Ginetta G4 (historic)
The G4 is Ginetta's founding classic: the Walklett brothers' 1961 Ford-powered sports racer that won club races by the hundred, stayed in production across decades, and anchors historic small-GT grids as the thinking racer's Lotus alternative.
History
The four Walklett brothers built the G4 in Witham, Essex from 1961: a multi-tubular spaceframe under pretty glassfibre, Ford 105E-to-1500 power, all-independent-adjacent suspension sophistication at kit-car prices — a dual-purpose sports car customers drove to circuits, raced, and drove home winning. Series 1 through 3 evolutions ran through 1969, with the design's rightness proven by repeated revivals (the 1981 G4 Series 4 and later continuation runs).
Period competition was the G4's oxygen: hundreds of British club racing wins across sports and GT classes, international outings including Nürburgring 500km class results, and a reputation for beating Elans on handling parity at half the fragility.
Historic racing completes the circle: G4s populate FIA Appendix K small-GT grids, HSCC and CSCC championships, and Goodwood's invitational races, while Ginetta's continuity (the company still trades, records intact) gives provenance research a living source. Values sit sensibly below Lotus equivalents — the persistent G4 arbitrage its community quietly enjoys.
Palmarès
Hundreds of British club sports/GT race wins through the 1960s (Autosport championship class honours among them); international class results including Nürburgring 500km outings; and six decades of historic silverware — Appendix K small-GT class wins, HSCC titles and Goodwood invitational appearances continuing today.
What to check before you buy
Ginetta's factory records and the owners' club document chassis — establish Series (1/2/3 originals versus later Series 4/continuation builds; both legitimate, priced apart) and period competition history via logbooks. Inspect spaceframe corrosion and repair quality (tubes hide sins under glassfibre), engine legality for target class (105E/109E/1500 pre-crossflow correctness matters for Appendix K), and HTP paper currency. The living factory makes authenticity questions answerable — a courtesy most 1960s specials never offer buyers.
Did you know
- All four Walklett brothers ran Ginetta hands-on for over 25 years — one of motorsport's longest family constructor stewardships.
- Period G4 owners genuinely drove to races, won, and drove home — Autosport's testers made the round trip their standard review format.
- The G4 has been revived by Ginetta at least three times across four decades — a production run measured in eras rather than years.
