We drive through the Southern Alps in an Imp-powered Ginetta, and look at the history behind the marque

For British motoring enthusiasts who refused to drive cars from established manufacturers, the ’60s was a marvellous time. Spurred on by the specials trade and built upon iconic cars such as the Austin 7, a large kit-car industry had appeared — offering a diverse range of, mostly, sports cars. There was a distinct financial advantage to be gained from these kits — buyers who purchased their cars this way were spared paying sales tax.

These factors provided sufficient impetus for the establishment of a large number of small, specialist manufacturers — Costin, Deep Sanderson, Diva, Elva, Fairthorpe, Falcon, Gilbern, GSM, Heron, Marcos, Piper, Rochdale, Turner and TVR, to name but a few. Even companies we now regard as being virtually mainstream car manufacturers, such as Lotus and TVR (if it still exists), began life as producers of kit cars — offering customers something different, something more exciting than a plain-Jane Ford or Vauxhall.

The G15 made its first public appearance at the 1967 London Motor Show, where it was priced at £799 in component form

These cars ranged from wackily styled and crudely chassised, Ford side-valve-powered oddities all the way to superbly engineered, twin-cam-powered sports cars.
It was a magical era but, as all things eventually pass on, it could not last — and in 1973, when VAT was introduced, the financial advantage of buying a kit-car evaporated into thin air. The British component car market dried up almost overnight, and only a handful of specialist manufacturers lived beyond the early ’70s.

Ginetta’s first car, retrospectively named G1, was a one-off conversion of a Wolseley Hornet reputedly styled after the Maserati 4CLT

One of the more resilient marques would be Ginetta which, despite many financial ups and downs, still exists now.

Ginetta: early days
Originally founded in 1958 by the four Walklett Brothers — Douglas, Ivor, Trevor and Bob — Ginetta began as an extension of their passion for motor racing, and the models they produced were invariably race or road/race cars.
Ginetta’s first car, retrospectively named G1, was a one-off conversion of a Wolseley Hornet reputedly styled after the Maserati 4CLT. The car was supposedly written off after being crashed by one of the brothers, but information on this first Ginetta is sparse. What is better known is Ginetta’s first series production car, the G2. Around 100 were built between 1958 and 1960. The G2 bore a distinct resemblance to the Lotus 6, both cars sharing a space-frame chassis and aluminium bodywork. It was powered by a Ford E93A engine, and Ginetta’s price for the G2 kit was £156, 10s.
The similarly-styled G3 followed in 1960, but now with Ford 100E power. However, it would be the introduction of the G4 which set Ginetta on the road to success.

Club racer
Launched in 1961, the Ginetta G4 would remain in production until 1969, and in 1981, many years after its demise, it was re-introduced as the G27.
The G4 was the Walklett brothers’ first volume sports car, and featured a glass-fibre body atop a tubular space-frame chassis. Underpinnings included coil springs up front (with optional disc brakes) and a live rear axle. Power initially came from the Ford 105E’s 997cc engine, later the Cortina’s 1498cc engine.
The Series II G4, introduced in 1963, utilised a BMC rear axle in a body with a shorter tail, while the later heavily revised SIII models featured pop-up headlights, a new chassis and Triumph Herald front suspension.

Aimed directly at the club day racer, the G4 quickly showed its potential on the race track, and the introduction of Cosworth-engined cars meant the G4 was easily capable of taking on and winning against ostensibly much more powerful vehicles such as the Jaguar Mk2 3.8.

The Ginetta G15
The G15 made its first public appearance at the 1967 London Motor Show, where it was priced at £799 in component form. The car’s stylish glass-fibre body covered a square-section steel chassis, its upswept rear arms enclosing a complete 875cc Hillman Imp Sport engine and trailing arm suspension unit. Up front, Ginetta used its own double wishbone suspension complete with disc brakes, also swapping the Imp’s 12-inch, Mini-like wheels to 13-inch units.
During the early part of 1968 Ginetta spent further time developing the G15, one major task being to move the car’s original rear-mounted radiator, instead fitting it into the G15’s nose. The first G15 was sold in August 1968, and quickly proved to be a best-seller for Ginetta. During its lifetime, the G15 went through five series, during which it was fitted with a revised fascia (SII) and larger side quarter windows, a flip-up fuel filler and a new nose with integrated bumper (SIII). The G15S was available from 1967-’74, and included the 998cc Imp Rallye engine, which was rated at 65bhp (48kW). The final version of the popular G15 was a special US-only version, which was fitted with a VW engine.

In the ’80s Ginetta returned to the kit car market with an updated G4, now called the G27 and soon Ginetta was building the G26 and G31, using Ford Cortina and Sierra parts

Like many component cars of its era, the G15 was a VAT casualty, production eventually finishing in 1974 — by which time over 800 examples had been sold.

Ginetta today
In the ’80s Ginetta returned to the kit car market with an updated G4, now called the G27. The revival proved successful, and soon Ginetta was building the G26 and G31, using Ford Cortina and Sierra parts. These cars were followed by the Ford Fiesta-based G25, later upgraded to the G32. Ginetta even essayed a V8-powered model — the G33.
Three of the Walklett brothers retired in 1989, although Ivor Walklett would remain with the company until 1992.
In February 1992, the worldwide manufacturing and sales rights for the Ginetta G4 and Ginetta G12 were purchased by a Japanese company, which had previously been importing these cars into Japan.
However, later in 1992 Ginetta went into receivership, causing supply problems for the Japanese company. It approached Dare UK to take over manufacture of the G4 and G12 — the cars were re-engineered by the Walklett brothers, and remain in production to this day.
Today, Ginetta is owned by LNT Automotive, a consortium of enthusiasts from Belgium, France, Japan, South Africa and the UK. Current models include the 1400cc Ford Zetec-powered G20, available in open and coupe form. An optional 1600cc version is also offered. In addition, Ginetta provides an 1800cc Zetec-powered G20 for the popular UK-based AVO Ginetta one-make series, and G20 GT4 coupes for the PlayStation Junior Championship — a UK race series for drivers aged between 14 and 16. There is even a rally version of the G20, the GTR.

The car’s stylish glass-fibre body covered a square-section steel chassis, its upswept rear arms enclosing a complete 875cc Hillman Imp Sport engine and trailing  arm suspension unit

More recently, Ginetta announced the G50, which is expected to appear in 2008. Named to celebrate Ginetta’s 50th anniversary, the G50 is powered by a 224kW (300bhp), front-mounted Ford 3.5-litre V6, and will be fitted with a six-speed sequential gearbox. Next year will also see the appearance of a Ginetta G50 Cup Car, which will be designed to bridge the gap between single-make sports car racing (such as the Ginetta G20 Championship) and GT2, GT3 and GT4 racing. The expected price for the Ginetta G50 will be around £35,000.

An Impish passion
Simon Dobier — a confirmed Hillman Imp enthusiast (he also owns an Imp-based 1968 Hillman Husky) — first became interested in the Ginetta quite by accident when, in 1994, he attended the UK Imp Club’s national weekend. At this British show Simon noticed a very pretty little sports car he had never seen before. After talking to the owner he discovered that the object of his attention was a Ginetta G15.
Further investigation revealed that the G15 utilised a semi-monocoque glass-fibre body bolted to a steel chassis. What really interested Simon was the car used the Imp Sport engine, transaxle and rear suspension. The set-up was good enough for a genuine 160kph — and excellent fuel economy, at 5.7l/100km (50mpg).
With its Imp connection, Simon decided he definitely wanted a G15 and, over the next few years, he began putting a few dollars aside every week to save up for a Ginetta. Fortunately, his wife was very understanding about her husband’s goal, and in 1998 — when Simon finally began to actively search for a G15 — she proved to be very supportive.

The performance is good for a small car as it only weighs 560 kilograms, but the handling is superb

By that time Simon had joined the UK Ginetta Owners’ Club, but actually locating a G15 for sale was not going to be easy. He finally contacted Cottage Classics in the UK — which specialises in Ginetta sales and repairs — and after a couple of false starts, he settled on the 1973 Type 4 G15 you see here, one of the last 100 examples to be built before G15 production ceased in 1974.

Back on the road

The car was shipped to New Zealand in late 1999, arriving in January 2000. Simon enlisted the aid of noted Imp specialist, Brian Bradshaw of Impwerks, to ready the car for local certification and VIN’ing. During the course of these procedures the Ginetta’s cooling, brake and fuel systems were completely rebuilt. A new Imp engine and transaxle was also fitted to the car. A myriad of minor tasks was completed too, and in early 2001 the Ginetta was finally on the road — Simon’s dream had become reality. Since then, he has completed over 40,200km in the G15, having competed in grasskhanas and track days at Ruapuna.

We’ll leave the parting words to Simon. “The performance is good for a small car as it only weighs 560 kilograms, but the handling is superb and, as a result, it regularly surprises much more powerful cars with its turn of speed. I thoroughly enjoy driving it, and use it on a very regular basis.”

It’s not every day that you get the chance to get up close and personal with such a unique and special piece of machinery as a Ginetta G15 — and it’s certainly not every day that the keys to such a machine get tossed in my direction, along with that question which requires no answer — “wanna take it for a spin?”

Who could refuse such an offer? Here we were in some of the best roads in the whole country, surrounded by snow-capped mountains — and not a soul in sight. However, as I glanced down at my size 12 boots I realised there was no way these clogs could squeeze into the G15’s tiny footwell, let alone operate the pedals.

Arrangements were made for a drive on another day — when I was kitted out with more Ginetta-friendly footwear. So, a few weeks after our original photo-shoot, I met up with Simon once again.

Parked alongside, my Teutonic transport [a Mercedes G-Wagen] dwarfed the tiny Ginetta — but, on the road, the equation was turned on its head.

I slipped into the little rocket and found myself in the most unusual driving position — quite unlike my normal, more upright Mercedes stance. There is no adjustment on these seats; this is the way the men at Ginetta intended you to sit.

A flick of the key accompanied by a stab of the throttle, and the Imp powerplant burst into life. No smooth, quiet running here — just the crackle and pop of twin carbs resonating through the cockpit. Music to my ears.

Simon said I had to drive the car alone, as the extra weight really affects performance — and light weight is what this car is all about, with only 52kW (70bhp) and an all-up weight more akin to a fashion model. Simon also said I had to pull 8000rpm at least once during the drive — how could I turn down such an offer?

Leaving Simon soaking up the sun while reading the newspaper, I headed off deeper into the Southern Alps. Talk about perfect roads — from very tight switchbacks that carve up the side of a mountain, to ultra-fast sweepers twisting along beside the river; these roads were built for the G15. As I drove away, steering feedback was the first thing that stood out, bringing back memories of my first drive in a Lotus Elise — both cars have a go kart-like feel and accuracy.

It didn’t take me long to start coming to grips with this little beast, and before I knew it the scenery was flying by at a great rate of knots. The key to managing low power and light weight is to keep the speed up, especially out of corners. No problem for the G15. Its Yokohama A539 tyres seemed to offer grip that would last into next century, but always in the back of your mind is the fact there is an engine hanging out the back. No longer are you interested in the snow-capped mountains that surround you — your concern is to not become part of that spectacular scenery. The grip is sensational, of that there is no doubt, but when the grip runs out, the G15 will bite. Hard.

Close encounter of the sheep kind

Coming up over a blind brow with some pace on, one of New Zealand’s millions decided to run out in front of me. From the Ginetta’s ground-hugging road stance things all look very different — and I had a quick mental image of the G15 inserting itself, with me onboard, into the nether regions of this suicidal sheep. The standard brakes needed a ton of force on the pedal to avoid a near certain collision.

With my sheepish encounter avoided, I began to settle into the Ginetta — braking late and turning in hard made for a very rewarding to drive. I guess the thought that at any moment you could swap ends just added to the sheer excitement of discovering the car’s limits.

And, of course, with Simon’s blessing, 8000rpm was found — producing a sonorous sound which bounced back off the cliff face, echoing through the valley. Keep the shifter working and the revs between 5000 and 7500rpm and there is no lack of pace. Sure, it’s not neck-snapping acceleration, but that’s not what this car is about.

Alpine fun

At first I was trying to avoid every little crease on the road, a task that is almost impossible, but much to my surprise the G15’s suspension easily coped with ruts and pot-holes. With a soft grip on the wheel I actually found myself aiming at the ruts and bumps just to see how well balanced and compliant the chassis actually is. Don’t fight it, go with it and let the car do the rest.

Upon returning to Simon my face was sore from the huge smile I wore the entire trip — apart from my sheepish moment. The drive finished, I clambered back into my German box. Sure, it is more comfortable, has more power, is quieter, carries more people and might even get across the Alps faster due its straight-line speed. All while you can sit back and enjoy the view — but where’s the fun in that?

Words: Allan Walton Photos: Sean Craig