Which would make the better racer Ultima GTR or SL-C

They both seem to attract the same market and have been tested by reputable magazines, but which one excels, pardon the pun, if equally equipped ( LS1 G50 ) as a race car thats street legal?
 
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You sir have obviously been spoiled by the build quality and race heritage of those two automotive icons the Pantera and Europa.:chug:
 
I never had any cup holders and coffee in any of my Europas, but the trunk sure could hold a lot of beer and ice!
 

Fran Hall RCR

GT40s Sponsor
W.C.
Ross is in a good position to comment on what makes a good race car...

He has a GT40 replica that he has modified from its original design and intent and has himself a track/race car that he actively campaigns.

So in short both cars will do whatever you want them to do...it really depends upon what you want the car to do and expect from it.....and what modifications are required to attain that level of racing stature...

The SLC has two cup holders...in fact they are not for cups at all....they are to hold other spherical things whilst driving the SL-C to its limit....
 
Happy Birthday Ross! I did enjoy reading about the hill climb you entered your GT40 in.Well done.
The reason for my question was that after seeing for the first time the video with the RCR SL-C , pretty car, and then seeing some of the Ultima GTR videos on 'You Tube' , the question should have been 'Which of these two street cars,without any additional mods, would make the better dual purpose open track event racer'.
Perhaps this is a pointless thread and for that I apologize.
 
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Brian Hamilton

I'm on the verge of touching myself inappropriatel
I'll add my input here.

I am going to order the SL-C for a few reasons.

1 - Open design. I can put any drivetrain in this thing I want. I'm opting for a 4 rotor 26b engine like was run in the Mazda 787b. The LSx engines are in everyone's car. I like to be different and the SL-C gives me that freedom.

2 - Manufacturer support. Fran and his team are great people and are more than helpful. I have no problem in thinking that if anything came up , I could call Fran and he'd help me to the best of his ability. I'm not sure and can't comment on Ultima's customer service or anything like that. I have had no experience nor heard anything about it.

3 - Style. I personally like the SL-C more than the Ultima. I think it looks better. But that's all opinion.

So in summary, it's really up to you. The SL-C is a brand new car that has just seen it's first few units completed and hitting pavement. The Ultima has been around a while. Of course people are going to have that thing pretty dialed in. The SL-C on the other hand, you get to experience the thrill of figuring it all out yourself. If you like that kinda stuff. But in the end it's up to personal preference I think.

Laters,

Brian
 

Fran Hall RCR

GT40s Sponsor
W.C.
I dont think its worthless but there are many factors to be taken into account with both cars...
Ultima has a good reputation and the Ultima owners can be seen voicing their opinions on Pistonheads.....some good , some bad...
Just like guys on this forum do about their cars...regardless of manufacturer....some good , some bad.
 
Fran, I respect the opinions of this web site and for that reason posted my question.
I have admired the Ultima for its more racer then cruiser approach over the years but could never really wrap my arms around the actual looks of the car and absence of a rear window. After seeing the RCR SL-C model, it is arguably a better looking and perhaps a more driver friendly car. How many SL-C cars are actually complete and being driven in the US at this time ?
 

Malcolm

Supporter
I'll put my neck out, again, and say that I have seen regular road Ultimas on track. I have also seen race prepped versions and my conclusion is that I was disappointed by their on track performance. They hold promise to do so much more than they actually do. This is from my own first hand experience. It is a shame as they are stonking looking cars and for the road, they blow most things into the weeds. As yet I have no kowledge of Frans SL, but from its looks it should also do the business, but in my world, actual results need to be obtained to give a true answer to the question posed. On looks alone both should be fab on track.
 

Mike Pass

Supporter
I don't know the SL-C at all but a little bit about the Ultima.
Bob Light used to campaign one on the track and was pretty much unbeatable for several years. The Ultima (700hp) I think still holds the 0-100-0 mph record over here at about 10secs. There is a video of the run on You tube.
Also we have a program called Top Gear which runs all sorts of stuff round a track driven by the tame racing driver aka The Stig. The good people at Ultima offered their car many times and were consistently turned down by Top Gear (why? one wonders?) So they hired the circuit themselves and promptly blew away the times set by Ferrari Enzo, Pagani Zonda etc. etc. by several seconds. This was reported in several motoring mags.
On the negative side I gave a quick whizz down the road in my GTD40 to an Ultima owner. He said that at the same speed (quite quick) on the same road in his Ultima he would have been off the road and through the hedge and was very impressed with the directional stability of the GTD which quite frankly is nothing special in that department. The road is a country road which is fast and fairly bumpy.
Maybe it is happier on track than off or maybe some attention to behaviour over bumps - either suspension stiffness or bumpsteer is in order.
Hope this helps.
Cheers
Mike

PS I looked at buying an Ultima for a long time but it is pig ugly compared to a forty! but then I'm biased, old and sad!
 

Brian Hamilton

I'm on the verge of touching myself inappropriatel
Send me your commission cheque and I will even send Casey with it....

BWAHAHAHAHA!! My wife and her new husband wouldn't like that I'd bet. LOL I may send part of it to buy a little stock in your company though. But enough thread jacking.

Carl, I'd suggest taking a ride in both cars if you have that option available to you. That will be your best bet IMHO. Then judge for yourself.
 

Ross Nicol

GT40s Supporter
Yes I was having a bit of fun on my birthday. I just don't see the point in these 'How long is a piece of string?' type questions and I believe, (in the past) they have been used for a business interest to generate sales leads informally.I see now it was a genuine question from WC and I'm pleased to hear Fran's SLC has 2 cup holders. By the way the cake was nice last night but there were no candles, wife says 57, too many to light and I wouldn't like the taste of wax. She's always right!

Ross:rolleyes:
 

Keith

Moderator
Yes I was having a bit of fun on my birthday. I just don't see the point in these 'How long is a piece of string?' type questions and I believe, (in the past) they have been used for a business interest to generate sales leads informally.I see now it was a genuine question from WC and I'm pleased to hear Fran's SLC has 2 cup holders. By the way the cake was nice last night but there were no candles, wife says 57, too many to light and I wouldn't like the taste of wax. She's always right!

Ross:rolleyes:

She may have been fearful of flame damage to the old syrup of figs mate.... :drunk:

Belated felicitations on attaining the age of 57 old bean....
 
The SLC looks supreme and makes the Ultima look like a Vintage racer, Just MHO.

I like the rotary idea, a good bridge port turbo 13B would be the go, I have rebuilt a rotary engine (a few times) as the owner kept leaning it out. They sound awesome at revs, but like correct mixtures. I want to put a Rotary in my Westfield......
 
There is a fellow who was not lacking for money to spend building a car, he built a Ultima for track/street use. When he was done his main complaint about the car relative to track use was lack of chassis stiffness. To get an opinion on the SLC you'd have to get a drive in Fran's or Earnie's car, as far as I know no other chassis are under power at this time.
 

Julian

Lifetime Supporter
I can't comment on the SL-C, other than it's a great looking car and if I had time to build a car, I may very well have purchased the SL-C. I didn't have time so what I do have is an Ultima Can-Am that someone else put the time and effort into. I have to say I'm very pleased with the result. Aesthetically I like the slightly softer rounded(dated) body shape and it is a very capable track car if set up with the rose joint suspension and track rated springs, however, by doing that it becomes less of a street car. It is far more capable than my GT40, but then remember I have an older KVA, so it may not be comparable to today's monocoque's. Yes the Ultima is more 'twitchy' than the GT40, that in part to the 650HP 'all or nothin' engine, but comparing 'Apples to Oranges' a GT40 with that power isn't gonna be much different.

Contact with the factory in the UK has been flawless to date and that depsite the fact I purchased the car as the second owner. That is more than I can say for my experience with a GT40 supplier out of the UK.....but that's a whole other story and 'Parts Shipping' has been beaten to death recently, so I won't go there.

Personally I think Ultima's look better in the flesh than in photo's (and that may equally apply to the SL-C, but I haven't been fortunate enough to see one in the flesh yet). If I could change anything on the Ultima it would be to graft a slightly longer more modern front clip on... ala SL-C. So what's my verdict? Both are good looking and very capable cars. The SL-C's wider array of drivetrain choices and being US manufactured should have greater appeal in the N. American market. The Ultima is already fairly established in the UK market, in part due to the blistering performance records it holds, but given time to establish the SL-C's credibility in hard numbers I'm sure Fran will give the Ultima a run for it's money.....hopefully Ted is developing his product for the future too.
 
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