"Jonny Edge (@thejonnyedge)" (thejonnyedge)
03/08/2014 at 08:42 • Filed to: BEST OF EUROPE, GINETTA G40R, SPORTS CARS, LIGHTWEIGHT, BRITISH
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"Jonny Edge (@thejonnyedge)" (thejonnyedge)
03/08/2014 at 08:42 • Filed to: BEST OF EUROPE, GINETTA G40R, SPORTS CARS, LIGHTWEIGHT, BRITISH | 6
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Edited now to include a video review I found with some fantastic exhaust sound. Mmm.
So I was thinking of starting a mini-series of articles I could do in which I show off some of the many excellent cars we have over on sale in the UK and Europe. This is mostly for the benefit of you guys over in the USA, these are cars I think you'd all love and cherish! So here we are with car number one; the Ginetta G40R.
Ginetta are a British car company founded in 1958 that is now owned by a gentleman called Lawrence Tomlinson, an established businessman, engineer and a GT2 class winner at Le Mans in 2006. Tomlinson acquired Ginetta cars in 2005 and immediately penned the specifications of another Ginetta car; the G50. In 2007 he then moved them into a new state-of-the-art factory near Leeds. Ginetta is a well known, well respected name here in the UK. A company known for it's excellent sports cars and the Ginetta-only race series run in support of the British Touring Car Championship. Let me tell you guys; Ginetta racing is such fun to watch!
You want to know about the G40R though. Well, it's been in production since 2010 so it's nothing new in the car world, but it is a car that is always worth talking about. I think you're all going to love it.
Powered by a 2.0l 4-cylinder Ford Duratec engine that produces 200bhp (there is an optional 'Race tuning' upgrade too!), the G40R isn't blessed with loads of power. It does however only weigh in at 795kg, so it's another lovely lightweight, sharp, and scalpel-like British sportscar. Perfect for taking out on the twisty B-roads that wriggle their way through our green and pleasant land. Just take a moment to look at it as well; it's a beautiful looking machine.
If you really want a simple rear-wheel drive sports car, you don't choose the Toyota GT86/FRS. You choose this. It's more serious and pure drivers car and Ginetta don't tell you any lies when they say it's a race car for the road. It really is. It comes standard with an FIA approved roll cage and fuel cell, double wishbones, a fully adjustable anti-roll bar, and a fantastic Ginetta racing steering wheel. You have the option to make that steering wheel removable, and you have to specify air conditioning, but you can always specify that race tuning package I mentioned earlier and a 5-point racing harness too. Make no doubts about it, Ginetta mean exactly what they say when they tell you it's a racing car for the road.
So what you have here is a proper rear-wheel drive GT-86 beater. It's faster, unfiltered engaging little sports car and there really is nothing else quite like it on the roads. It's rare, so you'll get exclusivity as well as a fantastic sports car. I don't know how many of these Ginetta now sell annually, but the original target was just 100 cars a year.
How much? I can hear you all saying now. Well, prices start at £29,950. So yes, it's a little bit more than a GT86/FRZ but think about it; this is a limited production proper British engineered lightweight sports car and it thrashes it's rival in pretty much every area of performance. Is it basic and a little unrefined? Possibly, but that's just one way of looking at it. Look at it like this; it's a car that makes you feel like a racing driver every time you sit inside it, it makes every trip an occasion. This then is car for real drivers, a car for people who want to make no compromises whatsoever when it comes to getting their apex-clipping fix. I think it's wonderful, and that's why I've chosen it as my first car for my 'Best of Europe' series. This is why I think it's the type of car that you; the readers of Oppo will absolutely adore.
http://www.ginetta.com/pdfs/media/G40…
Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh
> Jonny Edge (@thejonnyedge)
03/08/2014 at 06:08 |
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Do they make this one with the steering wheel on the left side?
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Jonny Edge (@thejonnyedge)
> Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh
03/08/2014 at 06:22 |
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Good question, I'm really not too sure. I myself am very interested in getting one of these. I think they're stunning and the sound they make is absolutely fantastic. I need to pay a trip to the factory and check one out. I'll have to wait until I recover from my injury first though!
Short answer; I really don't know. I'll ask on twitter.
BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
> Jonny Edge (@thejonnyedge)
03/08/2014 at 08:35 |
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I rather like Ginettas, especially the older ones. This is an old G15 that I saw at a car show. Backbone chassis like an Elan, but with a Coventry Climax-derived I4 from a Hillman Imp in the rear :)
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Jonny Edge (@thejonnyedge)
> BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
03/08/2014 at 08:37 |
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That's gorgeous. I like pretty much everything they've done but the G40R is the one I really want. I might have to look into it soon, I don't mind living everyday with a basic car. Actually, I prefer basic cars. Sick of all this touchscreen rubbish and steering wheels becoming remote controls.
Joe_Limon
> Jonny Edge (@thejonnyedge)
03/08/2014 at 08:38 |
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That is damn near 1000lbs lighter then the frs! This is what that car should have been.
Goshen, formerly Darkcode
> Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh
03/08/2014 at 08:38 |
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I think they do, because they're sold here in the continent.
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Jonny Edge (@thejonnyedge)
> Joe_Limon
03/08/2014 at 08:40 |
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Exactly. This is an extremely simple car, but it's a far superior car for driving at least.
Once you spec a GT86 a little in the UK you're getting on for £27k. Save a tiny bit more and you can have this all ready and even track prepared.
If you pay more, you can have this car with anything up to 280bhp. It's a fantastic car and it deserves recognition.
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Jonny Edge (@thejonnyedge)
> Goshen, formerly Darkcode
03/08/2014 at 08:45 |
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They do! I've just seen a video of a left-hand drive one and they are quite popular in France from what I understand. I saw a forum with a comment from an employee of the factory who said some have gone to France.
A lot of people in London buy them apparently too. Because it's so small I bet it's a fun little city car.
Andrew
> Jonny Edge (@thejonnyedge)
03/08/2014 at 14:54 |
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I disagree with people who are saying this is what the FRS/GT86/BRZ should have been. This is a low production model not offered all over the world like the toyobaru is. Would they have liked to make it lighter? Yes, but you have to adhere to all sorts of safety standards, as well as have all the creature comforts, which I don't care about, but obviously other people do.
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Jonny Edge (@thejonnyedge)
> Andrew
03/08/2014 at 19:16 |
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That's a very good point about the comforts and the safety. You're right. The FRS/BRZ will be much safer and much more comfortable no doubt about it. Probably a better finish too. I love the GT86, I'd have that in a heartbeat if it was a competitive price.
Kookanoodles
> Andrew
03/10/2014 at 21:13 |
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Look at it this way : we live in a world where there is the Toyobaru and the Ginetta G40R, and that's fantastic.