Ginetta Cars was purchased in late 2007 by Leeds-based businessman Lawrence Tomlinson, who later described the acquisition as his "Victor Kiam moment" — a reference to the famous entrepreneur who was so impressed with a product that he bought the company. Tomlinson took over the firm from a group of enthusiasts who had themselves rescued it from administration, and set about revitalising the brand through motorsport. The G50 was conceived as a celebratory project marking fifty years of Ginetta car production, with base specifications drawn up personally by Tomlinson. Working to a tight schedule, the engineering team completed the car's development in under six months.
The G50 was built around a GT4 racing brief, targeting the regulations of a class designed to sit below full GT3 machinery while remaining accessible to gentleman drivers and privateer teams. The car used a front-engined layout with rear-wheel drive, and was engineered to prioritise handling balance and reliability as well as outright pace. The race car's setup formed the direct basis for a planned road-registered derivative, which was shown publicly at Silverstone in April 2008 and participated in the Silverstone Supercar Tour.
Road car plans envisaged a V6 variant starting from approximately £45,000 and a V8 model producing around 520 bhp, priced at approximately £100,000. The global economic downturn that followed, however, led Ginetta to indefinitely suspend general production of the G50 road car.
The G50 made an immediate impact on its competition debut in 2008, earning the Autosport National Car of the Year award in its first season. The car anchored the Ginetta GT Supercup, a one-make series that gave amateur and semi-professional racers a competitive and cost-controlled environment.
In British GT Championship competition, the G50 established a record as an undefeated GT4 class championship winner, taking five GT4 class titles — a record at the time. Its most high-profile international result came in 2009, when the G50 won the GT4 European Cup outright, beating GT4 entries from Aston Martin, BMW, and Porsche. The victory demonstrated that the British manufacturer could compete with and defeat far larger rivals on their own terms at European level.
These motorsport achievements translated directly into industry recognition. Ginetta Cars won the "Small Business of the Year" award from the Motorsport Industry Association in 2008. In 2009, Lawrence Tomlinson was personally nominated by the MIA for the "Outstanding Contribution to Motorsport" award, reflecting both the speed and scale of the company's turnaround under his leadership.
In 2009, Ginetta developed a higher-specification variant of the G50, designated the G50Z, intended for competition at GT3 level rather than GT4. The G50Z was fitted with a 4.0-litre Zytek V8 engine, subsequently reduced to 3.8 litres prior to delivery to privateer teams after mechanical difficulties were identified with the larger displacement unit. In its highest state of tune the engine produced around 365 kW (approximately 489 hp). The G50Z featured aerodynamic enhancements including a front splitter, large rear diffuser, and prominent rear wing, all aimed at improving high-speed stability. Transmission was through a six-speed Hewland sequential gearbox operated by paddle shifters, offering faster gear changes than the GT4 car's unit.
Also in 2009, Ginetta partnered with specialist automotive engineering firm Zytek to develop an electric version of the G50, called the Ginetta G50 EV Prototype. A rear-mounted 90 kW electric motor replaced the standard petrol engine, with Ginetta quoting an estimated range of between 150 and 250 miles per charge. The prototype gained public attention in November 2009 when former Formula 1 World Champion John Surtees drove it through the Channel Tunnel, making it the first production-specification electric car to complete such a journey. Despite the publicity, the EV project was subsequently cancelled after Ginetta failed to secure a government development grant.
The G50 remains a significant car in the history of British club motorsport, establishing Ginetta as a credible force in GT4 competition and helping to restore the brand's reputation after its period in administration. Its five British GT GT4 class championships and 2009 European Cup victory set a competitive benchmark that influenced the subsequent generation of GT4 machinery across Europe.