01
Origins
The GTR of 1999 turned Ultima's formula into headline numbers: with big Chevrolet V8s of up to 720 horsepower in a car around 990 kilograms, factory demonstrations claimed world-best acceleration figures — 0–100 mph and back to rest in under ten seconds, records for a production-available car that stood for years and were pursued with obsessive documentation. Buyers could purchase turnkey or build the same machine at home, a proposition without parallel at its performance level. No ABS, no traction control, no servo assistance: the GTR trusted its driver completely, and its track-day reputation became folklore. Around 500 GTR-generation cars spread worldwide before the Evolution succeeded it in 2015. It remains the definitive answer to a very British question — how fast, for how little, with how few excuses.
Ultima GTR 2005 - rear · DeFacto · CC BY-SA 2.5
