Depressing the clutch is surprisingly easy as you select first gear and ……… I will keep that for a little later. Rest assured, whatever four wheel projectile you currently own, and I mean whatever, a fire-breathing GTR will take you to another plane and keep you there until you reach your destination.
If you are seriously tempted to own one of these cars, here are the most common routes to ownership. 1. Order a factory built car Each has their own advantages and disadvantages, but let me take them in turn.
The factory will build you a car but you have to pay for labour and parts, and as such, this is the most expensive route. As for delivery, this varies and you have to be a little patient, so talk to Ted Marlow for a schedule. However, the positive is that the car will be built to an exacting standard and to your specified requirements (within reason).
Alternatively you can purchase a privately built example. There is no question you will save money compared to ordering a GTR from the factory. You may even purchase the car for less than the cost of the constitute parts. The problem is finding previously owned GTRs. They are few and far between but a little homework can uncover a lovingly built example. The obvious advantage is you can enjoy it immediately. No waiting lists, no working in the garage for hours on end, just immediate enjoyment! One word of advice though. Ensure you purchase the car primarily on the merits of its build quality. The specification may not be exactly what you want, i.e. horsepower, interior design etc, but these can be easily changed at a later date. Look at it as an ideal winter project to stamp your own personality on the car. You may ask why on earth would anyone sell a car that has taken a year to build and that is apparently one of the ultimate road-going machines in existence? The answer is simple. Many of us builders are a little odd, to say the least. Take me for example. I adored building the GTR. I love driving the car, but now I want to start another project. It’s like an obsession, an addiction. Space and funds are needed. This means those of you that wish to buy a complete car can benefit from our love of building them. You get free labour and possibly save a wedge on the parts. In return, we get our hobby funded. It works all ways.
This leaves us with building a car yourself. As you would imagine this is obviously the most rewarding route, providing you have the following: time, tools, room, skills, patience, cost and an understanding partner!
The time required to build a GTR can vary dramatically. I know of builders who have completed the work in less than 400 hours. I’m a little obsessive when it comes to building, which explains my 1000 hour total. The extra time was invested in making sure everything was absolutely perfect. No compromises, no short cuts, just taking my time and enjoying every second of it. The GTR, however, is an easy car to bolt together and a relatively quick build is possible. Ultima parts packages contain every last nut, bolt and preformed bracket you will need to complete that particular task. If you have not built a component car before you may think this should be a given. Well, it isn’t, and many hours can be lost looking for that odd nut or bolt. My recommendation is to purchase Ultima’s own module packs throughout, meaning that every last minute can be ploughed into the actual build. As for the end result, this will look pretty much identical to the demonstrator you lusted after during your factory visit. So, are you willing to spend every other evening in the garage for a year? Maybe the odd weekend? If the answer is yes, let’s move on to the next consideration - tools.
Building a GTR requires nothing more than a standard tool set. Spanners, socket set, power drill etc. No welding or metal fabrication is required here, in fact, the build manual lists all the tools you will require. Probably the only specialist tool is an engine lifter. These are best hired for a weekend anyway, as they take up so much room in the garage when not in use.
Building any kit car in a single garage is possible but a double is preferable. Ultima can help by supplying the parts required in stages. This is especially important when considering the bodyshell. Once delivered, you immediately require two car spaces, one for the rolling chassis and one for the body. Until they are united, space will be at a premium but good planning can minimise disruption.
As I have previously explained building a GTR is relatively straightforward. Compare it to some kits where you have to fabricate the chassis yourself! The ease of build, however, doesn’t mean you can’t make a pig’s ear of it. Ask yourself if you are good with tools. What about DIY? To be honest, providing you have the skills to work around the home and can follow a Haynes manual, there is little else you need. Jobs such as installing the clutch and engine can be outsourced if necessary, but providing you follow Ultima’s recommendations and take your time, all can be done by a competent enthusiast.
If you are the type of person to hurry and have limited patience, don’t even consider building a component car. If all you want is the end product, go and buy a completed car. If, however, you want to enjoy the project and say to friends “I made that”, building a GTR could be right up your street.
If you have answered ‘yes’ to all of the above the next consideration is funding the project. There’s always something…. I have to be careful here because the term expensive and Ultima are often used in the same sentence within our industry. Let me try and put the record straight. Fact 1: Compared to the vast majority of other component cars, the GTR is relatively expensive. By how much depends on the specification, on which I will elaborate further in a moment. Fact 2: Compared to other road cars capable of going 200+ miles per hour, the GTR is an absolute bargain. Mainstream car mags have even compared it to the McClaren F1 road car, but at a tenth of the cost! This leaves me with a problem. Both the above facts seem to be diametrically opposed. After a lot of head scratching the only way I can translate this into plain English is as follows: If you come from the component car fraternity consider this – a fairly well equipped GTR can be carefully built for slightly more than a top flight Cobra replica. Alternatively, if you come from the mainstream sports car fraternity consider this – the GTR will return more thrills per pound than any other supercar on the planet.
It has been known for a component car build to cause divorce. So ensure her (or him) indoors understands the repercussions. Cost, time and once the car is complete, drawing attention like a movie star every time you drive down the street is all part of the experience. It’s best to set the rules from day one, unless you’re lucky enough to fall into the ‘free and single’ category!
Click on the link to the Ultima factory web site and bring up the GTR price list. This clearly outlines the cost of all modules and optional extras necessary to build a car. As I have said previously, it’s best if you can source everything from Ultima. This avoids the risk of overspend because you get absolutely everything in the modules. Also the quality and inter-compatibility of the components is guaranteed, while the completed car will closely resemble the delectable factory demonstrators. This approach ensures you end up with a GTR without compromises. I personally followed this route for exactly these reasons and my budget was only exceeded by £70. This was for soundproofing, believe it or not. Ted said it was a waste of time, and sure enough, it was. As for the completed car, it does exactly what it says on the tin (very quickly) and in my opinion looks as a GTR should. The Nigel Dean build I have described the thought processes I went through prior to GTR ownership. Next is what was actually involved in bolting it together.
Visiting the factory is a must if you are contemplating GTR ownership. The set-up is impressive and there is little doubting the pedigree of the product. Ted and/or Richard will take time to walk you around the factory, go through the literature and if you are serious, take you out for a spin in the demonstrator. In my case it was an incredibly relaxed affair with no hard sell whatsoever. On your return home you can go through the price list at your leisure. It’s incredibly clear and fairly easy to calculate a total build cost. However, consider all the extras carefully. For example, two fuel tanks are a must unless you want to stop every 150 miles for a top up!
Unlike many manufacturers Ultima tend to deliver the kit. OK, you get charged, but compared to the cost of hiring a van / trailer and taking a whole day off work it makes economical sense. Also you are not responsible for the parts in transit, a concern when you consider their potential value. On unloading the van you can immediately appreciate the effort that has gone into packing. Each module, wherever possible, is separately boxed and labelled. Inside is a series of polythene bags holding the necessary parts. These can be checked against an itinery for any missing components. During my build there was only one instance when something was missing. On calling the factory it arrived the next day by courier. Not bad when you consider a GTR has 3010 constitute parts!
I could spend days writing about the build which was covered in depth in Which Kit? magazine from January 2003 to September 2003. However, for those of you who missed the publications, here is a brief overview.
Ultima provide both a paper and CD based build manual. During the early stages the former is most useful because it has exploded images of the rolling chassis. However, it’s the CD manual which is most impressive. Containing thousands of digital images and associated text it makes an invaluable companion during the build. It was so comprehensive that I only had to contact the factory on a few occasions, usually by e-mail, and all queries were answered within 24 hours.
Probably the simplest part of any component car build is the rolling chassis. Many newcomers to our industry find this hard to believe, but bolting ‘A’ to ‘B’ is not that difficult providing you follow the instructions. Riveting the alloy panelling onto the chassis was probably the most time consuming task during these early stages. Some people request this to be undertaken by the factory, but I concur with Ted’s opinion that it’s part of the experience and should be completed by the builder. Opting for Ultima’s own wheel and tyre package is a must in my opinion. This is proven without a shadow of a doubt when you first put the boots onto the chassis. With steering, braking and cooling systems all in situ, the next part is body fitment.
The GTR bodywork is finished in the best gel coat I have ever seen. Many admirers can’t believe it’s not paint and to be honest, gel has many advantages. First it is far thicker than paint and any small blemishes can be easily removed. Also the nose of the GTR can suffer from stone chips if you do lots of track or motorway work. Paint is far less resilient to such attack and once chipped there is little you can do. Gel coat, on the other hand, seems to literally absorb more punishment. Ultima provide a service where the bodywork is finished prior to delivery. I strongly suggest you take this option. Even though you can undertake the work yourself, the removal of flash lines (mould marks) etc is a job best left to the professionals. On delivery, my bodyshell looked absolutely amazing in its bright red livery. It’s at this stage of any build that excitement starts to grow because you can actually visualise the finished car. You start to invite friends and family around to appreciate the sweeping lines and you feel the end is in sight. However, don’t be fooled by this false sense of security, you still have a significant way to go before that SVA test. Fitting the body panels is one of those jobs that can take as long as you want it to. I consider this to be a part of the build that deserves some additional attention, just to ensure those shut lines are perfect. The GTR moulds are of exceptional quality so you only need fettle a little here and there, mainly around the doors to be precise. Once everything is in situ you are faced with fitting the glass. This is a tricky job and requires the use of copious amounts of sealant. It seems to get everywhere but again providing you give yourself enough time the end results should pay dividends.
Fitting out the interior made me smile a little. The only luxury in my cockpit is the carpet on the rear bulkhead and a leather-covered dash. OK, Ultima can provide a full carpet set but I think that detracts from the car’s raw origins. Ultima’s white faced instruments undoubtedly look the part sunk into the dash, but the addition of a large red starter button had always been a requisite of my build. As previously mentioned, my chassis was fitted with a full roll cage. Even though I don’t intend to track the car, it’s all part of the environment once you are installed. It was at this point that I purchased an item not supplied by Ultima - a pair of Sabelt 3 inch race harnesses. Call me vain, but the bright red colour of the webbing complements the car’s exterior beautifully.
It’s in the engine compartment that you can spend a small fortune. Things are made a little simpler by there being only one engine option, the Chevy 350, but what a choice! This is the most prolific power plant in the world and the tuning potential is awesome. From 300 to 1000bhp plus, the choice is yours. Ultima don’t supply engines themselves but recommend American Speed. This State-side business can supply a vast array of engines to power the GTR with the necessary modifications undertaken. These include race sump, short water pump and low alternator mounting. However, if funds are tight or you’re a petrol-head like me, you can rebuild your own Chevy. This will save you a fair wedge and all parts are easily available by mail order.
I opted for the standard 5-speed G50 Porsche box. Supplied by Ultima it provides great gearing to propel my car to 60 in a shade under 5 seconds. The right hand gear change works a treat and as for the clutch, this is significantly lighter than any Cobra replica I have ever driven.
Installing the engine, box and exhaust system is amazing. The car looks as though it should be on the track and not the public highway. Another tip is to opt for the stainless exhaust system if you can possibly afford it. The pictures say it all!
Adding the final touches such as lights, wing mirrors, grills etc is a breeze, but don’t rush. A builder needs to continually remind himself of this as a slip here in haste to get the car roadworthy can ruin the whole project. She’s finished. 1000 hours later and all there is left to do is stand back, sip your coffee and wait for the SVA date.
Nearly all GTR owners let Ultima put their cars through the SVA test. Apart from the test itself, the factory pick the car up, give it a comprehensive check over, complete all the paperwork, fit the new plates and deliver the car back to your door. What could be easier than that? Having been built from new components (apart from the transaxle which was reconditioned as new) my GTR got a 03 plate. This is another reason you should get everything from Ultima: it ensures you obtain a brand new registration.
Just imagine, I had waited over a year for the moment and it eventually arrived. Almost falling into the cockpit I adorned the Sabelt harnesses and dropped the door shut with a reassuring thud. Taking a moment I looked up the road and savoured the view. By turning the key and pushing the START button I prodded the V8 into a lumbering idle. Selecting first and raising the clutch I was catapulted down the road in a frenzy. My God, it was potent. Selecting second, third, fourth and then fifth seemed to take an instant, as other road users simply stared as I flashed past. People’s reactions are astonishing. Little boys point, old men wave their walking sticks and as for young ladies, I can’t say, because my wife proofreads this stuff. Just put it this way, if you are shy, don’t consider one of these monsters. If not, you will be in heaven. I know I am, every time I’m behind the wheel.
Living with a GTR is far easier than one might imagine. Getting in and out takes a little practice, but once installed you have all the necessities. Unlike some kits, I would not hesitate in driving my car for a 200 mile stint, in fact I would relish the opportunity. Now fitted with air conditioning, my cabin is incredibly comfortable. Noise is not a problem, with the SVA test only showing 92.5db at two-thirds full power. I’ve taken my kids to school. OK, one at a time. I’ve done the supermarket run. Yes, it was a light shop! I’ve driven over 160 miles to a kit car show and enjoyed every mile of it. Martine, my wife, has even driven my baby. Yes, I have also been a hooligan. All within national speed limits, of course! Running costs are unbelievably low. 3000
miles limited mileage insurance with MSN costs me about £450 per year. Fuel consumption is low
20s on a long trip and high teens if I gun it. Standard unleaded is
her tipple, by the way. As for servicing, a filter and oil change costs
about £15 in parts! One a year keeps her happy. Compare that
lot with owning a TVR or Ferrari!
The end bit Finally, I would like to thank Ted and Richard at the factory for their support during my build. If you are interested in finding out more about the Ultima range of supercars please click on the logo below:
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