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Even stroking along on part throttle the GTR feels seriously quick.
![ultima gtr evolution ultima gtr evolution](https://www.cooperclassiccars.com/imagetag/3472/main/l/Used-2014-Ultima-GTR.jpg)
There is an enormous amount of grunt on tap. Peak torque of 560lb ft arrives at 4800rpm, peak power at 6500rpm, but it will spin safely to 7600rpm, which helped achieve the record-breaking figures: two-way averages recorded at the Millbrook proving ground. This engine doesn’t waste energy creating the deep, guttural throb typical of big V8s its note is appreciably lighter, its response more decisive, its reach much longer. Once the GTR is rolling, the steering frees up and assumes good weighting the clutch isn’t an issue either once you’re slotting swiftly between gears. And if you’re willing to forego a bit more low-speed driveability, there’s a 700 or even a 720bhp version… You feel the benefits of the better breathing higher up the rev range, yes sirree. It was developed for Ultima by its supplier American Speed, of Illinois, USA, with new cylinder heads with an included angle of 18 degrees between the valves, and bigger ports. Even when it’s warm, the Ultima doesn’t like holding a steady throttle at less than 2000rpm, whatever the gear the way it chunters on the overrun indicates that thisĦ.3-litre engine has a serious amount of valve overlap. But while the Ring is an Armco-lined racetrack-cum-toll road, the TT lap is wholly public roads prosaically the A1 from Douglas towards Peel in the west, then the A3 looping up and round to Ramsey in the north east, and finally the A18 over The Mountain back to Douglas.Īfter a few hours of heavenly sleep, Hayden and I venture back onto The Mountain to fulfil the photographic side of the assignment. That’s a lap of the TT Course, of course, which is to bikers what the Nürburgring is to drivers. The sun is just rising in a clear blue sky, painting the buildings red, so we dump our bags and take the Forester for a leisurely sighting lap. I want to get some zeds but Hayden is keen to do a recce. I feel I want to hold up a little sign that reads, ‘No, I’m not trying to attract attention.’Ī few hundred yards along the mostly Victorian, cream-rendered promenade, we find our hotel and slot into the car park, waking numerous guests in the process. It’s not the happiest of engines from cold, needing a couple of thousand revs to prevent the fire going out, and the clutch and steering are he-man heavy too, which makes manoeuvring conspicuous. I’m gritty-eye knackered, but the sound of that huge V8 thundering into life in the echoing bowels of the ship is as invigorating as jumping into the harbour.
![ultima gtr evolution ultima gtr evolution](https://racecarsdirect.com/content/UserImages/91171/500520.jpg)
Down on the vehicle deck, I pop open the driver’s door and slide down into the cold Ultima once more. However, the twin fuel tanks are emptying fast enough as it is, and besides, we’re bang on schedule for the 2.15am ferry to the Isle of Man, the only place in the British Isles where the derestriction sign – white circle, diagonal stripe – means just that.Īt 6am we dock in Douglas, capital of this self-governed island that rightly claims to be the road-racing capital of the world. In theory I could lop a couple of hours off this journey using the GTR’s 231mph top speed. The temptation to give the V8 its head is hard to resist. > Lamborghini Aventador SV on the Isle of Man In the Ultima, the solitude is complete because although, against expectation, it is fitted with a stereo, I’m not sharing the trip with some graveyard-shift DJ – the 40W Sony is no match for the 640bhp 6.3-litre Chevy V8 hammering away behind. I’ve always enjoyed the sense of adventure that laces a long drive into the wee hours, when most people are tucked up in bed. It sounds loud like a racer too, which adds to the endurance feel of this late-night drive. The Spartan cabin has a simple Stack instrument pack and an exposed, right-hand gearshift, while the view through the Porsche 962-style wrap-around screen is framed by a fat hoop of roll-cage and underlined by a valley formed by the swoopy front wings. Not because I’m travelling at any great speed, you understand, but because the Ultima feels as much like a Le Mans sports prototype as it looks. Not the most romantic of settings, but strapped low in the thinly padded driver’s seat of the Ultima GTR640, it feels more like the Mulsanne Straight.