Like a lot of readers, I have to admit I’m addicted to speed. Motorcycles and EVs that make absurd amounts of power have also ruined me, making cars that are objectively quick feel normal and sometimes slow, even. If I want to get my fix, I need to be behind the wheel of something seriously fast and preferably lightweight. And yet, even I know better than to go near the 2008 Ultima GTR on Cars & Bids that’s also allegedly street-legal. I just got done almost dying and have no intention of trying that again.
If you’ve never heard of the Ultima GTR, it probably looks like the kind of kit car you’d build with your cousin in a garage. Legally, you’re right, but it’s a little more serious than that. These things were designed to be absolute track monsters. It doesn’t weigh much more than 2,000 pounds, and yet there’s a Chevrolet-sourced, American Speed–built 7.0-liter V8 under the hood that sends more than 800 horsepower to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission.
Yes, you read that correctly. The Ultima GTR’s naturally aspirated V8 makes more power than a Hellcat in a car that weighs less than an ND Miata. That’s 403 hp per powered wheel. That’s less than three pounds per horsepower. Doing some quick back-of-the-napkin math, it has a better power-to-weight ratio than the Bugatti Chiron, and again, it’s only rear-wheel drive. Also, did I mention that it’s reportedly street-legal? Yeah, I did, but I have to bring it up again because it’s important that you don’t miss the part where you should be able to drive it to the track if you want. Heck, it even has air conditioning and a rear-view camera.
Call me a coward all you want, but I’m almost certain driving this car would end in a massive explosion that I wouldn’t walk away from. No, cars don’t explode in real life like they do in movies, but with that much power in such a light car, I guarantee I’d find a way to cause an explosion anyway. It would be worth a few million clicks, but at what cost? You, though? I bet you’re built different. You could totally buy this car and not die. Probably. Maybe.
