Ginetta Cars

Ginetta Cars is a British company, founded by brothers Bob, Ivor, and Trever Douglas Walklett in Witham, Essex in 1957. Ginetta sports car produced since then in very small numbers, partly in kit form, and partly assembled. Some models were pure competition cars, others were also approved for the road. The vehicles of Ginetta usually have a tubular steel frame, fiberglass bodywork wear and are designed for the uptake of various four-, six - or eight-cylinder engines. The brand name Ginetta, which was introduced with the G2, referring to the Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida.

• 3.1 The Ginetta G4
• 3.2 Ginetta G12
• 3.3 Ginetta G10 and G11
• 3.4 Ginetta G16
• 3.5 Ginetta G15
• 3.6 Other Models

Company History

The company Ginetta Cars has its roots in the agricultural machinery production. Starting in 1957 the owner, the way to construct individual sports cars that were intended initially for their own use. In 1962, the brothers sold Walklett agricultural engineering and focused on the manufacture of sports cars. A year earlier they had imagined the Ginetta G4, which was produced until 1969 and with more than 500 copies is one of the most successful cars of the brand. Even more successful was the 1968 Ginetta G15 presented, created more than 800 vehicles from the to 1974. Apart from the sporting performance of the car, the wide dissemination of the models was mainly due to the fact that they were usually sold as fiscally favorable kits so that the selling price far below those of competing models - such as the MGB - lay. This changed in April 1973 when the VAT was introduced in the UK. Because she was levied on kit cars, the price advantage of Ginetta models was significantly lower in the future. Ginetta therefore presented in 1974 to the production of completely assembled vehicles. The sales made ​​in the following years significantly.

In the 1980s, the company focused on complete vehicles, the used technical components and body parts of the British Ford dealership. The initial model was Ginetta G26; of their other versions were derived.

1989 sold the Walklett brothers Ginetta Cars to an investor group. Ivor Walklett was initially worked as a consultant for the company, but withdrew after only one year after disagreements over the future planning. In 1992 he founded together with his brother Trevers the company Dare ( Engineering Design and Research ), which, Ginetta G4 and G12 models based on old design plans produced as new vehicles on behalf of a Japanese importer, who had in the meantime acquired the production rights. After another change of ownership mid -1990s Ginetta Cars was acquired by the British businessman Lawrence Tomlison 2005. Under his leadership emerged from 2007, some sports and racing cars that competed in higher classes or market niche than the previous Ginetta models.

Current Models

For the 2012 model year Ginetta offers several road and racing vehicles.

Ginetta G40

The Ginetta G40 is offered in a street version ( G40R ) and in different degrees revised racing versions. It is a two-seat hatchback coupe that is based on a tubular steel frame. The body is made ​​of plastic. In the street version of the car is powered by a 140 hp four- cylinder engine from Ford, which has a displacement of 1.8 liters. The G40 weighs in running order 850 kg. The top speed of the factory with 140 mph ( 225 km / h); the acceleration from 0 to 60 miles per hour passed the car in 5.8 seconds.

Ginetta G60

The Ginetta G60 is a mid-engined sports car with a 3.7 liter six-cylinder engine. The car is the evolution of an initially become known as the Farboud GTS sports car. Its manufacturer, the company based in Bath Farbio, was taken over by Ginetta 2010. The top speed of the G60 is specified at 165 miles per hour ( about 265 km / h).

Racing car

For racing bets Ginetta also offers the models G50 and G55. They are further developments of the G40, which are equipped with larger engines. In the case of the G50 is a 3.5 -liter six- cylinder engine with an output of 300 hp, the G55 is a 3.7 -liter six- cylinder with 370 hp.

Previous models

The Ginetta G4

The best-known model is the 1961 presented G4, which was launched in the 1980s as the G27 again. The Ginetta G4 was also known in Germany, once the racer and tuner for DKW engines, Wolf -Dieter Mantzel, who entrusts the factory in Whitham, one delivered to him G4 equipped with one of his prepared DKW two-stroke engines and at 1000 - km race at the Nürburgring in 1963 took part in, other times by the then known as ZDF sports studio presenter Wim Thoelke, the planned sales of the coupe in Germany along with the newly established motor sport magazine Rallye Racing, a project that also Stern magazine was followed with interest ( a Ginetta was assembled stepwise for this purpose G4, accompanied the process photographically and published ). As a further development, a G4 IRS (Independant rear suspension) was offered with rear independent suspension and Lotus Twin Cam engine from the mid- 1960s.

Later models of the brand handles the technical concept of G4 and its design again. Among them were the Ginetta G27 and the G33.

Ginetta G12

The model G 12 was a bold design from 1966, emerged from the great success with the G4 coupe. The intention was to continue the flourishing sale with a new, technically standing on the cutting edge mid-engine sports car. This Ginetta planned a series production in this direction even before Lotus ( Lotus Europa ) and Matra ( Matra djet ), which made ​​their debut in 1967, respectively. Initially, the Cosworth SCA engine with 1 liter capacity, later the 1.6 liter Lotus Twin Cam engine was fitted, which was interlocked with each one based on a Volkswagen Type 1 Hewland gearbox. The sales were not as expected because the uncompromising racing technology for road use was only limited use, the vast majority of all copies (about 40 ) was used in racing.

Ginetta G10 and G11

In formal analogy to the MG B, the model G 10/G11 was to coincide with the G12, designed a lush -looking front-engine sports car. As engine came either the 1.8-liter engine in the MGB (G11 ) or, in analogy to the Sunbeam Tiger or TVR Griffith, the American 4.7-liter eight-cylinder Ford used (G10). Unlike the competition, the product had only limited success - from the G10 only six copies were produced - whereby the now grown company of Walkletts ran into financial difficulties. The low production was mainly due to the delayed supply of parts by British Leyland, which saw a competitor in the G11 to the MGB.

Ginetta G16

The Ginetta G16 was the first and last attempt at the same time to participate in motor sports in the larger displacement class. For the 2 -liter class engines came from Cosworth, BMW, and BRM used for the large displacement class ( about 3 liters) of the 3.5-liter V8 Oldsmobile. Probably no more than ten copies of the G16 were built.

Ginetta G15

The most successful model of the brand was in 1968 presented G15, a small two -seater rear-engine coupe, which was equipped with a 1.0 -liter engine of the Hillman Imp. From the Imp was the complete drive technology. By 1974, slightly more than 800 copies were sold as finished vehicles. Special feature of the G15 is a fully fold-up rear that completely exposes the subframe along with the unit engine-transmission rear axle and allows for expansion with minimal effort. Aesthetically similar, was presented in 1973 Ginetta G21, which looked like a hatchback version of the G15, but had a front engine. It was produced until 1978 in about 180 copies.

Other models

• Ginetta G2
• Ginetta G3
• Ginetta G22
• Ginetta G23
• Ginetta GRS
• Ginetta G25
• Ginetta G28
• Ginetta G31
• Ginetta G32

Gallery

Ginetta G4R

Ginetta G12

Ginetta G12 1967

Ginetta G16

Ginetta G20

Ginetta G21 from 1974

Ginetta G26

Ginetta G27

Ginetta G27 series 3

Ginetta G30

Ginetta G33

Ginetta G34

Ginetta G50/GT4

Ginetta G60

Ginetta Zytek 09S