Ginetta Reveals New G55 Sports Car Racer

British sports carmaker Ginetta has revealed the first renderings and preliminary specs of its new G55 racecar. The company also announced that the Michelin Ginetta G50 Cup, a supporting series for the British Touring Car Championship, will change its name to Ginetta GT Supercup, in which both the G50 and G55 will be eligible to compete, starting from next year.

The new G55 is powered by a Ford-sourced 3.7-liter engine delivering 370 hp, coupled to a Hewland gearbox. Compared to the older G50, Ginetta's new racer boasts more powerful front and rear brakes, a new exhaust system and fresh bodywork with improved aerodynamics. The G55 will be displayed for the first time at the Autosport International exhibition on January 13th. Pricing has been set at �75,000.

Ginetta boss, Lawrence Tomlinson, commented on the changes: "The G50 has dominated GT4 since its launch 2 years ago and proved itself as a real stepping stone into the GT4 arena. By introducing the G55 into the new Ginetta GT Supercup, I want to broaden Ginetta's offering to all drivers expanding our career ladder even further and highlight a real route into GT3 - whilst still providing an affordable way to enjoy top level racing".?

Teams running the Ginetta G50 will have the option to upgrade their existing car to G55 specs for �25,000 or enroll in a new, part-exchange system. According to the program, the 2011 G50 will be fitted with a 300 hp 3.5-liter Ford engine linked to the same Hewland gearbox.

As for the Ginetta GT Supercup, Mr. Tomlinson said that it will emulate the class structure of other GT championships, such as the Le Mans Series or ALMS, and competitors will benefit from separate points systems and podiums. Entry fees for the race series will be �9,750 + VAT for tge G50 and �11,750 + VAT for the G55.

By Csaba Daradics

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Ginetta previews G55

The Ginetta GT Supercup is set to replace the Ginetta G50 Cup as a BTCC support series in 2011.



Both the existing G50 - which is powered by a 300 bhp (223 kW / 304 PS) 3.5 litre Ford engine - and the new G55 will be eligible to compete in the Supercup, but they’ll run in separate classes.

Ginetta will be unveiling the G55 at January’s Autosport International exhibition in Birmingham. The main differences compared to the G50 are a 370 bhp (275 kW / 375 PS) 3.7 litre Ford engine, new exhaust system, upgraded brakes and new bodywork that promises improved aerodynamics.



Interested race teams will have to part with £75,000 to buy a G55, while existing G50 owners can have their cars converted to G55 specification for £25,000. Entry fees for the 2011 Ginetta GT Supercup have been confirmed as £9,750 (plus VAT) for the G50, or £11,750 (plus VAT) for the G55.



At the moment it seems doubtful whether there’ll be a road-going version of the Ginetta G55. Although the company has previously shown the street legal G50 R and all-electric G50 EV, its road car efforts now appear focussed on the Ginetta F400. That model is basically a rebadged Farbio GTS, and follows Ginetta’s acquisition of Farbio Sports Cars earlier this year.