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Previously regarded as the fastest, the top flight McLaren F1 has lost

its place to the Ultima's new record-breaking GTR 640. As a street

legal supercar, fitted with road tires and built to factory

specification, the 640 has reached 0-100-0 mph more than a second

faster then the mighty McLaren. During this run on the Bruntingthorpe

Proving Ground, the Ultima accelerated to 60mph in 2.8 seconds, hit

100 mph 3.0 seconds later, and then slowed to a standstill after only

9.8!

Following the success of the 9.8 run, the GTR 640 has become the

fastest accelerating and decelerating production car in the world.

Furthermore, Ted Marlow, Managing Director of Ultima, is now convinced

that a low nine second run "is possible". Considering the 640 has

outperformed the 0-100-0 times during separate 0-60 and 0-100 mph

tests, he is probably right.

The phenomenal results that the 640 can achieve are made possible

thanks to its exceptional power to weight ratio. Sitting in the center

of its well developed chassis is a normally aspirated 640 bhp 377ci

Chevrolet V8 prepared by AmericanSpeed. Since the body and chassis are

of a 'no frills' design, this engine provides 685 bhp per ton. In

addition, if a customer is willing to sacrifice a little drivability,

AmericanSpeed - the Illinois company responsible for developing the

engine - can supply up to 720 bhp!

Since 1999, Ultima has been offering their low-volume GTR both as a

kit and 'turnkey' car completed by the factory. The press has

described these Ultimas as having McLaren F1 performance for a

fraction of the £630,000 price. In fact, McLaren realized the

potential of this chassis design when they used it to test the F1's

engine and transmission. Since Ultima has created the chassis to

handle many different power train combinations, one GTR with a DART

427 sold at the 2005 Barret-Jackson Auction for a cool $103 000 USD.

In all fairness, the McLaren/Ultima comparison is a little like apples

and oranges. The Ultima is void where the McLaren offers perks such

as upholstery, storage space, active aerodynamics and a LeMans-winning

chassis. However, with no driving aids, both cars do have a direct

connection to the road and are dedicated to performance unlike most

other sports cars today.

Story by Richard Owen, edited by Janine Reitsma for Supercars.net