Ginetta G16

[Davyde]

I was testing my car at Mallory on Wednesday and I happened to be parked next to a silver G16 being tested by Simon Hadfield Motorsports on behalf of a client.

It regularily passed me on the track (was I that slow?) whilst being driven by Simon. I didn't realise just what those cars were capable of with a 2.0 litre BMW engine, outperforming Lolas and Chevrons, yet they seem to be totally forgotten.

[dandarez]

Cynic in me says, forgotten...

or 'ignored'?

As Bob Walklett used to say to me, 'omission is a powerful weapon'.

[andy97]

Well, whose fault is that? Marketing requires effort, it does not just happen. And no, I'm not a marketing man!

[dandarez]

Are you suggesting it's the fault of the company in question?

You need to do some research.

As said many times, for publicity and marketing of a car you can't get much bigger a marketing tool than the British Motor Show. (Ok, we're talking about a race car but it's all VERY relevant, as the company in question is the one and same.
You get crowds lining up to get on your stand and yet the motoring press either ignores (omission) or rubbishes what you have on it with one of it's 'damning with feint praise' features.

There are many examples, I can go back and back.
This is a good one:

You have one car that is crash-tested at MIRA - it's that good a test that the manager there states it is possibly the best result he has ever seen.

One mainstream motoring weekly (nameless, but not hard to work out!)
not long after enquires after the car,
not the standard example you understand,
no, they wanted the top of the range, quick one -
'We're doing a feature on current sports cars'.

Guess what, here comes the cynic in me!

The magazine indeed did have a big feature on current sports cars.

However, the car in question was not in it.
Instead it featured in a 'Three for Fun' insult.

The fully type-approved, crash-tested top of the range car was compared to

1 An Arkley kit car
2 A Davrian kit car

Don't tell me 'whose fault is it!'

[g32turbo]

dandarez said:

Are you suggesting it's the fault of the company in question?

You need to do some research.

As Andy97 rightly says "Marketing requires effort". I know a number of journalists, both newspaper and magazine, and the common denominator is they are generally lazy. They do very little research and will gladly print heresay. If you want the press to market your car for you (because you're lazy too?) then give them a press statement telling them exactly what you want to say. Look at the coverage of the current Ginetta and LNT models and race series, regardless of which mag you read its the same article because, basically, LNTs press officer wrote it.

[Jack D]

Hi Davyde,
Thought you and everyone might like this showing G16 on its first test and then up to Oulton Park for its first race. Unfortunately , didn't race gear box issue, but notice how the bigger engined Lola doesn't get away, Also, for a bit of fun see how many famous drivers you can spy!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIkhgx8RoCA

[andy97]

dandarez said:

Are you suggesting it's the fault of the company in question?

You need to do some research.

As said many times, for publicity and marketing of a car you can't get much bigger a marketing tool than the British Motor Show. (Ok, we're talking about a race car but it's all VERY relevant, as the company in question is the one and same.
You get crowds lining up to get on your stand and yet the motoring press either ignores (omission) or rubbishes what you have on it with one of it's 'damning with feint praise' features.

There are many examples, I can go back and back.
This is a good one:

You have one car that is crash-tested at MIRA - it's that good a test that the manager there states it is possibly the best result he has ever seen.

One mainstream motoring weekly (nameless, but not hard to work out!)
not long after enquires after the car,
not the standard example you understand,
no, they wanted the top of the range, quick one -
'We're doing a feature on current sports cars'.

Guess what, here comes the cynic in me!

The magazine indeed did have a big feature on current sports cars.

However, the car in question was not in it.
Instead it featured in a 'Three for Fun' insult.

The fully type-approved, crash-tested top of the range car was compared to

1 An Arkley kit car
2 A Davrian kit car

Don't tell me 'whose fault is it!'

If a company's "marketing effort" fails to deliver the results required it is ALWAYS the fault of the company and not the fault of the audience. It cannot be anyone else's fault. If it fails it means that the wrong message is being presented, the wrong audience is being targetted, the wrong product is being presented to that target audience, the wrong channels of communication are being used or the wrong people are doing it.

Marketing has to be actively managed - if you are passive in approach you will be ignored or omitted because others with rival products will sieze the initiative with the same magazines & a similar audience. This is not to denigrate the product, the product may be better but business is littered with stories of failed ventures that lost out to rivals despite being better - their are numerous case studies to this effect and poor marketing is often one major factor.

I may not know as much about Ginetta products or the detail of the company background as dandarez but I have done my research...... into business.

[geeeman]

Great vid of G16. Any other period vids u can show us??
Just received a copy of practical motorist , march 1966, yes 66!
Quote from article on G4, 25 URO: 'engine for engine the G4 is one of the fastest (cars), and its road holding is better than any mass produced car i have yet driven'

Quite complimentary, no?
There was some mainstream press that was very in favour of ginetta, although of course this is referring to the G4 not the very low volume racer G16..

[Davyde]

Hi Jack

Where on earth did you find that old footage - perhaps it could be the start of a Ginetta archive file.

The silver G16 was at Brands on saturday where it was placed 12th in practice in dreadful conditions. Does anyone out there know where it was placed in the race as I had to leave early?

[Broomsticklady]

Davyde said:

It regularily passed me on the track (was I that slow?) whilst being driven by Simon. I didn't realise just what those cars were capable of with a 2.0 litre BMW engine, outperforming Lolas and Chevrons, yet they seem to be totally forgotten.

Eight cars built in two years and a track record that was not up to the G12's history meant that the Walklett's canned the G16 project - nothing to do with a lack of media attention at the time. Beautiful though the G16 is, it is a simple fact that racers buy successful cars - which is why there are so many Lolas and Chevrons around from the same era.

[geeeman]

which championship did u see the G16 running in?

[Davyde]

Not sure Geeman - my programme got soaked due to the weather conditions. When there is a hose pipe ban next month we will probably find out that it was the wrong type of rain.

In the meantime, i'm thinking of preparing my G10 to race again next season in the Top Hat series as I am missing the thrill of taking a fast corner and know ing (within reason) that theres is nothing coming the other way round the bend.