GTR640, it feels more like the Mulsanne Straight. Not because I’m travelling at any great speed, you understand, but because the Ultima feels as much like a Le Mans sports prototype as it looks. The Spartan cabin has a simple Stack instrument pack and an exposed, right-hand gearshift, while the view through the Porsche 962-style wrap-around screen is framed by a fat hoop of roll-cage and underlined by a valley formed by the swoopy front wings.
A few hundred yards along the mostly Victorian, cream-rendered promenade, we find our hotel and slot into the car park, waking numerous guests in the process. I want to get some zeds but Hayden is keen to do a recce. The sun is just rising in a clear blue sky, painting the buildings red, so we dump our bags and take the Forester for a leisurely sighting lap.is to drivers.
There is an enormous amount of grunt on tap. Even stroking along on part throttle the GTR feels seriously quick. A kerb weight of just 950kg, 188kg less than the McLaren F1, and 640bhp ought to deliver an enormous shove when the throttle hits the stop. Boy, does it ever. People don’t drive and ride fast just because they can, says Gavin Smith, who works for island-based motorsport DVD specialist Duke Video. ‘It’s a novelty when you first arrive,’ he says, ‘but it wears off.’ He reckons that, like most of the island’s enthusiastic motorists, he uses speed responsibly. The Isle of Man’s transport minister proposed adopting a national speed limit and the islanders voted it down. Good for them.
Just beyond a third of the lap is Kirk Michael. I’m slowing to 30mph but the racers must still be deep into three figures, peeling into town on the wide, baize-smooth asphalt, clipping one shallow apex, then another as the houses begin to close in and the road funnels down into the narrow High Street. An involuntary shiver jangles down my spine.
The GTR has been the 1 of my dream garage for 20 years now... 😍