We all love an Evo, don’t we? An Evolution, an improvement on what went before, a nip here and tuck there to improve on the predecessor. An indelible association with motorsport helps, too; it’s hard not to love ‘Evo’ when it conjures up faster lap times, shaving seconds off special stages and pushing the envelope yet further. This is the latest race car to have the famous appendage tacked on, the Ginetta G56 GT4 Evo.
Fundamentally, it’s familiar, with the 6.2-litre V8 in the front and power going to the rear, but the whole of the G56 package has been overhauled in response to customer feedback over three years of racing. The aim of the Evo is to keep the G56 ‘a formidable contender in GT motorsports series globally’. As is so often the case with racing cars, aero is a significant part of the Evo package: the bonnet is new and the rear wing has been changed to improve aerodynamic efficiency. The bonnet change works in conjunction with cooling modifications to keep both under bonnet and cabin temperatures ‘optimal’, the latter in turn collaborating with better air con to keep driver temps somewhere near optimal as well. Perhaps not vital in British GT, but probably a big advantage for something like the Creventic Middle East Cup. An engine that big in a car this small is going to create a lot of heat, after all.
Elsewhere, the G56 Evo rides on larger wheels and tyres front and rear, plus benefits from adjustments to the suspension, which aim to improve the rate of tyre degradation and make for ‘a more balanced and competitive race car over extended stints’. A victory in the four-hour Ultimate Cup race at Magny Cours, which was intended only as testing, would suggest the tweaks are working as intended.
Mike Simpson, Ginetta's Director of Motorsport, said: “The 2024 G56 GT4 Evo is an upgrade in every possible area. We have had many cars circulating in endurance racing in tough climates over the last year’s, the Evo upgrade is the accumulation of listening to customers/teams and developing what we believe is the best GT4 car on the market.”
“We have strived for greater top speeds within the Balance of Performance (BOP) management, adding weight lower down in the chassis gives us some wins in safety and torsional stiffness. The increased weight and higher ride height of the car has allowed for more emphasis on the straight-line capability of the Ginetta, making it a very competitive car for both gentlemen and professional drivers.” Bring on the 2024 season!
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