TVR Cerbera vs Ultima
Discussion
Lovely people of the Ultima forum I am after some advice please. I own a Cerb and am looking for people who have driven both a Cerb and an Ultima for a comparison. I've been looking at these for god knows how long now and can't seem to get them out of my head!
My Cerb has an LS3 and quite short gearing (about 170 tops) so acceleration might not be a lot different but I'm very mindful that putting power through 255 tyres is difficult on anything but bone dry roads. Are Ultimas any different to this? Do the 335 or so tyres add much to it?
How's the handling compare? I've never really driven a mid engine car before. The Cerb is always a handful and that's what I love about it, same as these with no nanny state rubbish!
Lastly why have so many Ultimas done so few miles? I keep seeing a lot below 10k and wonder if maybe are they just too extreme for the road?
My Cerb has an LS3 and quite short gearing (about 170 tops) so acceleration might not be a lot different but I'm very mindful that putting power through 255 tyres is difficult on anything but bone dry roads. Are Ultimas any different to this? Do the 335 or so tyres add much to it?
How's the handling compare? I've never really driven a mid engine car before. The Cerb is always a handful and that's what I love about it, same as these with no nanny state rubbish!
Lastly why have so many Ultimas done so few miles? I keep seeing a lot below 10k and wonder if maybe are they just too extreme for the road?
Can't compare to a Cerb sorry, but I have an LS3 based GTR that I'm daily driving (~750miles in just over 3 weeks). Regarding the abundance of low mileage examples, it could be typically that someone who buys an Ultima has access to a few other vehicles and the Ultima remains as their strictly sunshine, weekend toy.
I personally don't think it's too much for the road, just don't drive like a moron and it's more than easy to keep the car in check. But in less than ideal conditions, get ready for everyone to race you at the lights and think they've smoked you just because you don't have TCS/ESC and you don't want to die. I was previously daily driving a Lotus Elise Sport 240 and honestly getting in and out of the Ultima and general driving comfort is easier/nicer in the Ultima IMO!
I personally don't think it's too much for the road, just don't drive like a moron and it's more than easy to keep the car in check. But in less than ideal conditions, get ready for everyone to race you at the lights and think they've smoked you just because you don't have TCS/ESC and you don't want to die. I was previously daily driving a Lotus Elise Sport 240 and honestly getting in and out of the Ultima and general driving comfort is easier/nicer in the Ultima IMO!
I bought a low mileage ultima and it was lairy. I beleive many people spend 400 hours odd building the car, getting it on the road and NOT spending the 50 odd hours it takes to trial and error the set up for confidence inspiring set up.
The difference between how my car drives now as to when i got it is night and day.
However.... the Ultima is a 90s LMP car for the road. Irs race car, means you need to be a one man race team to dial it in properly!
or pay someof the specialists to do it, ( if its not already been done)
The difference between how my car drives now as to when i got it is night and day.
However.... the Ultima is a 90s LMP car for the road. Irs race car, means you need to be a one man race team to dial it in properly!
or pay someof the specialists to do it, ( if its not already been done)Cypher92 said:
Can't compare to a Cerb sorry, but I have an LS3 based GTR that I'm daily driving (~750miles in just over 3 weeks). Regarding the abundance of low mileage examples, it could be typically that someone who buys an Ultima has access to a few other vehicles and the Ultima remains as their strictly sunshine, weekend toy.
I personally don't think it's too much for the road, just don't drive like a moron and it's more than easy to keep the car in check. But in less than ideal conditions, get ready for everyone to race you at the lights and think they've smoked you just because you don't have TCS/ESC and you don't want to die. I was previously daily driving a Lotus Elise Sport 240 and honestly getting in and out of the Ultima and general driving comfort is easier/nicer in the Ultima IMO!
Thanks for your reply. Funnily enough a friend of mine has an Exige and showed my your post on the Facebook group saying how you'd gone from the Elise to the Ultima. It's got him thinking about changing his now! I personally don't think it's too much for the road, just don't drive like a moron and it's more than easy to keep the car in check. But in less than ideal conditions, get ready for everyone to race you at the lights and think they've smoked you just because you don't have TCS/ESC and you don't want to die. I was previously daily driving a Lotus Elise Sport 240 and honestly getting in and out of the Ultima and general driving comfort is easier/nicer in the Ultima IMO!
How are you finding it after a few more weeks? I'm guessing you haven't been able to open it up much in the cold weather, have you?
confusionhunter said:
I bought a low mileage ultima and it was lairy. I beleive many people spend 400 hours odd building the car, getting it on the road and NOT spending the 50 odd hours it takes to trial and error the set up for confidence inspiring set up.
The difference between how my car drives now as to when i got it is night and day.
However.... the Ultima is a 90s LMP car for the road. Irs race car, means you need to be a one man race team to dial it in properly! or pay someof the specialists to do it, ( if its not already been done)
Hi, thanks for your reply. The difference between how my car drives now as to when i got it is night and day.
However.... the Ultima is a 90s LMP car for the road. Irs race car, means you need to be a one man race team to dial it in properly!
or pay someof the specialists to do it, ( if its not already been done)That makes a lot of sense, I know how the feel of a car can change and just ruin the whole experience!
The maintenance side of it is my hobby so that doesn't put me off at all.
What's the spec of your car then?
bourne169 said:
Thanks for your reply. Funnily enough a friend of mine has an Exige and showed my your post on the Facebook group saying how you'd gone from the Elise to the Ultima. It's got him thinking about changing his now!
How are you finding it after a few more weeks? I'm guessing you haven't been able to open it up much in the cold weather, have you?
Haha! How are you finding it after a few more weeks? I'm guessing you haven't been able to open it up much in the cold weather, have you?
I absolutely love it. I mean clearly I might have slightly different criteria for what is an acceptable daily drive car, but it really is everything I want from a car. Unique, silly fast, generally bonkers. People pay money to go on those "driving experiences" and I get to have that feeling of getting an "experience" every time I want to go for a drive. It does fine for a small Tesco shopping run too!
Yeah I've been driving it pretty sensibly with the weather we've had and I definitely haven't been able to go anywhere near flooring it. But even driving it sensibly it's still made my Elise feel like it was a Ford Mondeo in comparison. It really is nuts!
confusionhunter said:
However.... the Ultima is a 90s LMP car for the road.
Sorry but an Ultima is nothing like a 90s LMP car. By the late 80s the Group C (LMP cars) were moving to full carbon fibre chassis with ground effect venturi tunnels, i.e. absolutely nothing like an Ultima. An Ultima with it's tubular frame chassis and big V8 is much more similar to late 60s and 70s cars, e.g. a Lola T70.Cypher92 said:
People pay money to go on those "driving experiences" and I get to have that feeling of getting an "experience" every time I want to go for a drive.
Truth. I get asked all the time if I've 'taken it to the track'. Man, my adrenal gland is empty before I even make it into town on a grocery run. What do I need the track for? 
bourne169 said:
are they just too extreme for the road?
Not at all. I drive mine everywhere!Edited by TR3B on Thursday 25th January 06:18
Cypher92 said:
People pay money to go on those "driving experiences" and I get to have that feeling of getting an "experience" every time I want to go for a drive. It does fine for a small Tesco shopping run too!
Thast a great way to describe to people who ask what these very single minded cars are like, very different to the evolution of Supercars that just made them more and more useable, i’m lucky to have some of each but the more single minded supercars of the 80’s 90’s cant be touched for that kind of experience imo and my most unusable is still probably short of the ultima in this area.Anyway, great way to convey why we like the old school cars.
TR3B said:
Cypher92 said:
People pay money to go on those "driving experiences" and I get to have that feeling of getting an "experience" every time I want to go for a drive.
Truth. I get asked all the time if I've 'taken it to the track'. Man, my adrenal gland is empty before I even make it into town on a grocery run. What do I need the track for? Gassing Station | Ultima | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff