Wednesday 5th October 2011

New Ginetta G60 Road Car Revealed

1080kgs, 310bhp, and no 'nanny-ish' driver aids...

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Here it is folks, 1080kgs and 310bhp of pure driving pleasure, courtesy of Ginetta in the shape of its all-new G60.

Well that's the theory, and judging by our briefest of spells behind the wheel of Ginetta's prototype a couple of months back, we reckon they're onto something. The final production version pictured here is being launched at Silverstone next week.

Ginetta plans to build fifty G60s annually 'for global distribution' priced at £68,000, so don't expect to see many out and about. Students of automotive history will also recognise the car's origins - it started life a decade ago as the Farboud/Farbio GTS, before Ginetta's owner Lawrence Tomlinson bought the project in 2010 and renamed it the F400. Then he took it back to the drawing board...

Ginetta has shared a list of all the changes they've made below, but basically the car has been rebuilt from the ground up leaving only the bodywork (largely) unchanged.

Sharing an engine with Ginetta's GT3 racer - it's a revamped Ford Cyclone V6 - coupled to a six speed manual gearbox, the new G60 roadster is said to be good for 165mph and a 0 to 60mph time of 4.9secs.

That's quick by anyone's standards, but out-and-out performance isn't really the point of the G60 which has been developed entirely round the promise of a 'pure' type of driving pleasure unadulterated by nanny-ish add-ons. So gone are the servo brakes, power assisted steering, ABS and traction control.

In fact, Ginetta claims to have entirely 'deconstructed' the F400 keeping only the exterior shape, whilst making minor improvements to aerodynamics by adding carbon fibre cooling vents and a revised splitter.

Underneath, the carbon fibre shell is bonded to a new stiffer tubular steel chassis, while the suspension has been re-designed incorporating unassisted rack and pinion steering and aluminium billet uprights for stiffness and improved handing.

There are new larger grooved and drilled disks with Alcon 4 pot brake callipers all round, the ECU and wiring harness is bespoke for improved reliability, and the driver's seat position has been re-evaluated. The pedals have been realigned and even the accelerator pedal grooves have been changed from a horizontal to a vertical plane for smoother throttle operation.

Over the last six years Lawrence Tomlinson has taken the Ginetta marque from what the company itself calls 'a nostalgic relic of the 60s - 70s', and turned it into a genuine force in British motorsport. With the new Ginetta G40R road car already receiving positive reviews, it will be fascinating to see how the G60 moves the marque forward.

G60 SPEC:
Engine – 3.7 litre Ford Cyclone V6
Location – Mid-rear transverse

CO2 - TBC
Power – 310bhp @ 6500rpm
Torque – 288ft/lb @ 4500rpm
Transmission– 6 speed gearbox coupled to an Automatic Torque Biasing (ATB) differential

Front / Rear Suspension – Double Wishbones with coil springs
Front Brakes– 4 pot callipers, 356mm x 32mm discs
Rear Brakes– 4 pot callipers, 355mm x 28mm discs
Wheels – 19’’ Alloy Wheels
Tyres – Michelin Pilot Sport 3. Front – 235/35/ZR19, Rear – 285/35ZR19

Weight (kerb)– 1080kg
Power-to-weight – 305.6bhp/tonne
0-60 – 4.9s
Top speed – 165mph

Front Track width - 1870mm
Rear Track width -1885mm
Front overhang- 815mm
Rear overhang- 790mm

Economy – 31mpg (average)
Controls - Satellite navigation, Bluetooth, audio and climate controls via centrally mounted 7” touchscreen.

Basic price– £68000
Available – First customer deliveries expected Feb 2012

G60 parts differentiating from the F400
3.7 litre engine
ATB differential
Fly-by-wire throttle
Full new wiring loom
ECU
Pedal box
Chassis
Interior modifications
New Carbon Fibre Air intake
Revised cooling vents
Air conditioning
Full Braking system (including master cylinders, callipers, discs, brake pads and handbrake)Steering column
Steering rack
Uprights
Wishbones
Touch screen instrument system
Front and rear lights
Dashboard
Clutch
Revised cooling system
Removal of power steering
Electrical window mechanism

[V8 GRF]

Great car at a good price, I drove the prototype back in July when I interviewed Lawrence for Sprint and it was very inmpressive.
Just a pity Lawrence didn't get hold of TVR or this would be the announcement of a new TVR.