British kit car specialist Ultima Sports is back with a new model billed as a flagship. It's called the RS, and it's been designed leveraging 35 years of know-how acquired in development of the company's previous models like the world-beating GTR and its Evolution successor.
While those are hardcore models designed for the track, the RS is a more refined, more civilized creation that can be driven quite comfortably on the road. The car even sports its own bespoke set of luggage, along with a rearview camera and parking sensors.
There's nothing civil about the RS, however. Like its predecessors, the car features a lightweight space frame structure wrapped in a fiberglass body. This time around, Ultima has focused on the aesthetics and given the RS a design inspired by Group C Le Mans racers of the 1980s.
Many of the aerodynamic elements are carbon fiber, including an available roof scoop that helps feed extra air to the engine without adding any extra drag. There's also no missing the full-width rear wing, which is also made from carbon fiber.
The RS has been designed to fit a variety of powertrains, though Ultima specifically supports a range of Chevrolet V-8s starting with the ubiquitous LS3 6.2-liter V-8 and ranging up to a tuned version of the LT5 6.2-liter supercharged V-8 from the C7 Corvette ZR1. In tuned form, the LT5 can deliver as much 1,200 horsepower, according to Ultima.
With 1,200 horses, the RS will hit 60 mph in 2.3 seconds and top out at over 250 mph, Ultima claims. Those are Bugatti Chiron rivaling numbers. As Ultima puts it, the RS has the “potential to outrun every other road-going hypercar on the planet.”
Ultima RS
The sole transmission is a 6-speed manual, sourced from Porsche. The car also features Ultima's own 19-inch forged alloy wheels, AP Racing brakes, and double unequal length wishbones suspension with adjustable dampers. The weight of the Ultima RS is just 2,050 pounds.
Inside, Ultima fits with the car with leather and Alcantara trim, a digital instrument cluster, an Alpine infotainment system with navigation, and an individually numbered build plaque. Customers can choose between left- and right-hand drive configurations.
Ultima is currently accepting orders for the RS and plans to present the car for the first time on July 4 at the 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed in the United Kingdom. The company warns that the wait on a turnkey model is currently more than two years but you can also order all the parts necessary for self-assembly, which Ultima can deliver in about 22 weeks. Ultima claims the price for the self-assembly option is about the same as a new BMW M3.
