Founded in 1958 by the four Walklett brothers, Ginetta went from Suffolk kit cars to hand-built GT racers and Le Mans prototypes in Yorkshire.
- Country
-
United Kingdom - Active
- Since 1958
- Founded by
- Bob, Ivor, Trevers and Douglas Walklett
- Website
- Official website ↗
Four brothers in a Suffolk workshop
Ginetta began with four brothers and a kit car. Bob, Ivor, Trevers and Douglas Walklett were agricultural engineers in Woodbridge, Suffolk, when they founded Ginetta in 1958. Their first product, the G2, was a Ford-powered kit for people who wanted to build their own sports car. Around 100 were made.
The car that made the name was the G4 of 1961, a lightweight sports car designed by Ivor Walklett. More than 500 were built up to 1969, and its success took the company to bigger premises at Witham in Essex. In 1967 came the G15, a small coupe with a rear-mounted Hillman Imp engine. It sold more than 800 copies before production ended in 1974, by which time Ginetta had moved again, to a larger factory at Sudbury.
Why Ginetta? That is the one question the company’s own website doesn’t answer, and the independent histories don’t agree, so we won’t guess.
Retirement, receivers and a Yorkshire rescue
The brothers retired in 1989 and sold the business to a consortium led by Sheffield businessman Martin Phaff. Ivor stayed on as technical director, and the Rover V8-powered G33 was launched at the 1990 Motor Show, but the following years were rocky. The turning point came in 2005, when Lawrence Tomlinson bought the company through his LNT group and set up a new factory at Garforth, just outside Leeds. According to Ginetta, every car is still hand built there, in a 75,000 square foot plant.
A G drawn like a racing chevron
Ginetta’s own website doesn’t explain its badge, so the honest description is the visual one. The current identity, as used on ginetta.com, comes in two parts. The wordmark spells GINETTA in bold, heavily slanted capitals, cut from straight lines and sharp corners with no curves at all, filled in a warm orange. The letters lean forward as if already moving.
Alongside it sits a stand-alone G. It is the same angular letter from the wordmark, isolated so that its outline reads as a downward-pointing triangle, like a chevron or an arrowhead. The lettering looks more like a race car’s livery than a classic badge, which fits a company that describes itself as a British sports racing car company first and a road car maker second.
Earlier Ginettas carried different badges over the decades, but those emblems are poorly documented in reliable sources, so this page sticks to the mark the company uses today.
Orange on black
The official wordmark is a single orange, set against dark backgrounds on the company’s site, with a plain black version of the G used where a dark mark is needed. Ginetta doesn’t explain the choice of orange, so we won’t attach a meaning to it.
From kit cars to Le Mans prototypes
Ginetta’s model numbers run in a single series, from G2 onwards, and the list reads like a map of the company’s moods: homebuilt kits in the fifties, small coupes in the seventies, GT racers and prototypes in the Tomlinson era.
Landmark Ginettas, number by number
- 1958: G2. The first Ginetta, a Ford-powered kit car. About 100 were made.
- 1961: G4. Ivor Walklett’s lightweight sports car, the model that established the company’s reputation. Over 500 built.
- 1967: G15. A rear-engined coupe with Hillman Imp power. More than 800 were built before production ended in 1974.
- 2008: G50. The first car Lawrence Tomlinson designed, launched for the G50 Cup. In 2009 it won the British GT4 drivers’ title.
- 2010: G40. Replaced the G20 in the Ginetta Junior series. Ginetta calls the G40 Junior the first step on the motorsport ladder for 14 to 17 year olds.
- 2015: LMP3 prototype. Ginetta’s first sports prototype won every European Le Mans Series race in its debut season, with the title going to Sir Chris Hoy’s team.
- 2017: G60-LT-P1. Launched in 2017 and raced from 2018, this LMP1 car marked, in Ginetta’s words, its return to the top tier of endurance racing.
On the road, the flagship is the Akula, a carbon-monocoque coupe with a 6.4-litre naturally aspirated V8 of 600 bhp, limited to 20 cars. Ginetta is a small independent, and its natural company on this site is the other British specialists: Caterham and Lotus also grew out of kit cars, while TVR and Morgan share the hand-built, low-volume approach. For the design side of badges like these, see how car logos are designed.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Ginetta logo look like?
The current mark is the word GINETTA in bold, slanted, angular capitals, filled in orange, plus a stand-alone G whose outline forms a downward-pointing triangle. Ginetta’s website gives no official meaning for it.
Who founded Ginetta?
The four Walklett brothers, Bob, Ivor, Trevers and Douglas, founded Ginetta in 1958 in Woodbridge, Suffolk. They retired and sold the company in 1989.
Where are Ginettas built today?
At Garforth, just outside Leeds in West Yorkshire. Ginetta says every car is hand built there, in a 75,000 square foot factory, and the company also owns the Blyton Park circuit for testing.
Who owns Ginetta?
Lawrence Tomlinson, who bought the company in 2005 through his LNT group. He designed the G50, the first car of the new era, himself.
The Walklett file
- Founded
- 1958
- Founder
- Bob, Ivor, Trevers and Douglas Walklett
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Headquarters
- Garforth, Leeds, United Kingdom
- Parent company
- LNT Group (Lawrence Tomlinson)
- Current emblem
- A bold, slanted orange GINETTA wordmark with a stand-alone angular G shaped like a downward-pointing triangle
- Known for
- Hand-built British race cars, one-make championships and the G40 Junior ladder
- Website
- Official website ↗
