Strange times have come for British sports car manufacturers. The future of MG is still in doubt, TVR in a state of eternal course, the now recently revived Marcos is commanded by the parade, and Morgan, who struck everyone before, switched to BMW technology. Many legends of the British industry have sunk into oblivion or changed beyond recognition.
And only one manufacturer of sports cars remained faithful to himself-this is Ginetta, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year. Having earned a reputation for himself of unusually successful racing (and road) cars in 1950-60., Ginetta has always occupied a special place in the hearts of true connoisseurs of sports cars of that time. In recent years, they marked the gradual decline in the life of the brand associated with the ongoing financial crisis, but even despite this, it has survived and is now experiencing a real Renaissance under the leadership of a successful racer and businessman Lawrence Tomlins.
The first fruit of his efforts, G50 (named after the anniversary), successfully debuted in races, including success in a solitary race, when 17 participated in the first round (!) strong applicants; and in the classification for the championship British GT. In 2009, the road version of the car is being prepared for release, which, according to Tomlinson, will be unprecedentedly close to the racing.
The road version will borrow basic elements from the racing, for example, 3. A 5-liter 6-cylinder Ford engine, paired with a consistent quaife gearbox, or a notorious plane flat, blocking ignition. A pre -production car intended for the road is already wrapping kilometers, making it clear to the engineers that it is necessary to change, so that a simple driver without a helmet and ear plugs can get a full -fledged, familiar road car. Changes are most likely to touch on everything: the clutch clips will become more affordable, sound insulation will become more effective, the adhesion lines improve. The interior will be not so much luxurious as cozy, unlike the working minimumalism of racing cars. The first versions, like a pre -production car, will pass the standard British certification of personal transport (Single Vehicle Approval), but Ginetta will not stop there and will achieve European certification (European Type Approval), thereby demonstrating that it is optimistic about sales.
Styling, perhaps, lacks the nature and connectedness inherent in the best works of TVR, but the car promises to be light, grunting-reddish sports car with a capacity of 300BHP and truly racing dynamics. The initial price should amount to 45,000 pounds, so if the quality does not fail, we will be able to rejoice at the birth of a temperamental sports model. In fact, there will be two of them, because next year we will find the appearance of a small version equipped with a 8-cylinder Zytek engine with a capacity of 520BHP, which predict the fate of the fastest roadway at a price below 100,000 pounds.
To find out on the spot how the company managed to emerge so quickly to the surface under the leadership of Tomlinson, we visited the new Ginetta monastery in Lids. It is hard to believe that the company, which has been located in this modern, built to order a building of suggestive sizes, had a problematic past. And although the office building actually acts as a portfolio of all successful Tomlinson projects (LNT Group), you should come in inside — how it becomes obvious that the lion’s share of the space is reserved for Ginetta.
Being an engineer by education, Tomlinson earned a state of construction, chemical industry and development on. So there is nothing surprising in the fact that you cannot call him a typical head of the auto -building company. He really reminds Peter Vilere, the previous owner of the TVR. Like Wiler, Tomlinson is a native of Yorkshire, and therefore it is genetically predisposed to say what he thinks without resorting to corporate pathos. Behind pleasant manners and unnecessary directness, something dissident is felt, while you can not help but notice Tomlinsonon’s obsession with its company and the cars it produced by it.
Tomlinson is already saying about the assertiveness and ambitiousness of Tomli that after five seasons since the first race, he was already standing on the catwalk in Le Man, confirming his superiority in the GT2 class on Team LNT Panoz Esprante. It seems that the racer was equally purposefully reacted to his field in Ginetta, gathering a team of talented and experienced specialists to promote the company forward.
A group of designers designing models on CAD in modern, spacious premises, in perfect order, warehouses with miracleies (each number of details and parties for accurately accounting for quality and quantity), a welding workshop, where each chassis is loved-love with love- Everyone says that Tomlinson’s serious approach to the issue provided Mark with a second life.
The new “father” Ginetta is proud and at the same time excited from what is happening in his company. ‘Our first step was to gain solid soil underfoot,’ said Tomlinson. ‘Then it was necessary to create all the conditions for the production of our machines. And we achieved this thanks to the team of real professionals who, mostly came from motorsport. In addition, we have a unique atmosphere here here. ’
It looks like this is only the beginning. Studying the G50 presented to us, which is still at the assembly stage, we note that in the motor compartment from a interest, to which Tomlinson grins, ‘it is made in such a way as to pass the classification of GT2. Ginetta should still show herself on Le Mane …