Beschreibung
This lot will be auctioned via Silverstone Auctions, Race Retro Classic and Competition Car Sale 2023 on Friday the 24th of February - Saturday the 25th of February, Stoneleigh Park, Stoneleigh Rd, Coventry, CV8 2LG. Built to celebrate 50 years of Ginetta cars following its take-over by Lawrence Tomilson after years of fraught financial situations (including a buyout by a group of enthusiasts to save the brand from going into administration), the G50 was developed in under six months and was an immediate hit upon its launch in 2008.
Winning the Autosport ‘National Car of the Year’ in its first year of production with its own Ginetta GT Supercup one-make competition series, the G50 also boasted an incredible run of victories in the British GT Championship - winning the class championship - and also won the 2009 European GT4 Cup, beating the likes of Aston Martin, BMW and Porsche.
Originally designed to have a road-going stablemate, the economic recession in the late ‘noughties’ forced Ginetta to shelve their plans for a road-going G50, meaning that this lightweight, balanced and competitive GT car remained destined for a life on the track only.
This particular example is an early-build 2008 G50 Challenge car which is fitted with the desirable ‘Endurance’ pack, adding options such as a heated screen for long-distance racing. It's currently finished in the perennially cool Gulf colours of Zenith Blue and Tangerine.
The full specification list is as follows:
3. 5-litre, naturally-aspirated, dry-sump V6 engine
Quaife sequential gearbox with flat-shift
Quaife limited-slip differential
Motech ECU
Motech HUD
Twin coolers - one for the LSD, one for the sequential transmission
Ohlins suspension
Alcon brakes
Heated screen
Carbon-fibre air-box
Carbon-fibre rear wing
Air jacks
Plumbed-in fire system (to current regulations)
Two sets of wheels (one with wet tyres, one with slicks)
The vendor notes that new harnesses will be required to take the car racing in competition use, but there are no other known areas requiring attention.
In its current ownership, the car has seen very little use. Originally purchased by the current owner with the intention of learning the famous Spa circuit, lockdown restrictions unfortunately put paid to that idea, and his attention went elsewhere, resulting in him taking up competitive rallying instead, and this G50 has seen only two ‘shakedown’ runs at Donnington Park since being purchased. Prior to the current owner’s tenure, our vendor reports that the car was used for leisure runs around Mondello Park and other Irish circuits, and the gearbox was rebuilt by Ginetta prior to his purchase.
Thanks to recent rule changes allowing the use of sequential gearbox-fitted cars in various European championships, this is a fantastic opportunity to obtain a virtually race-ready and exceedingly competitive GT car that belongs on track, being pushed to its limit. Described as “easy to drive and brilliant fun” on account of its handling and 945kg dry kerb-weight, this G50 offers the next owner a ticket into the world of GT racing, wrapped up in a driver-friendly package, with plenty of aftermarket support on-hand from both Ginetta and a plethora of aftermarket specialists.
