Racing improves the breed. And Ultima Cars USA has a serious history of racing research and development, not to mention precise engineering. The first Ultima began racing and winning almost two decades ago in England. The company also played a large part in the development of the ultimate high-performance road car, the McLaren F1. Two Ultima Sports models, predecessors of the GTR shown here, were used to test McLaren's V12 engine, gearbox, brakes and cooling system. From Supersport competitions in Europe to open road challenges in America and endurance races in Australia, Ultimas have competed in and won races all over the world. In 1999, an Ultima won the Modern Competition Class in the grueling six-day, 2,000-kilometer Targa Tasmania race, beating all competition, including Porsche factory-backed cars. 

One look at the Ultima GTR is all it takes to see the result of almost 20 years of racing development and engineering refinement. The hand-crafted, limited-production street-legal race car is now available for the first time in the United States. Each chassis is custom built to its intended owner's specifications at Ultima's main engineering and development center in Hinckley, England.

The chassis is then imported into the United States, where the buyer chooses its powertrain: for example, the 50-state-legal, high-performance LS1 V8 that comes in new Corvettes, mated to a 5-speed Porsche transaxle. Or, if state laws permit, buyers can select a custom-built small-block V8 with a 6-speed transaxle.

Buyers also have a choice of custom options, such as air conditioning, a sound system, custom paint, leather seat coverings, as well as seat size and location and foot pedal adjustments.

The GTR is all about sensual excitement, unforgettable performance and absolute control. The shape of the GTR has been wind tunnel tested and is stable to 220 mph. Balance at such speed is achieved with an optional front splitter and a carbon fiber rear wing.

While you can drive the GTR on the road in all 50 states, it will never let you forget its spirit lives on the back straights of LeMans and Daytona. The GTR is not for everyone. It's for the select few who can appreciate that you don't simply get in it--you strap it on and drive it--hard.

Other than the engine and transmission (which are installed by the owner), virtually everything on the GTR is an Ultima original. Even the incredibly strong 18-inch wheels are custom made from high-strength solid aluminum billet. The semi-spaceframe chassis is handcrafted from 1.5-inch seamless high-strength steel tubing. The smooth-handling suspension features unequal-length A-arms at all four corners, managed by Intrax adjustable coilover shocks and racing-quality AP Racing 4-pot caliper brakes.

The interior is refreshingly simple: white gauges, custom-fitted leather seats, multipoint harnesses, carpeting and a beautifully stitched, suede-covered dash.

The GTR guarantees performance to back its stunning appearance. It offers a magic combination of sound, acceleration, handling and braking which delivers a driving encounter so unique, so exceptional, that no other production car in America can match it. The GTR hugs corners with incredible smoothness and control. At every corner, every straight, every braking zone, the GTR performs beyond expectations with no high-strung twitchiness or surprises. And, amazingly, it's no more difficult to drive than a normal sports car.

According to Car and Driver Magazine, when fitted with a stock Corvette LS1, the ultra-light 2,314-pound car can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds, and from 0 to 100 mph in 8.4 seconds. It covers the quarter mile in just 11.9 seconds at 117 mph.

The Ultima GTR is quicker than any showroom Porsche, Ferrari or Lamborghini. It passes inferior cars as though they had suddenly hit reverse. In fact, the only automobiles that match its quickness are the true supercars, many costing over $1 million, such as the McLaren F1, Mercedes CLK-GTR and Porsche 911 GTI.