Ginetta G50

 

In late 2007, in what he later described as his Victor Kiam moment,^[4] Leeds-based businessman Lawrence Tomlinson bought Ginetta Cars from the group of enthusiasts, who themselves had bought it out of administration.^[5]

The G50 was developed to celebrate 50 year of production of Ginetta Cars. With base specifications penned by trained engineer Tomlinson, the car was developed in under six months.^[6]

Launched in 2008, the G50 was awarded Autosport National Car of the Year in its first year.^[6] With its own Ginetta GT Supercup one-make series, the G50 has also been undefeated GT4 class championship winner record holder in the British GT Championship (5), and won the GT4 European Cup in 2009, beating Aston Martin, BMW and Porsche.

As a result, Ginetta Cars won "Small Business of the Year" from the Motorsport Industry Association in 2008, and in 2009 Tomlinson was nominated by the MIA for the "Outstanding Contribution to Motorsport" award.^[6]

The first Ginetta G50 road-registered car was shown in April 2008,^[7] and then took part in the Silverstone Supercar Tour. It features the same base set-up as the race car, with a proposed development of a V8 model with 520 brake horsepower (390 kW). Retail prices were estimated at starting from £45,000 ($72,549) for the V6, and £100,000 ($161,220) for the V8. However, due to the economic recession, Ginetta indefinitely shelved plans for general production of the G50, instead opting to produce the smaller, cheaper Ginetta G40.^[8]

 

In 2009, Ginetta, in conjunction with Zytek, built an electric version of the G50 named the Ginetta G50 EV Prototype. The car was fitted with a rear-mounted 90 kW (122 PS; 121 hp) electric motor, with the regular petrol engine being removed. Ginetta gave an estimated range of between 150 and 250 miles.^[9] In November, former Formula 1 World Champion John Surtees drove the prototype through the Channel Tunnel, with the car becoming the first production-specification car to be driven through the tunnel.^[10] However, production was cancelled following the company's failure to secure a government grant for the project.^[11]

 

In 2008, the Ginetta G50Z was announced. Intended for GT3 class racing, the car featured a 4.0-litre Zytek V8 engine which was then down graded to 3.8-litres before the car was sold to privateer teams due to the mechanical problems. The engine produced 365 kW (496 PS; 489 hp) in the highest trim. The car focused on improved handling and stability, a front splitter and a large rear diffuser aided in that purpose along with a large rear wing. The engine was coupled to a 6-speed Hewland sequential manual gearbox operated by paddles on the steering column which resulted in faster gear changes than the GT4.

 

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• G50 at Ginetta Cars