Ultima RS History

The Ultima RS was publicly unveiled at the 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed and entered customer production in 2021. It is a coupe-only model weighing 930 kg, dimensionally larger than its predecessors at 4,170 mm long and 1,900 mm wide, but still built around Ultima's signature tubular steel spaceframe with a Porsche 6-speed manual gearbox.

Four engine configurations are offered, all based on GM LT/LS architecture: the RS-500 (480 hp LS3, 0–60 in 3.3 s), RS-700 (700 hp LT1, 0–60 in 3.0 s), RS-1020 (1,020 hp supercharged LT4, 0–60 in 2.5 s), and the flagship RS-1200 (1,200 hp supercharged LT5 from the C7 Corvette ZR1, 0–60 in 2.3 s). Ultima claims a 250 mph top speed for the RS-1200, figures the company has not yet independently verified in a controlled test as of the time of writing.

As with every Ultima since 1992, the RS is available as a self-assembly component kit — priced from around £51,960 without engine and transmission — or as a fully factory-built car at approximately £180,000. An electric prototype designated RSE was developed using a Tesla motor but confirmed not to enter production.