Ultima GTR blitzes Top Gear track
23 October 2009
The Ultima GTR has set an unofficial lap record at the Top Gear test track.
The British supercar went round the famous circuit in 1 minute 9.9 seconds – 7.2 seconds quicker than the current show leader, the Gumpert Apollo Sport.
Gallery: what are the fastest cars on Top Gear's track?
And it was quicker than the track-only Ferrari FXX which, driven by Michael Schumacher, managed a time of 1 minute 10.7 seconds.
However, you won’t be seeing the GTR at the top of the Top Gear Power Lap Board any time soon as the test was conducted by Ultima and not Jeremy Clarkson and co.
The lap time was independently timed and verified with an unnamed race driver behind the wheel of the GTR.
The previous fastest road-legal lap time was a 1 minute 10.6 by the Caparo T1, but the bonkers supercar doesn’t pass the ‘able to be driven over a speed hump’ test.
And while cars such as the FXX will set you back £1.85 million on Auto Trader, the Ultima GTR costs £78,000 from the factory or £50,000 in kit form.
Powered by a 7-litre V8 Corvette engine, the Ultima GTR boasts 720bhp and a range of breathtaking performance figures:
• 0-60mph: 2.6 seconds
• 0-100mph: 5.3 seconds
• 30-70mph: 1.8 seconds
• 0-100mph-0: 9.4 seconds
• 100mph-0: 3.6 seconds
• Standing quarter mile: 9.9 seconds
• Top speed: 231mph
Richard Marlow, director of Ultima Sports said: "We are all absolutely thrilled with this lap record. I could see that the Formula 1 inspired Ferrari FXX looked supremely quick in the hands of Michael Schumacher, but I had every belief that it wasn't a match for our legendary Ultima GTR720 road car.
“Of course unlike the Ferrari FXX, which is not road legal, we were able to drive our road car back home afterwards.”
Ultima also claims the GTR is capable of lapping the Nürburgring in just 6 minutes 30 seconds – 18 seconds faster than the current fastest recorded production car, the Radical SR8LM.
The Ultima GTR is well-known among serious petrolheads but it’s not a mainstream motor. Come on Top Gear, get the GTR on the next series of the show and give it the presence it deserves.
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