2005 Ultima GTR

To be offered by Iconic Auctioneers at the NEC Classic Car Show Sale, taking place on Saturday 11th November. 

Guide Price: £35,000 - £40,000

Ultima's story begins in 1983 when engineering maestro Lee Noble (who would go on to start Noble Automotive) founded Noble Motorsport and designed the Ultima Mk1 race car, inspired by the 'Group C' cars of the time. Launched in 1999, the Ultima GTR was dubbed the ‘quickest accelerating and decelerating supercar of all time’, with official performance records that humbled every mainstream car on the planet bar none - Bugatti Veyron, Ferrari Enzo and McLaren F1; none could match the GTR’s plethora of world speed acceleration and deceleration records, and when independently timed around the Top Gear test track, was found to be a blistering 6.2 seconds per lap faster than the £450,000 Ferrari Enzo and 4 seconds per lap faster than the £1,500,000 Bugatti Veyron SS. Now universally appreciated as a true supercar, not much can come close to the value for money these exceptional vehicles offer in today’s market.

On offer here is a low mileage, low owner, right-hand drive, 2005 GTR that has benefitted from much recent expenditure on the mechanicals. In 2008, a previous owner paid over $23,000 to fit a 600bhp, 6.3-litre, dry-sump Chevy 350 built to 383ci by Fastco Automotive products, replacing the original 5.7-litre unit. It runs a Porsche G50 gearbox and OS Giken Spec S Super Lock LSD (-1.5 way).  In the accompanying history, there is a dyno sheet showing that the car currently runs 450bhp at the crank with a new cam fitted, having been de-tuned to make it a little more UK road friendly. The carburettor has been replaced with a FAST EFi system ensuring easy starting and smooth running.

The spec includes air conditioning, a reversing camera, excellent tyres and boasts a bespoke black / orange leather interior. The mileage was just 8,650 (at the time of cataloguing) in the hands of its four previous keepers. Accompanying the car is a good history file showing pictures of the engine build and its specification and invoices for work carried out over the years. Pleasingly, our vendor is generously including the appropriate registration ‘JR05 GTR’ with the car.

The current owner has recently commissioned Vitesse Global Ltd. to carry out mechanical works prior to the sale. This includes a full vehicle health check, supply and fit new starter motor / alternator, rewire starting and charging system with correct gauge wiring, rewire radio & reversing/ side cameras, check entire vehicle wiring system and replace anything required, supply and fit new rear brake discs and pads (£1.000+), set up dual master cylinder braking system bias, fit a new windscreen and wiper blade and refit rear diffuser.

This Ultima GTR is an impressive example of these dramatic British GTs and would make a thrilling weekend toy or a great addition to any serious collection. This is a rare opportunity to join the small club of Ultima owners who know exactly how good these versatile little supercars actually are.