Ultima GTR / Can-Am History

Launched in 1999, the Ultima GTR took the Sport's spaceframe concept and refined it into something genuinely ferocious. The tubular steel chassis was clothed in fibreglass bodywork, butterfly doors were retained, and the dominant engine choice became the Chevrolet small-block V8 mated to a Porsche or Getrag transaxle — a mid-engine, rear-drive layout that kept weight well under 1,100 kg. An open convertible variant, the Ultima Can-Am, ran in parallel throughout production.

Ultima progressively turned up the power, culminating in the GTR 640 (640 hp, 2005) and GTR 720 (720 hp, 2006). At those outputs the GTR 720 posted a power-to-weight ratio exceeding 745 bhp per tonne, outgunning the Bugatti Veyron and Ferrari Enzo on that metric. The headline achievement was the 0–100–0 mph (0–161–0 km/h) sprint: the GTR 720 completed it in 9.4 seconds, a world record for production road cars on street-legal tyres. The car also lapped the Top Gear test track in 1 minute 12.8 seconds in 2007.

Because the GTR was sold primarily as a kit car, individual builders pushed the formula further: documented custom variants exceeded 1,700 hp using turbocharged configurations. Production continued until 2015, when Ultima retired the GTR and Can-Am names and replaced them entirely with the Evolution range.