In the brochure it says "The Ultima is not a kit car; it may be delivered to the customer in component form but there is a world of difference between this car and the majority of its competitors".

Well, they're right there. It is different. The Spyder is a thin sliver of GRP composite bodywork that looks more like a missile than a motor car, and the Sports with its bubble canopy and hunched shoulders looks as if it should spend its life either on the track or being fussed over by a pit crew in red overalls. These can't be cars for ordinary folk like you and me, can they?

I sometimes get accused of turning to the back of a book to read the ending before I start on chapter one. I did the equivalent of that by asking Ultima's Ted Marlow how much the average customer spent on his car, before I even stepped into the cockpit. After the usual "There's no such thing as an average customer" he came out with the figure og about £ 20 / 22k. Surprised, I took a swift glance at the price list and did a bit of arithmetic - yea, it looks like you could build one of these supercars for the price of an ordinary kitcar but I wondered if it's famed performance was all baloney.

I eased my way through the crowd of people that seemed to always be around the car and lifted the vertically articulated doors, stepped over the wide sill and slid down onto the seat - I swear I could hear a sigh of envy from the onlookers. This is what Formula One drivers must feel like.

Stock HO Chevy 350 mated to a Porsche six speed gearbox.

Talking of F1. Ted had told me casually that one of his customers was Jonathan Palmer. It seems that after taking the car out for a drive he said "This is the best handling car I've ever driven, other than a F1. The difference is you can adjust this one, which you can't do with one of those." I'm sure Ted didn't say that just to impress me. Nevertheless, I was going to have a bit of explaining to do if I thought it handled like a pig, or even just OK'ish.

Pete was in the passenger seat - all grins. As I surveyed the instruments, fiddled with the gear-lever mounted on the right-hand sill and generally got used to the feel of being there, I covered myself against his obviously high expectations by saying "I don't reckon to reach this car's full; potential first time out, it will take some getting used to".

How wrong can you be? After one lap I was taking the car close to its limits on all corners and I felt perfectly safe in doing so. I have an infallible gauge that tells me if a car is good or not. I glance at Coxhead and if he's slid down in the cockpit, with his head lower than the mid point of the screen and a thoughtful look on his face, then I know we're in trouble. But there he was, head up and still grinning.

I find it difficult to describe how this car performs without going over-the-top on superlatives. Quite simply it is the best car I have ever tested, bar none. I have driven some quick, nice handling cars in my day job and when testing for this magazine, but nothing comes close to the Ultima.

It felt right from the moment I was behind the wheel. I later learned that there is a choice of seat sizes with no less than four different hip widths, but I must be lucky, or Mr Average, or something because I was comfortable right off. The gear change was slick and positive, like silk; the adjustable pedals were perfectly positioned for heeling and toeing, and set at just the right distance.

With its wide sills and uncluttered interior we seemed to be sitting well down in the cockpit and we didn't feel exposed - of course, a helmet is sensible headgear. The low screen sent air whooshing over the top so there was no buffeting and it was remarkably quiet with any noise from the mid-mounted Chevy 350 being left behind.

That engine was a beauty. It was a stock HO with double pumper carbs, coupled to a Porsche six speed gearbox. It pulled like a train with plenty of torque and it was so willing and so unfussy that it seemed to perform in excess of its quite modest output.

With a choice of four different hip widths you don't have to be Mr Average to fit in.

But what made the car so very quick was its handling and grip. It was perfectly balanced and it turned-in precisely with no roll and no bad manners. It just drifted sideways in response to too much throttle when cornering and you could lift-off in mid-corner without unbalancing the car or turninga mistake into a drama. To say that I was flinging the car into corners with abandon wouldn't be true, you just don't treat a performance car like that, but that's the closest description I can think of to demonstrate how well mannered the car is and how easy it is to drive.

That's what's remarkable about the Ultima Spyder - it's so undemanding. It has terrific performance coupled with light controls, a compliant ride and a docile temperament that makes it a superb road car. You could tootle around in town just as easy as you could cream along a motorway or hustle round a circuit. Heather Bradshaw, our Sales Executive, once said she liked the Ultima but didn't think she could handle it. Not so Heather, this car is as easy to drive as a modern saloon and much more exciting, you'd love it. Couple that with the practicality of the all-weather Sports and you have a machine to dream about.

I haven't tested or even seen an Ultima Sports but I understand that it shares the same chassis and mechanics with the Spyder but the bodywork is, of course, very different. It still bears a strong resemblance to the car which Lee Noble stunned the crowd with when it made its first appearance at an Action Day long ago. It went on to win the Kit Car Championship and many other events, so it is very much a race-proven car. Which accounts for the easily read instruments with the speedo and rev. counter in a binnacle at eye-level, the powerful balanced braking and superbly light and precise steering. Ted told me later that he designed the specially made cast aluminium steering rack with the help of a March engineer - they did a good job.

Ted Marlow has a way of explaining the mechanical specification of the car that is utterly convincing - he leaves you with a feeling that you wouldn't be doing yourself justice if you bought a car which didn't match the Ultima's state of perfection... but I've got a sneaky feeling that he's right. Phrases like "The foam-filled fuel tanks are made by an aircraft company. Their system is such that we know who bought the aluminium, let alone who did the welding" and "Every part of the car is made for high speed motoring. For instance the brake lines are braided Aeroquip and each one is pressure tested before fitting", are delivered with a sort of precision that somehow matches the car.

The 12 inch ventilated brake discs are cross-drilled and fitted with two pot calipers at the front and single pot calipers at the rear.

Written down, the specification does not sound any more impressive than many other high performance sportscars, but two things made a huge impression on me. Firstly the solidity of the fittings and engineering integrity that was apparent in the design, and secondly the way the car performed so well and gave such a feeling of safety and security. Ted may have been giving me his salesman's pitch when he described the car's design features, but I had an intuitive feeling that he was one hundred percent correct and that was confirmed by how the car felt at high speed on the circuit.

I think the shape of the Ultima is absolutely fabulous. Viewed from any angle it looks balanced and in proportion. From its plump and curvy rear to the long low front via the graceful, nipped waist it is every inch a one-off design, it's not a replica and it owes nothing to any long-departed designer... and that is refreshing to see.

But it's the attention to detail that makes the Ultima stand out. The mouldings are crisp and clean with no unsightly or dangerous projections. The wheel arches wrap around the tyres like cats making love and the spoiler grows out of the rear quarters as if it was planted and nurtured from a seedling - rather than something bolted-on as an afterthought. Wonderful stuff.

As you may have guessed by now, I think the Ultima is quite good. Peter Coxhead pays me to say what I think and I owe no particular loyalty to any manufacturer, so I don't have to say nice things about a car unless I think they are true. I'm telling you all this because I am a bit embarrased that I couldn't find anything to criticise on the Ultima. To put it bluntly, I love the car. If you are thinking of spending up to £ 20 / 25K on a Sports-car, I urge you to look at this one. Yea, I know it is a poseurs car, but it also delivers the goods... in a very positive way. You could spend more on a Ferrari or a McClaren, or even a Jag., a Caterham or a Merc. forget 'em. Instead, go drive an Ultima. One day you'll thank me for that bit of advice.

Transcribed with kind permission from Kit Car magazine.