The first Ultima, the Mk1, was built in 1983 by Lee Noble of Noble Motorsports, using an engine and suspension from the Renault 30. It was followed by the Mk2, which won many races and championships in smaller series in the hands of Noble and Ted Marlow, and then the Mk3, with a new glass-fibre body and the same PRV V6.
In 1992 Ted and Richard Marlow bought the rights to the car and began building a revised model, the Ultima Sport, and its open Spyder derivative, until 1999. They were followed by the Ultima GTR coupé and Can-Am roadster, and later by the Evolution. Ultimas have always been supplied mainly in component form for owners to build, although turnkey cars are also made at Hinckley, and the preferred engines are highly tuned Chevrolet V8s from American Speed, with the most powerful option producing more than 1,000 hp.
In 2005 Richard Marlow set performance records in a 640 hp Ultima GTR, and in 2006 the GTR720 went from 0 to 100 mph and back to a standstill in 9.4 seconds, a record for a street-legal production road car.
