Photos by Jan Morgan
Driver's Notebook: Britain's Other Giant Killer
August 3, 2004
I admit that I am a fan of small, lightweight sports cars. I love the minimalist
surroundings of the cockpit, the rigidity of doorless, open-style bodywork,
quick handling, and the response of a small but enthusiastic engine pushing a
low-mass chassis. The pleasure derived from these cars is further enhanced when
I assemble them myself—it always seems to be worth the time and effort.
; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
The power-to-weight ratio in this Ginetta makes it the equivalent of a 300 hp
Mazda Miata. (Click image to enlarge) Build-it-yourself sports cars became all the rage in Britain during the 1950s and ’60s, when enthusiasts constructed one-off specials using inexpensive and readily available parts from salvaged Fords or Austins. It was then that companies such as Lotus, TVR, and Ginetta evolved from building specials to executing “volume” production of small, agile sports cars that were competitive at weekend races, while also offering more weather protection than a motorcycle for daily transportation.
Today, the tradition of homebuilt sports cars lives on in the United States
because such cars are not subject to much of the federal legislation that
governs most automobile manufacturers. Modern kit cars generally come with new
components, and some are nearly complete, with third parties providing engines
and transmissions and, in many cases, offering highly modified power units. It
is even possible to have a specialist shop assemble the entire automobile,
should your schedule and crowded carriage house make home assembly
inconvenient.; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
Ginetta Cars Ltd. was the creation of the Walklett brothers:
Bob, Ivor, Douglas, and Trevers. The G1 was the British company’s first product,
a small roadster similar to Colin Chapman’s seminal Model 7. After a short
production run, the company began to build envelope-bodied sports cars. Styled
by Ivor, the idea was to offer an alternative to the bare-bones 7. (Click image to enlarge)
In 1961,
Ginetta introduced the G4 and became a dedicated sports car manufacturer. The G4
was a very small car, aimed at the Lotus 7 buyer. It was a little more
expensive, but had a pretty fiberglass envelope body with doors, a fully
streamlined under tray, and better quality than the contemporary Lotus. Weighing
only 900 pounds, the slippery little G4 could crack 100 mph with only 40 hp.
Later updated with four-wheel independent suspension and disc brakes, it proved
to be a formidable competition car, especially when owners fitted it with a 100
hp, 1.5-liter Ford engine. Available in both coupe and roadster form, the G4
dominated British club racing when new, and it remains competitive today. With
devastating performance and knockout looks, vintage G4s are prized for their
giant-killing abilities, as demonstrated at the Monterey Historics, where they
routinely vanquish Cobras and Corvettes.
advertisement
