RE: Driven: Ginetta G40R
Discussion
RenesisEvo said:
Agreed, but it costs 50% more than a Caterham roadsport, and that has a better power-to-weight ratio (227bhp/tonne according to Caterham). I love the way the Ginetta looks, and that it aspires to be much more practical, but I'd have a hard time deciding it's 10k / 50% better than a Caterham.
And no offence to Chris-R who has written a fine piece, but I personally find it hard to get an impression of what the car would be like, there's little comparison to anything else except when considering NVH. Does it drive more in the vein of a Caterham, or a 'lightweight' MX-5, for example? Is the ride entirely biased towards performance? Is it oversteer-y and nervous or planted and confidence-inspiring? I appreciate the set up is adjustable, but over what range? Diamond to concrete? Or steel to sponge? A lot is alluded to, but just can't help but feel some information is missing, I want to know more!!
It's not a Caterham. The steering is a little less 'pointy', although it's still mightily direct allowing you to be super tidy with your lines. (Or relatively tidy, in my case.) And no offence to Chris-R who has written a fine piece, but I personally find it hard to get an impression of what the car would be like, there's little comparison to anything else except when considering NVH. Does it drive more in the vein of a Caterham, or a 'lightweight' MX-5, for example? Is the ride entirely biased towards performance? Is it oversteer-y and nervous or planted and confidence-inspiring? I appreciate the set up is adjustable, but over what range? Diamond to concrete? Or steel to sponge? A lot is alluded to, but just can't help but feel some information is missing, I want to know more!!
Edited by RenesisEvo on Wednesday 3rd August 14:48
The ride? On the car I drove, the engineering team were looking at dialling a bit of extra rebound damping in for some of the fast lumpy crests (on the road), but already there's a great balance between ride comfort and agility.
Confidence inspiring? Yes, very. Which is why I managed to spin off backwards at speed on a fast right-hander at Elvington.
Seriously, it's very grippy at both ends, and the power is not overwhelming (LT reckons it could stand another 100hp - that'll be fun!) and as a result you're not constantly battling with traction when gunning it out of an apex - which is great for road use. The back end does move around if you provoke it hard enough, but it's a very well balanced car and you can drive it the opposite of 'tentatively'. On the road, it has a real 'scruff of the neck and rag it' character - you'll feel like a hero!
Shnozz said:
They were parked up in Leeds on Monday night down by The Calls. Looked very nicely finished.
The G40R is a handsome looking car, very PH and I wish Ginetta the best of luck. But that car at the back there looks fantastic; what have they called it? I know it was originally the Farbio, but does anyone know what changes Ginetta have made to it? I always thought that could be a great success, it just never had any time in the limelight when Arash Farboud was at the head of proceedings... perhaps Ginetta can meet its potential.Chris-R said:
It's not a Caterham. The steering is a little less 'pointy', although it's still mightily direct allowing you to be super tidy with your lines. (Or relatively tidy, in my case.)
The ride? On the car I drove, the engineering team were looking at dialling a bit of extra rebound damping in for some of the fast lumpy crests (on the road), but already there's a great balance between ride comfort and agility.
Confidence inspiring? Yes, very. Which is why I managed to spin off backwards at speed on a fast right-hander at Elvington.
Seriously, it's very grippy at both ends, and the power is not overwhelming (LT reckons it could stand another 100hp - that'll be fun!) and as a result you're not constantly battling with traction when gunning it out of an apex - which is great for road use. The back end does move around if you provoke it hard enough, but it's a very well balanced car and you can drive it the opposite of 'tentatively'. On the road, it has a real 'scruff of the neck and rag it' character - you'll feel like a hero!
Thanks for your reply - one of things I love about PH, is that you can ask the staff and they reply! The only problem is I now want one even more than before... I'm slightly jealous that you got to have a go in one.The ride? On the car I drove, the engineering team were looking at dialling a bit of extra rebound damping in for some of the fast lumpy crests (on the road), but already there's a great balance between ride comfort and agility.
Confidence inspiring? Yes, very. Which is why I managed to spin off backwards at speed on a fast right-hander at Elvington.
Seriously, it's very grippy at both ends, and the power is not overwhelming (LT reckons it could stand another 100hp - that'll be fun!) and as a result you're not constantly battling with traction when gunning it out of an apex - which is great for road use. The back end does move around if you provoke it hard enough, but it's a very well balanced car and you can drive it the opposite of 'tentatively'. On the road, it has a real 'scruff of the neck and rag it' character - you'll feel like a hero!
Gizmo! said:
EDLT said:
How noisy is it compared to something like an Elise, some people use those as only cars and this looks slightly more practical.
It's front-engined, so I'd guess a bit noisier. Driveshaft through the cabin...Would love to see a comparison between this and the Zolfe GTC4: http://www.zolfe.com/
They look to be chasing a very similar target audience, using the same engines and with similar options.
They look to be chasing a very similar target audience, using the same engines and with similar options.
robsco said:
Shnozz said:
They were parked up in Leeds on Monday night down by The Calls. Looked very nicely finished.
The G40R is a handsome looking car, very PH and I wish Ginetta the best of luck. But that car at the back there looks fantastic; what have they called it? I know it was originally the Farbio, but does anyone know what changes Ginetta have made to it? I always thought that could be a great success, it just never had any time in the limelight when Arash Farboud was at the head of proceedings... perhaps Ginetta can meet its potential.
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