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Ginetta G4

Know anything about this car Spadge?The best source of information on the remarkable Ginetta G4 is "Four Brothers' Four" by Trevor Pyman though now out of print. Over the years we have assembled detailed histories of most of the individual G4s produced and our records include copies of factory documents.  There are some gaps in chassis numbers as at the time the likes of Lotus and TVR considered this fashionable and Ginetta saw no reason to buck the trend!

Click for pbigger picThe G4 was first produced with a round tube chassis.  Very early cars had different front suspension to the later models and also a rare finned tail body moulding.  Most round tube cars also started life with a bonnet as illustrated in one of the pics on this page but we don't know which because the webmaster has been pratting about with them.  If the car was supplied with a standard Ford single downdraft Weber rather than the more competition orientated twin 40 side-draft Weber then an additional hump/scoop was bolted on.  The "sensual" double hump bonnet was developed later but many cars have gained this over the years.

In general the round tube cars were fitted with the Ford pre-crossflow engine; 1000cc, 1200cc, 1300cc, 1500cc, and 1650cc in the main.  There were also other versions - buy the book!  Both the period Ford and Austin A40 axles were used during production.  In general the Ford item was heavier, stronger but with few available ratios.  The Austin being lighter suffered half shaft failure.

AEV 646 A By the time the Ginetta G4 chassis numbers reached the mid 200s in 1966 production was moving over to a chassis made of square tubes.  There was no clean cut-off point in production.  This is further confused by the fact that almost every Ginetta G4R, the "Racing" version with independent rear suspension, was built with a round tube chassis even after the "standard" G4s were being produced with a square tube chassis.  As time went on the square tube cars were supplied with Ford Kent engines, usually 1600cc.  The last cars in the 1960s gained headlights which flipped up manually only to flip down once the natural high speeds of a Ginetta G4 were achieved!  Many such cars have been subsequently fitted with an earlier bonnet as they undoubtedly look much better.

The Lotus/Ford/BRM/Vegantune twin cam engine was fitted to many Ginetta G4s in the 1960s by the factory and by individuals.121

In 1989/1990 a batch of 30 or so G4s was made by the factory which by that time had moved north of Watford, away from Witham.  This batch was essentially for the Japanese and European market but a few lucky owners in the UK did manage to get their hands on one.  The cars appear to be from the original moulds and the square tube chassis vary very little from those of the late 1960s.  The axles we believe were Ford Escort or Morris Ital.  Most were fitted with a 1700cc Kent engine and twin Weber 40 DCOEs.  A 5 speed sierra gearbox was used.

April 2010

Many more parts come with this than are shown here. Round Tube G4 restoration kit £7,450 SOLD

Continuation round tube chassis. Front suspension  wishbones, alloy shocks, new springs. All bodywork including hard top. Front, rear and side screens.

Converted axle, A frame, rose joint, trailing arms. All bushes. Rear shocks and springs. 4 Dunlop Historic race tyres. Custom Ginetta aluminium radiator. Choice of pre-crossflow engine, rebuilt 2000e close ratio gearbox.

All these parts are here ready to ship. Other options such as an aeroscreen, flat windscreen and weather gear, steering parts, wiring loom, front uprights, brakes etc. etc. can be supplied as necessary.

March 2010

green Ginetta1966 Square tube G4 for sale SOLD

MOT and tax.  How rare is that??!!

It needs paint to make it lovely £1500 option.

Available with original soft top and flat screen - £800 option

1500cc pre cross flow fast road engine.  2000e gearbox.  Has been used for road rallies and needs a suspension off - clean and re-bush to be made lovelier.  Good Protec shocks with original springs.  Aluminium fuel tank - large capacity.  CDS roll hoop and stay.  Dash fitted with odd switches and rally meter.

June 2009

Long Cockpit Dare G4 SOLD

Goes like stink!This G4 was taken to Silverstone; a round trip of about 5 hours in normal conditions.hours in normal conditions.  It took rather less and was huge fun. The generous torque of the engine makes it easy to pull away from almost anyone else on the motorway at high speeds whilst on A roads and the roundabout racetrack of Milton Keynes the handling was superb. Acceleration is extremely rapid but it is also possible to drive in a relaxed manner, unlike some over-tuned cars.

As a long cockpit Coupe this one of the rarest and most practical of all G4s. The pedals are also moved back for extra leg room. We have named it: The Tardis. It is HUGE inside and is about as quick as the Doctor's blue box. The comfort of this G4 is a revelation. However, it IS noisy!

It was specially commissioned by the current owner and came to us soon after it was made for some minor snagging work. It has been sprinted a couple of times and done a few road miles.

2 litre 165 bhp, Dry sump, Gear change light, Detachable Momo steering wheel ,Fire extinguisher, Thatcham 1 Alarm/Immobiliser, Yokohama A032R tyres

More pix engine inlet side, engine exhaust side, front from low down, interior driver's side, driver's side interior, near side front, offside rear, near side and near side rear.

May 2009

Round Tube G4 restoration kit SOLD

This package comes with a factory continuation chassis.  The many parts include a converted axle and components including a nice 3.9 diff. Used FIA shocks and springs, new front alloy shock absorbers, calipers for reconditioning, barely used alloy hubs, reconditioned Triumph uprights. New G4 steering rack and collapsible steering column. Reconditioned Lotus Close ratio 3 rail gearbox. Choice of Ford pre-crossflow engines. New Ginetta fabricated front and rear suspension with poly bushes. Pre-crossflow exhaust manifold. New pedals. New mechanical water temperature, oil temperature and oil pressure gauges. Some lighting parts.

Original parts include a modsports bonnet, radiator, header tank, dashboard and bootlid.

All the panels needed for an open car are included. A roof is available if required, as is anything else needed to complete the car.

May 2009

Regularly used but looked after and still low mileageDare G4 just arrived! SOLD

We had this a year ago and now the owner is going racing in a different G4 so he is letting it go.

As with most G4s of this type it has independent rear suspension, a 5 speed gearbox, disc brakes all round and a decent heater.

This car also has the wider rear bodywork and wheels, Yokohama A032R tyres, column stalk dash controls, racetech mirrors and well-sorted Weber Alpha fuel injection on an 1800cc Ztec engine.

The car has only covered 4800 miles and is in lovely condition. It will come with a new MOT. We have just changed a couple of steering components for higher quality items and it drives really, really well now.

May 2009

One-off Dare G4 SOLD

Convertible with removable hard top and curved front screen. Wide rear body, 2.0 litre Dry-sump, Weber Alpha 170bhp Zetec. Brembo aluminium  4 pot calipers with vented discs up front, 2 pot on the rear. BTB exhaust -remarkably civilised!

5 Speed close ratio gearbox, LSD, Period style dashboard, Chrome roll hoop (now uprated and not shown in photos) Plumbed in extinguisher, competition seats, Cut off switches.  Full weather equipment. Competition harnesses. Heater.

April 2009

Parked here in 1969Original square tube G4, complete, supplied with a replacement chassis SOLD

An amazing find, this G4, chassis 4/0241 registration  WTE 990D took a fair bit of rescuing. The chassis is too far gone to use, as Joel discovered.  However, we have a factory approved replacement to be sold with the car.  The engine and gearbox have been removed by us and are complete.

The car was in an interesting garden but is now cleaned of worms and leaf mould and ready for restoration. We can supply the necessary pedals and door hinges which have suffered but most other parts are restorable including all the body panels.

March 2009

Still sexy after all these years.Dare G4 SOLD

150 bhp model with 8,500 miles.  New wheels, tyres, brakes and major overhaul by the factory.  Stereo to be replaced by negotiation.  This car now has a new MOT and 6 months road tax.  We have driven it about 200 miles to satisfy ourselves of it's reliability - which has been very successful and a lot of fun!

More pictures off side front from below, off side front, front view from above, near side front ,near side front from above, off side rear, off side, rear from above, rear, near side rear, near side, near side from above, near side from above too, near side at an angle, rear boot open, engine compartmentengine compartment too, driver side interior, steering wheel, driver's seat, nearside bonnet up, passenger side interior, near side door, internal roll bar, dashboard, steering wheel and dials, and off side front from above.

October 2008

Road/Race Ginetta G4 SOLD1500cc, new chassis, lots of skillful work done

Advertised for Paul Shipley at £29,000 because he "didn't really want to sell it ".  It's now on it's way to USA.  Values of the round G4s are obviously strong, credit crunch or not!

 

Dare Ginetta G4 1999 Coupe SOLD

Dare G4 with 35,000 miles. Nice looking car in good condition, current tax and What a looker, great colour too. MOT till September 2008.  Drives fine but needs some TLC to the mechanicals.

Quite a bit of money just spent on MOT, new rear brake pads, track rod ends, water pump.  Good spec as follows. Dry sump 1700cc Ford X/Flow engine on twin Weber 40 DCOE's competition 4 into 1 manifold with 5-speed gearbox. Dual circuit brakes with adjustable bias, aeroquip lines.

Fully adjustable Rose jointed suspension, all wishbones are chrome front and rear. Full Alarm system fitted.  Located in Leicester.

 

Genuine round tube G4 with international history partially restored

we like this colour schemeThe ex Allean Hickling car as raced in Canada, featured in adverts for Minilite wheels and also in Trevor Pyman's book, 4 Brothers' 4.

After a full powder-coated chassis restoration (NOT REPLACEMENT) with the original tub and rear refitted, new shocks, bushes, brakes, historic race tyres and electrics; the car needs an engine, extinguisher, harness and a paint job before you can come and join us in the Ginetta Heritage Race Series ...

A choice of donor engines come with this car as well as exhaust, a 2000e gearbox, limited slip differential and a set of magnesium minilite wheels.  SOLD

 

Dare 2004 Silver G4 coupe

Standard wheel base in Metallic Silver with burgundy interior and chrome dials and factory immobiliser. 1800cc with 150bhp and Weber Alpha fuel injection and four branch side exit exhaust. Standard cockpit We don't need much excuse to run about in this one! version. Full harness seat belts, wide bodied model and the current owner was told by Mark Walklett that this is the last standard wheel base cars to be built. We have heard that this may not now be the case, but it's certainly one of the last ones and has only covered approximately 2,000 miles from new.

This beautiful G4 will come with a new MOT. It is an amazing road going car that can be used daily, on track daysand also for hill-climbing and sprinting. We have just taxed it and have been checking it out by using it on the road at every available opportunity.

As a later car it has most of the controls on steering column stalks and the other switches on the dash are illuminated and labeled- just like on a proper car! This has to be the most practical standard wheelbase G4 we've ever had. This has to be the most practical standard wheelbase G4 we've ever had.

 

Road/Race Ginetta G4 SOLDClick for larger pic

1966 but as it is round tube and of the same specification as a 1965 car it's eligible for FIA papers.  Currently fitted with a 1500cc engine; 1000cc FIA engine available.  Full, continuous history including photographs of the restoration, completed four years ago by us.  Road legal, new MOT, race tyres. The pictures tell it all: front view, rear view, nearside rear, interior, boot and engine bay.

 

Click for bigger picThe History of The Ginetta G4 (Revised Edition) by Trevor Pyman

The revised edition of this definitive G4 book comes in largish (6.75" x 9.75") soft back format and is stuffed full of pics and info.

 

Click for larger picFOUR BROTHERS '4'  The History of  The Ginetta G4 by Trevor Pyman

Published in 1990 this book has a foreword by Ivor Walklett, is fulsomely illustrated and "a tribute to the skill of the four brothers".

 

Click for larger picFOUR BROTHERS '4'  The History of  The Ginetta G4 by Trevor Pyman

A limited edition, numbered, signed and in a slip case.

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