This ultra-rare 1986 Ginetta G30 is located in the collection at Glenview Museum, County Leitrim and is just one of fourteen of these kit cars known to have been produced in the factory with the number of fully assembled cars surviving today unknown. The story of Ginetta Cars begins in 1958, when agricultural contractors the Walklett brothers: Douglas, Trevers, Bob, and Ivor, came together in Essex, England to build cars.
Their first car, the Fairlight, featured a glass fibre body shell tailored for the Ford 8 chassis, retailing at £49.00. The G1, considered their true first car and the genesis of their model line-up, was not initially intended for public production. This small sports car, modelled after the Wolseley Hornet six, featured a tubular steel chassis, a fiberglass body, and was driven by a 1.0-liter Ford engine.
The G1 spurred the creation of the G2, using Ford components, with around one hundred kits produced from 1958 to 1960. Evolving into the G3 in 1960, featuring a fiberglass body, it maintained steady sales. In 1961, Ginetta Cars Ltd, was established and their next model was the lightweight G4 sports car, incorporating Ford components. Its sales success strengthened the company’s reputation, prompting an expansion into new premises in Witham, Essex.
In the 1960s, Ginetta introduced the G18 and G17 single-seaters, alongside an unsuccessful F1 endeavour, the G20 car. In 1965, aiming to compete with the AC Cobra, they launched the G10 featuring a 4.7-liter Ford V8 engine, but technical certification issues led to failure of the project. The company then pivoted to the G11, equipped with an MGB engine, which went on to establish itself as a successful GT race car.
In 1967, production shifted to Sudbury in Suffolk, where Ginetta built the highly acclaimed G15, powered by a Hillman Imp engine. This two-seat coupé featured a glass fibre body mounted onto a tube chassis, incorporating Imp rear and Triumph front suspension systems. Powered by a rear-mounted 875 cc Sunbeam Imp engine, over eight hundred cars were built before the 1973 oil crisis.
The G21, following the G15, received “Type Approval” for series production as complete vehicles, departing from the kit-build approach. This improved design featured fastback styling, spacious interiors, and advanced equipment for its time, including reclining seats, a heater, seat belts, laminated front screen, leather/alloy steering wheel and face-level ventilation.
Approximately one hundred and fifty cars were manufactured by the end of 1978 and the G21 served as the foundation for the next series of Ginetta kit cars, including the G25, G26, G28, G30 and G31.
The 1986 Ginetta G30 currently on display at Glenview Museum in County Leitrim was built as a kit-car using components from Ford’s Fiesta, Cortina Mk5 and a Sierra XR4i. Just one of fourteen cars built and with a desirable “BVR 14T” UK registration number the car was known to Brian and Alan Kennedy from Glenview Museum and they were in contact on and off with the previous owner for nearly twenty years before a deal was reached to purchase the G30.
On acquiring the car, the Kennedy’s had to complete very little work, save from giving the fibreglass body a polish up. In preparation for this summer season of car shows, Alan is currently refurbishing the carburettors on the 2.3 324 hp, V6 Cologne originally taken from a donor Cortina Mk5.
At the Glenview Museum in County Leitrim you can see the Ginetta and a number of other interesting and unique cars including an Austin travelling shop, 1954 Lanchester Fourteen and two prototype cars from Fintos Electric Cars the first company to attempt to build electric cars in County Leitrim.
After the G30 the Ginetta company continued to be successful with their 1986 fully Type Approved mid-engine 2-seater coupe, the G32. However, by late 1989, the Walklett brothers opted for retirement and accepted an offer for the business.
After the company was sold the fortunes of Ginetta Cars Ltd fluctuated for a number of years including an unsuccessful venture into electric drive-trains with the G50 EV Supercar, commemorating fifty years of car production. In 2009, they created a prototype rear-wheel-drive, two-door, two-seater coupe with a state-of-the-art 121 brake horsepower (90 kilowatt) electric motor positioned in front of the rear axle and a 150-mile (240 km) range.
Without government investment, the G50 EV didn’t go into production, but in its petrol engine version, it found success as a GT4 car. Still, it made history in 2009 when driven by John Surtees, it was the first car driven through the fifty kilometre long Eurotunnel (Channel Tunnel) between England and France.
Sources of information and photo credits:
A Brief History of Ginetta Cars – David Tearle
Auto Car
Auto Snout
Car Model List
Car Logos
Ginetta Owners website
Mersea Museum
Viaretro
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