Ginetta was founded in 1958 by four Walklett brothers (Bob, Ivor, Trevers and Douglas) in Woodbridge, Suffolk. The first car was built in 1957 and subsequently became known as the Ginetta G1; it was based on a pre-war Wolseley Hornet six. The first car offered for sale was the 1958 Ginetta G2, a kit car using Ford 10 HP mechanicals. The Walklett Brothers briefly also offered a kit car body called the Fairlite, a glass-fibre body shell priced at £49 for fitting to a Ford 8 or 10 HP chassis. The Walklett brothers each had defined roles within the company: Bob was the managing director, Douglas handled mechanical and electrical engineering, Ivor was the designer, and Trevers worked closely with Ivor on styling.
The company moved to Witham, Essex, in 1962. In 1965, Ginetta launched the G10, a powerful racing car fitted with a 289 cu in (4.7 L) V8 engine from the Ford Mustang. Ginetta works driver Chris Meek secured a win with a prototype at the car’s debut at Brands Hatch, beating a Jaguar E-Type. The G11 followed, a street-legal version of the G10 with a replacement Ford 1800 engine, though production was limited by engine supply.
In 1966, the G12 was unveiled, an evolution of the G4 with a new tubular steel space frame chassis. Approximately 28 were built, though at least one was converted into the Jerboa SP. The G12 dominated its class, outclassing Lotus Elan 26Rs and Coventry Climaxes, winning the 1,150 cc MN series. The G15, launched in 1967, utilized a rear-mounted 875 cc Sunbeam Imp engine and was produced from 1967 to 1974, with approximately 800 built. This was the first time Ginetta could sell complete cars, having achieved full type approval.
In the 1980s, following reorganization and a move to Scunthorpe, Ginetta returned to kit car production with the G26, followed by the G28, G30 and G31, all using Ford parts. The G26 was the first model, arriving in 1984, with 280 built. The G33 speedster was introduced in 1990, derived from the G27 and typically equipped with a Rover V8 engine.
Following acquisition by Lawrence Tomlinson in 2005, the Ginetta G50 was developed to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary. In 2007, the car finished second in its first race at Nogaro, France, in the European GT4 Cup. The G50 and its successor, the G55, became Ginetta’s best-selling cars.
In 2018-19, Ginetta entered two G60-LT-P1 cars in the FIA World Endurance Championship in conjunction with TRSM Racing Manor. At the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans, the #5 car finished 5th in class, while the #6 car retired after 10 hours due to electrical issues.
Ginetta supplies customer LMP3 cars for the European Le Mans Series and Asian Le Mans Series, as well as the IMSA Prototype Challenge. In March 2010, Ginetta acquired the Somerset-based sports car manufacturer Farbio, and re-badged their car as the Ginetta F400. In October 2011, Ginetta launched the G60, a two-door mid-engined sports car developed from the F400 and powered by a Ford-sourced 3.7-litre V6 engine.
Alongside the G2, G3, and G4, Ginetta produced the G10 and G11, with the G10 featuring a Ford Mustang V8 engine. The G12 had a Cosworth inline-four engine, while the G15 used a Sunbeam Imp engine. The G16 was a Group 6 sports-racer, with buyers installing engines of their choice. The G21 was available with either a Rootes four-cylinder or a Ford Essex V6 engine, with a total of 80 produced before production ceased in 1974. The GRS Tora, inspired by the Dutton Sierra estate kit car, was a Range Rover-inspired fibreglass station wagon built on Hillman Hunter underpinnings, with approximately 320 Toras of all variants built. The G27, G33, and G34 were later models, with the G34 featuring a turbocharged Volvo four-cylinder engine. According to Bob Walklett’s autobiography, Ginetta - The Inside Story, the Walklett brothers each had specific areas of expertise that contributed to the company’s success. John Rose’s Ginetta: The Illustrated History provides further detail on the company’s early models.
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