Niche British car-maker Ginetta is hoping to add to the plethora of limited-edition supercars with the arrival of its new Akula. The 66-year-old company might not have the road-going pedigree of other premium automotive brands, but its reputation on the track is exceptional. Founded in 1958 and based near Leeds, the company is still British-owned and runs championship events for its own G40 and G56 racing cars that have become an established proving ground for international motorsport.
The company also builds the GTR, a road-going version of its race series, and the more road-focused G10, an updated and enhanced version of the 1965 G10, which is awaiting the production go-ahead. What is new is this, the Ginetta Akula, an ultra-limited-edition supercar that condenses the company’s decades of track experience into a road car.
As is now de rigueur in such rarefied automotive circles, the Akula will be expensive and highly bespoke, with just twenty examples planned. Prices start from £275,000 plus tax, but you can be sure that the full carbon-bodied package will come with plenty of customisation potential for clients used to exacting specifications.
The headline statistics are that the Akula is purely petrol powered, with a naturally aspirated 6.4-litre V8 producing around 600bhp. Expertise in tuning, dynamics, aerodynamics and carbon fibre production will all be drawn from Ginetta’s racing car division. That extends to the integrated motorsport roll cage and the perfect 50:50 weight balance, achieved by placing the engine directly ahead of the driver, a ‘front mid-engined’ package.
It’s now 20 years since the business was acquired by Dr Lawrence Tomlinson, and the Akula celebrates this milestone, hence the edition of 20. Derived in part from Ginetta’s Le Mans G61-LT-P1 LMP1 race car, the company calls the Akula, ‘motorsport engineering expressed in its purest form,’ and expects potential customers to be the type of person who thinks nothing of a weekend jaunt to Germany’s Nürburgring for some track time.
One look at the ultra-functional interior, with its bare carbon surfaces, race-car steering yoke and display screen, indicates that the Akula might end up being more sports car than tourer, even though the large 100-litre fuel tank should give a range of around 450 miles. Ginetta is emphasizing pure driving enjoyment, not all-out performance, even though the 180mph+ top speed and 2.9 second sprint to 62mph say otherwise. Customers can choose between a six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic transmission.
The angular yet ultra-streamlined bodywork is a strong signal of intent; not exactly beautiful, but with a sense of purpose and poise that’s rarely found in road cars. Underneath the wedge-shaped body is a carbon fibre flat floor, with a rear wing and diffuser helping create high levels of downforce at speed.
As with all good racing machines, weight is pared back to a minimum – just 1,190kg. Other track-derived technology includes Ginetta’s own limited-slip differential, and a ‘Race Pack’ that adds in carbon ceramic brakes, a six-point racing harness and an all-important full race suit. All customers will have the opportunity to tailor the driving position to their shape.
‘While our new supercar represents a very different direction for Ginetta, it also embodies our motorsport engineering and driver-focused values to the highest possible standards,’ Tomlinson says, ‘Anyone can build a fast car, but at Ginetta, we create vehicles that leave their drivers breathless and wanting to drive them again and again.’
Ginetta Akula, from £275,000 plus tax, Ginetta.com, @GinettaCars
