Ginetta
The British car manufacturer, Ginetta, was established in 1958 as a family business. Targeting motorsport enthusiasts, its most defining models are the G4, G15 and G21, which all saw repeated racing success. Ginetta has a distinctive logo that uses a stylised ‘G’ in the shape of a triangle within a circular border. The logo colours are typically black on orange.
The Origins of Ginetta
Founded in 1958, Ginetta began as a family-run automobile manufacturer. The four Walklett brothers established the business in Woodbridge, Suffolk, moving to Witham, Essex four years later. During the 1970s and 1980s, larger premises in Sudbury, Suffolk and in Scunthorpe were used, but Ginetta returned to Witham and remained there until the retirement of the Walklett brothers in 1989. The company was subsequently run by a group of international automobile enthusiasts based in Sheffield.
Early Ginetta Models
The first model, the G1, never entered production and was based on the Wolseley Hornet. The first Ginetta production model was the G2, designed for competition enthusiasts as a kit car. The G2, available in 1959, had a tubular chassis and an aluminium body and was built to take Ford components. The G3 of the following year had a glass fibre body and the G4, first offered in 1961, was updated to have front coil spring suspension and a rear live axle. Developed as a ‘weekend racer’, the G4 was usable as a road car but maintained success in competitive motorsport. Various series of the G4 were developed with the 1500 cc coupé version having a top speed of 190 kilometres per hour.
Ginetta’s Growing Recognition
The change in approach that Ginetta tried with the G4 was a huge success. The model utilised the new Ford 105E engine, and its performance was excellent, securing wins against MGBs, TRs and Jaguars. The rapidly increasing tally of race successes meant that Ginetta began to be noticed by the motoring press. Over 500 G4s were made, with production continuing until 1968. The Series IV saw a G4 comeback in 1981, with thirty-five built up to 1984. Ultimately, the original G4s’ popularity led to more ambitious designs.
Ginetta’s Progression into Higher-Powered Cars
In the mid-1960s the higher-powered G10 and G11 were produced, taking 4.7-litre V8 engines. It was not until the G15 was launched in 1967 that a complete Ginetta could be purchased. The G15 was a rear-engine 875 cc two-seater coupé. It used Ginetta’s traditional glass fibre body on a tubular chassis and it took a ‘Sunbeam Imp’ engine. Around 800 were made between 1967 and 1974, although a limited edition of just eight was produced for the US market that took Volkswagen engines, called the ‘Super S’. Following the reputation of the G4, the G15 was Ginetta’s next widely recognised success.
Later Ginetta Models
The G21, developed in 1970, initially utilised a Ford Kent or V6 engine, but the standard became the four-cylinder Chrysler 1725 cc ‘Sunbeam Rapier’ engine. Again, Ginetta saw success with this model, and it was later updated as the G23 and G24. Ginetta returned to manufacturing kit cars in the 1980s, namely the G26, G27, G28, G30 and G31. The subsequent G32 and G33 models were again complete cars.