The documentary "The Ultima Story" is a walk through the brand's past.

Ultima Sport, a British manufacturer specializing in kit cars, has released a documentary chronicling its 39-year history. The approximately one-hour documentary contains everything you need to know about this small but prolific builder of performance cars.

The Ultima story begins in 1983 when Lee Noble (who later founded Noble Automotive) founded Noble Motorsports and designed the Ultima Mk 1 racing car. It had a square-tube space frame chassis, a Renault 30 V-6 engine and transmission, and other components borrowed from Ford, Lancia, and Austin.

Before deliveries of the Mk 1 to customers could begin, Noble introduced the improved Mk 2, which enjoyed considerable racing success, especially after the company's first customer, Ted Marlow, installed a Chevrolet small-block V-8.

Meanwhile, Noble Motorsports introduced a Mk 3 version with a new body. Two of these cars were sold to McLaren to be used as test beds for the F1 supercar they were developing at the time. One car, nicknamed Edward, was powered by a Formula 1 BMW V12 engine. Both were destroyed after testing was completed.

Marlow purchased the Ultima brand from Noble Motorsports in 1992, including all rights, jibs, and molds for the Mk 2 and Mk 3. He sought to make the Mk 3 more refined and more usable as a road car and began exporting it to the U.S. In the early 2000s it was replaced by the GTR Coupe and Can-Am Roadster, and in 2015 the Ultima Evolution (available as both coupe and convertible) replaced it.

Shortly after the Evolution model was unveiled, development began on a new flagship, dubbed the Ultima RS. unveiled at the 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed, the car was designed to be compatible with a variety of engines, the most powerful is a tuned version of the LT5 6.2-liter supercharged V-8 engine found in the C7 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. This engine produces 1,200 hp in the Altima, and the RS accelerates from 0-60 mph in 2.3 seconds and reaches a top speed of 250 mph.

Ultima's current lineup includes the RS and Evolution coupes and convertibles. The company offers turnkey builds, but as with the earlier Mk 2 and Mk 3, customers also have the option of ordering parts to assemble themselves.