World Class Motorsports

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Show-car quality in a lightweight Sports car, plus a most unusual powerplant
text by Harold Pace

The WCM UltraLite will challenge your conceptions of what a lightweight, traditional sports car should be.

For starters, it isn't English, or South African, European, or Brazilian. Nope, this svelte little arrow is built right here in the U.S.A.; in Lancaster, Texas to be exact. Unlike nine-tenths of the Lotus 7 clones out there, it isn't restricted to English Ford or Mazda rotary engines (although they could be fitted). The standard of finish is right up there with showcars, which makes sense since the man who builds these little gems has been assembling hot rods and show cars for 30 years.

Brian Anderson, owner of World Class Motorsports, has had a hand in just about every type of car on the road or track. His traditional hot rods have won trophies in countless car shows, but he has also restored Ferraris, Maseratis, Porsches, and other exotica. The job that set him up for this current project was assembling imported Lotus 7 replicas for a dealer. He was attracted to the simplicity and great handling of the traditional sports-car design but was dismayed by the state of finish and by some of the assembly procedures. Like many craftsmen who've assembled someone else's kit, he became convinced he could build something better.

Thus was born the Ultralite.

He started by making a list of all the features he wanted to incorporate into his design. One requirement was that it fit American-sized drivers. There is enough footroom to accommodate drivers up to 6 feet 5 inches tall and with seat widths up to 19 inches. This car is fitted with Kirky aluminum racing seats, which offer lots of side support, but others can be specified instead. Cyberdyne digital instruments were used in this car (although VDO and others are available) along with a Momo 13-inch steering wheel and an optional engine- turned aluminum dash.

Anderson estimated his time and cost factors to determine the feasibility of the project, then proceeded with blueprints and drawings of each component needed. Next, it was time to get his hands dirty, with help from his friends G.W. Winton, Bernie Long, Hubert Schrader, and Anderson's understanding wife, Jerre.

Frame construction came first. A short 88-inch wheelbase was chosen to make the Ultralite agile enough for autocross competition. Square and round mild-steel tubing was welded into a strong spare frame with a Mazda RX- 7 rear axle located by an adjustable aluminum four-link with Heim joints and a Panhard bar for later allocation. Current final drive is a 3.90:1 with limited slip, but others are available. Double adjustable Aldan aluminum shocks are used all around. Steering is via MGB rack-and-pinion and the brakes are Wilwood 12-inch drilled solid discs with four-piston billet calipers. An adjustable twin-cylinder Wilwood pedal assembly makes front to rear bias adjustable. Up front, fabricated aluminum A-arms are adjustable by their Heim-jointed ends. Wheels are tall Konig 17x7 wide alloy rims mounting Toyo 205/40-17 in front and 225/45-17 at the rear.

The body is a unique design that combines sports-car and hot-rod styling cues. A short, squared-off nose flows back to a double-humped cowl reminiscent of an MG-TC. The tail is chopped short and cycle-type fenders are mounted toward the back sides of the tires. Although the body panels are normally gelcoated fiberglass, carbon fiber is a $1,000 option. Tiny projector- beam headlights and the tall, wide rubber give a more modern look than cars of this genre usually display.

Up front is the mystery engine. With no identification, few onlookers can guess the derivation of the handsome twin-cam four-cylinder mill. It's been turned from its usual sideways configuration in a '98 Saturn and fitted with a fabricated 4½-quart aluminum wet-sump oil pan. The engine displaces 1.9L and has been fitted with cams and a ported and polished "Bullfrog" cylinder head from Gude Performance. Dual 45mm Webers (a high-performance fuel-injection system is in the works) are used along with a four-into-one ceramic-coated header, and an Electromotive electronic- ignition system fires the spark. At 183 pounds, the Saturn* mill weighs 60 pounds less than a Ford Zetek and it produces around 170 hp.

The five-speed transmission is from an '87 Mazda RX- 7 turbo and runs through a Fidanza aluminum flywheel. An aluminum Griffin radiator with two I-inch cores and a 12-inch electric fan provides plenty of cooling.

Although the Saturn* is a great engine for this application, Anderson stresses that other small engines are equally at home in the Ultralite. The Ford Zetek, Mazda rotary, and some Hondas are also good choices (a 240hp S2000 Honda with six-speed box is planned for a future car). The mind boggles at the thought of a 400-plus- horsepower pressurized Honda in one of these mini-roadsters.

What sets the Ultralite apart is the standard of fit and finish. Of course, that is up to the builder, but if Anderson does the assembly, the result is a car that will do well at car shows as well as at track events and on the street. The aluminum is clear-anodized so it always looks polished and the hood tilts forward rather than having to be removed, like the more conventional Lotus clones, to check the oil. WCM offers the Ultralite in basic kit form starting at $9,250, with a turnkey like the one shown here running around $28,750. With 170 hp and a weight of 1,079 pounds, it should be a success and be able to provide some thrills on a grand scale. KC