Nipper's Minion
Posted 07 September 2017 - 07:34 PM
The more i see and hear about the Evora, the more one makes sense.
Try and test drive an Ultima, you'll change your mind then. Or just a 500+ HP VX (there is one for sale ATM, though it doesn't have enough rubber to make it "safe").
Lotus's are great but the price premium is always a lot.
I love Nev
Posted 07 September 2017 - 09:39 PM
i am sheldon cooper
Posted 07 September 2017 - 09:57 PM
Ultima, VX - not a practical road car.
Evora - practical road car.
Super Moderator
Posted 07 September 2017 - 10:20 PM
Cat in a Hat
Posted 08 September 2017 - 06:31 AM
.
Posted 08 September 2017 - 07:47 AM
What did you think of the Ultima Nev? I've only sat in one but I though it was about as raw as driving can get, more akin to a group C race car than a normal car. Interested to hear about the driving experience, not that I'm in a position to buy one
Nipper's Minion
Posted 08 September 2017 - 08:09 AM
Haha, ultima v Evora - definitely the same target market. Nice one nev!
Well, not quite the same number of seats, but both purporting to be fast road cars around £60k. Except one is a lot faster than the other.
I very nearly bought an Ultima kit when I was about 32, went to the factory, asked a lot of questions, had a test drive and got to know some owners and had plenty of money to build one with a powerful engine. The most noticeable thing about them is the ease with which you can work on the engine as the clams lift up to offer 270 degree access. There is simply just a lot more room for the engine than the cramped VX engine bay.
They are very fast indeed, I remember one at Donnington park just breezing past all the little caterhams, you could hear it roaring from the other side of the track 500 metres away. At the time my road car was a Scooby and a Lotus Esprit 300 before that, both considered fast cars at the time. My test drive in the Ultima was stunning fast in comparison. Very grippy too as you expect.
All in all I regret not building it, as I think it would have been a faster and easier car to build than Nipper, albeit about twice as expensive. Oh well.
Edited by Nev, 08 September 2017 - 08:30 AM.
Need to get Out More
Posted 08 September 2017 - 08:09 AM
Both have similar interior qualities
Nipper's Minion
Posted 08 September 2017 - 08:13 AM
Both have similar interior qualities
Well if you buy a car based on the interior decor then perhaps you should shop at Laura Ashley. It is of no consequence when you are driving fast IMO, the driving experience is the key thing to me; speed, agility, braking etc far outweigh what the dash looks like.
Edited by Nev, 08 September 2017 - 08:39 AM.
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Posted 08 September 2017 - 08:18 AM
you could hear it roaring from the other side of the track 500 metres away.
Probably wouldn't be allowed round Donnington these days due to the noise police 
The one I sat in was at Croft and it had one of the smaller engines in it (350bhp IIRC) but It seemed mighty on circuit. He said you could build one of the smaller ones for a lot less than you think. Not sure how easy it would be to live with on the road though.
Nipper's Minion
Posted 08 September 2017 - 08:32 AM
you could hear it roaring from the other side of the track 500 metres away.
Probably wouldn't be allowed round Donnington these days due to the noise police
The one I sat in was at Croft and it had one of the smaller engines in it (350bhp IIRC) but It seemed mighty on circuit. He said you could build one of the smaller ones for a lot less than you think. Not sure how easy it would be to live with on the road though.
Another notable thing about them was how wide and long the stance was, great for stability and eliminates the twitchness that most short/narrow wheel based cars like the VX has. Also a low stress V8 would be nice in comparison to the I4 and I6s in Lotus chassis.
It was deffo a tiring car to drive, not easy at all - when I got out Ted Marlow tried to imply it was easy to drive, which was certainly not in my opinion.
I think a lot of people aren't aware of the car's pedigree, designed by Lee Noble (of Noble cars) and then raced and developed by Ted Marlow (who was a successful racer himself). Some of the factory staff were very capable people too and the car was been slowly tweaked to be a zero compromise sports car. All in all it's matured well, with loads (all?) of the bugs eliminated over the course of time. All those irritating things that an OEM manufacturer like Lotus doesn't care about are eliminated on an Ultima, for instance compare the ease of access to the engine bay - a critical thing that has dogged my VX220 experience.
Edited by Nev, 08 September 2017 - 08:53 AM.
Scary Internerd
Posted 08 September 2017 - 10:01 AM
How did we get from Evora to Ultima? The Ultima chassis is essentially just a development of a racecar chassis from the early 80's IIRC, so its no surprise it exhibits racecar-like elements!
Anyway, rather than an Evora, anyone considered a Zonda?
Nipper's Minion
Posted 08 September 2017 - 10:08 AM
How did we get from Evora to Ultima?
Similar money, similar low volume manufacturer, similar focus on driving experience etc etc. It's just a comparison I guess, worth considering IMO, rather than just jumping on the Lotus band-wagon because it's more prominently marketed.
I don't doubt the Evora is a good car, and it you want 4 seats for kids, a nice dashboard and some sound proofing then it's a fine choice. If however you want to go faster, you have to eliminate those compromises and Ultima does just that. Put a 350 HP Evora next to a 350 HP Ultima on a road or track and the startling difference in performance would be apparent in the first 100 foot.
Edited by Nev, 08 September 2017 - 10:18 AM.
Thetan level 15
Posted 08 September 2017 - 10:29 AM
Are you saying that a racecar is faster then a GT car Nev?
Whipping Boy
Posted 08 September 2017 - 10:33 AM
Nipper's Minion
Posted 08 September 2017 - 10:37 AM
Why is it all about speed Nev, particularly on U.K. roads?. Maybe, just maybe, some people are happy with quickish cars that offer something above just swinging their dick about. What do you think the Ultima would be like on a 2500 mile Euro trip
I agree completely, many/most want a compromise to some extent for a variety of sensible reasons; my input was for those who don't want that. The Ultima would certainly be hard work on a 2500 mile drive.
It's not about "dick swinging" as you condescendingly and tangentially put it, it's about having the best thing that suits your purpose for your budget. For some, that will be Ultima, whether you like it or not. To be frank, when it comes to dick swinging, I find the carbon and polish brigade are far more impression oriented than those who are purely focused on the driving experience.
Edited by Nev, 08 September 2017 - 10:48 AM.
Nipper's Minion
Posted 08 September 2017 - 10:52 AM
Are you saying that a racecar is faster then a GT car Nev?
I'm not sure what that means (or in what circumstances), I find all these marketing terms are just words that convey a vague meaning/impression to me. I judge things by what they are, rather than a bunch a words that others apply to them (in order to sell them). No doubt there are plenty of "GT cars" that will beat "race cars" and vice-versa, so the words have little meaning, to me at least.
Edited by Nev, 08 September 2017 - 11:00 AM.
Cat in a Hat
Posted 08 September 2017 - 11:30 AM
Nipper's Minion
Posted 08 September 2017 - 11:40 AM
I've been told I have a Laura Ashley garden.Haters are gonna hate Laura Ashley 🙄😄
https://i.imgur.com/dPJFBbx.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/W6I3sqi.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/eu3OmlF.jpg
Edited by Nev, 08 September 2017 - 11:53 AM.
I love Nev
Posted 08 September 2017 - 12:22 PM
Are you saying that a racecar is faster then a GT car Nev?
PMSL
Anyway, interesting input from Nev. Completely irrelevant, but interesting nonetheless. 
Edited by Foxy, 08 September 2017 - 12:37 PM.
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