Author: Dan Pitt
Images: Dan Pitt
I had heard about Ginettas in high school in the US but had never seen one. Years later, after I had gone through a couple of Triumphs, a Mini, and a right-hand-drive Sunbeam Tiger, Ginetta was back on my radar screen. In 2002, we were living in California, but we didn’t have a fun car, so I went on a hunt – even placing an ad in the LA Times: “Interesting car wanted. RHD a plus. No automatics.”
That ad turned up some interesting cars, all right, but “interesting” in the sense of “May you live in interesting times.”
Meanwhile, through car magazines, the internet, and word of mouth, I found a Ginetta in a barn in East Anglia in need of a total restoration. Who better to do the work than the Walklett family, founders of Ginetta in 1958? Their shop happened to be in East Anglia, so we struck a deal. Over the next nine months, they produced a new chassis, a modern Ford drivetrain, the body, and an interior. During a school break, my son and I visited to check on progress, and closer to the end, I visited again. The car then spent three weeks at sea and several weeks clearing US Customs before I was finally able to take possession.
We now drive the Ginetta around 900 miles a year, including to Monterey for Car Week and to informal local car shows. With an empty tank, the car weighs 635kg, and with 175bhp, Weber fuel injection, headers, four-wheel discs, four-wheel independent suspension, a five-speed transmission, and front/mid-engine layout, it drives like a slot car and sounds great. My son learned a lot about cars by tinkering with this one and is now a mechanical engineer working in chassis dynamics engineering.
The Ginetta is a car that gives us nearly as much pleasure to look at as to drive. And we’re still in touch with the Walkletts for parts and advice. How many people can say they know the actual people who built their car?
Dan Pitt is a member of Hagerty Drivers Club in the US. His Ginetta was featured there in a past issue of the Hagerty Drivers Club magazine.
What are your thoughts on Dan Pitt’s Ginetta G4? Please let us know at hdc@hagerty.co.uk.