) and its very good quality from the bits I've seen. Not built one though, but its a dream car of mine.
hi im thinking of selling my luego and building a ultima.
i have had a look on their web site but is there any forums.
i looking for some one who is or has built one to get idea of cost and what quality of kit is like
10s of thousands to build (unless you build one with a pinto in it ) and its very good quality from the bits I've seen.
Not built one though, but its a dream car of mine.
Scootz on here has some experience with them I believe.
As above, not cheap to build but what an end result 
40k build costs with a 'proper' engine, good quality. Another level of costs though.
Have a look here
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/forum.asp?h=0&f=20&mid=0
I bought an old unfinished kit thinking I could do it on a reasonable budget... I soon found out that you could, but it would be horribly
compromised!
I still have the rolling chassis and bodywork, and an Audi V8 that was intended for it, but progress has stopped. I may go back to it one day, but
not in the foreseeable future!
As for forums - the only place is Pistonheads under the Ultima section. It can be as slow as a week in the jail on there though!
I went to the Ultima factory open day last year and spoke to some of the people who had built one and were displaying their cars there. £50k was
quoted as build cost for a proper job.
If I had the opportunity to get an Ultima that most people don't drive on track, or thrash to within an inch of it's life and use it
properly, I'd go for a ready built one for about £35k. Even then I would be reluctant to give it some round the country lanes on the North
Yorkshire Moors. Best to get something usable, unless your loaded £££££. But that's only my perspective on things.
its all hype, yes they are a great car but. When would you use it? can you afford to run it and most of all would you use it and have as much fun as
in a seven.
I used to have a Mclaren M6 GTR replica with a 500bhp chevy in the back, great car fast as fast but hot inside massive on the road and no way near as
good as driving a seven, just look at the avatar and see what I have come back too. I would keep it as a dream trust me you will be dissapointed with
the drivability. Ask your self why are athey always for sale?
over rated rubbish in my opinion, stick with a 7, I have had both!!!
I looked at the price of building an ultima only last week with an LS3 engine and reconditioned Porsche gearbox.
It was coming in at around £50000 to £51000 without any consumables. So not a cheap project.
As already mentioned, they can be a money pit to build properly and even a low spec one will cost in excess of £40K and then you will be dissapointed with it. Definitely not a 'fun' car and it will probably spend most of it's life in the garage or being 'upgraded' You hardly ever see one with high mileage on the clock. The design is starting to look a bit jaded now anyway IMO.
Seem to remember quite a good site about an ultima build ages ago. The guy did some fea on the standard chassis and found it was a bit carp in siffness terms, and looking at the chassis it was easy to see why. He made significant improvements (a few times stiffer i beleive) with extra braces, panelling etc. Was al good. Then a BMW V12 went in it. Mmmmmmm
Why so expensive to build?
Even 500+ HP of V8 or turbo V6 can be had reasonably cheaply so once you have the kit (yes quite expensive) and assuming you went for a minimalist
but smart racer interior, what else puts the cost up? I guess the wheel and tyre options don’t come cheap, is it just the incremental effect of things
like these?
I mean, yes, Stratos and Lambo replicas aren’t cheap to build and GRT40’s likewise but everyone seems to put the ultima in a different league of
cost
[Edited on 5/8/10 by orton1966]
I like the idea of a big V8 in a light car, and I like the Ultima, but if I had the money, I would much rather build a Gardner Douglas T70 Spyder.
That car is lighter, has fantastic performance, good chassis, and cheaper than the Ultima, too.
Unfortunately not cheap enough for me to be able to afford it though...
And having spoken to people who had V8 fun cars, apparently you don't just jump in those cars and go for a quick blast like you would in your
seven, you need to always plan for petrol, consumables, etc... they are thirsty... so I guess depends on how you would want to use it...
For that amount of money, I would also consider a R500 Caterham. That would be seriously quick...
Just my 2p.
Gergely
I guess the appeal of the Ultima is that if you can afford it the build is a lot better than most kits, just open the bag or box and bolt it on, plus
they come and take it back to the factory to check it over then put it through IVA for you, then deliver it back registered ready for you to drive.
and not only all that, but you then have a car which, as long as it has the right engine etc, is quicker than anything else on the road. That must be
quite a feeling, and has got to be worth a bit even if you dont use it.
+1 on the Gardner Douglas T70
also +1 on staying sevenesue.
Never afraid to puch mine hard. You can feel everything it's doing. I've never driven an ultima but imagine it would feel very tin-top-ish.
Most things have 'numb' handling compared to a seven
Thanks
Dan
EDIT: never had a GD either BTW
[Edited on 5/8/10 by dan8400]
quote:
Originally posted by Liam
Seem to remember quite a good site about an ultima build ages ago. The guy did some fea on the standard chassis and found it was a bit carp in siffness terms, and looking at the chassis it was easy to see why. He made significant improvements (a few times stiffer i beleive) with extra braces, panelling etc. Was al good. Then a BMW V12 went in it. Mmmmmmm
quote:
Originally posted by scootz
quote:
Originally posted by Liam
Seem to remember quite a good site about an ultima build ages ago. The guy did some fea on the standard chassis and found it was a bit carp in siffness terms, and looking at the chassis it was easy to see why. He made significant improvements (a few times stiffer i beleive) with extra braces, panelling etc. Was al good. Then a BMW V12 went in it. Mmmmmmm
Can't be that bad... designed by Lee Noble and subsequently used by McLaren as their 'mule' chassis for what became the F1.
There seems to be a fascination with supremely stiff chassis... the Ultima chassis was designed to do an overall job - not just win torsional rigidity tests!
quote:
Originally posted by scootz
quote:
Originally posted by Liam
Seem to remember quite a good site about an ultima build ages ago. The guy did some fea on the standard chassis and found it was a bit carp in siffness terms, and looking at the chassis it was easy to see why. He made significant improvements (a few times stiffer i beleive) with extra braces, panelling etc. Was al good. Then a BMW V12 went in it. Mmmmmmm
Can't be that bad... designed by Lee Noble and subsequently used by McLaren as their 'mule' chassis for what became the F1.
There seems to be a fascination with supremely stiff chassis... the Ultima chassis was designed to do an overall job - not just win torsional rigidity tests!
Id like to see you evidence that one!
quote:
Originally posted by alistairolsen
Id like to see you evidence that one!
only time i have spoken to them, i got a cold reception. wanted to buy a gearbox & didn't even want to talk to me'cos i wasn't
gunna spnd a fortune with them.
so built my own !!
3 seater, center steer, 614 bhp ( 544 at wheels ), no it won't just sit in the garage, yes it will get killed on the track, yes it's going
on the road
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d2c0DX1KIQ
no hypathetical figures LMAO
[Edited on 5/8/10 by khm]
[Edited on 5/8/10 by khm]
[Edited on 5/8/10 by khm]
There is always the Kellforms Retoga. It looks like a mini Ultima, and is much cheaper to build.
It races in the Bikesport class in the MC750. Dont know if anyone has made one road legal - Cant see it being that hard to add corrent lighting etc to
it
http://www.kellforms.com/retoga/index.htm
quote:
Originally posted by interestedparty
quote:
Originally posted by alistairolsen
Id like to see you evidence that one!
usually the stiffer something is the more prone to cracking, compare a ryvita with a slice of toast- so a case could be made that stiffness alone is useless without strength, better to yield a bit (steel is good at that) than to crack.
theres also the point that stiffness in a steel chassis usually needs more thickness and more parts, so there will be a weight increase too.
Not saying I agree with the original point, just putting forward things which ought to be considered.
quote:
Originally posted by Davey D
Cant see it being that hard to add corrent lighting etc to it
going to box tanks in, yes room for 3 !!
work in progress LMAO ' the money pit ' !!
oh I fully understand the metallurgy aspect and why one uses steel as opposed to stainless. I also understand the weight penalty and clearly there are
efficiencies to be borne in mind. That said however I cant think of a single reason why one would make a car chassis less stiff than possible for any
given mass.
KHM, did you scratchbuild that?
[Edited on 5/8/10 by alistairolsen]
no, bougt it as a project, was built to race in british GT series but they changed the rules 2 weeks before it ran, i bought a pile of bits with no
engine or box - been a bit of work LOL
all built from T45 tubing - strong & light
[Edited on 5/8/10 by khm]
Hi KHM
Thats an awesome looking project, how about you put some more details or a build thread up in the middy section - it's been a bit quiet there
lately.
Cheers
Fred W B
[Edited on 5/8/10 by Fred W B]
quote:
Originally posted by franky
quote:
Originally posted by scootz
quote:
Originally posted by Liam
Seem to remember quite a good site about an ultima build ages ago. The guy did some fea on the standard chassis and found it was a bit carp in siffness terms, and looking at the chassis it was easy to see why. He made significant improvements (a few times stiffer i beleive) with extra braces, panelling etc. Was al good. Then a BMW V12 went in it. Mmmmmmm
Can't be that bad... designed by Lee Noble and subsequently used by McLaren as their 'mule' chassis for what became the F1.
There seems to be a fascination with supremely stiff chassis... the Ultima chassis was designed to do an overall job - not just win torsional rigidity tests!
+1 to both the above.... a chassis thats too stiff is worse than one thats not stiff enough!
can't beat having a stiff one 
quote:
Originally posted by scootz
Can't be that bad... designed by Lee Noble and subsequently used by McLaren as their 'mule' chassis for what became the F1.
Like a book Locost,
the standard Ultima fails the Aussie torsion test. Thats a serious project, I second the calls for more! What box does it run? I assume the box is a stressed member carrying the rear suspension?
quote:
Originally posted by orton1966
Why so expensive to build?
Even 500+ HP of V8 or turbo V6 can be had reasonably cheaply so once you have the kit (yes quite expensive) and assuming you went for a minimalist but smart racer interior, what else puts the cost up? I guess the wheel and tyre options don’t come cheap, is it just the incremental effect of things like these?[Edited on 5/8/10 by orton1966]
Hi
If you look at the Retoga setup you'll find it was a very very poor and blatant copy of the Lynx AE Which
has a proven track record and built by a guy who does know what he's doing. Seriously worth a look if looking at this sort of car. And the all
new version has had an updated body due to the Retoga making a copy of the old.
Cheers Matt
problem with the lynx ae is that is uses a polycarbonate windscreen, so nfg for road use unfortunately.
quote:
Originally posted by Fred W B
Hi KHM
Thats an awesome looking project, how about you put some more details or a build thread up in the middy section - it's been a bit quiet there lately.
Cheers
Fred W B
[Edited on 5/8/10 by Fred W B]