G27 ...what are they like?

[Chris71]

Just curious really. Always liked the look of them and them seem to be relatively affordable at the moment.

What are they like to drive and maintain?

[blueg33]

Chris71 said:

Just curious really. Always liked the look of them and them seem to be relatively affordable at the moment.

What are they like to drive and maintain?

I suspect that is all down to set up, engine, etc.

I have a G33 the G27's big brother with a Rover v8 engine, and really enjoy it. Maintennance is cheaper than the other cars in our household, ie an Audi A6 and a Leon Cupra, but the G33 does fewer miles.

Not the worlds most comfortable car and there are a few squeaks and rattles that are typical of GRP bodied cars. G33 handling is great when its well set up and I suspect that the G27's with independant suspension are similar.

[Chris71]

Do all G27s have IRS?

Is it fair to say the competition are cars like the Fisher Fury?

[blueg33]

I dont think they are all IRS. The Ginetta owners club may have more info www.ginetta.org

I can't comment about the fisher fury as the only one of those I have driven was bike engined and insane!

Nick

[g32turbo]

An absolute doddle to maintain as they're mostly Pinto or Zetec engined with usual type 9 gearbox and Sierra diff. Simple but effective wishbones with coilover dampers all round if you get an IRS version.

Some early cars were Jag IRS rear end but I think they may be designated G4 series 4. Later cars were Gineta IRS with Sierra LSD and shortened drive shafts.

You'll either love or hate the driving position depending on whether you like straight arms or not. I would suggest if you're more than 5'10" or more than size 10 feet you'll struggle to get comfortable.

Fortunately at 5'8" and size 8's its just right for me. I love mine around the lanes but detest motorways. Oh yeah, and don't expect to stay dry with the hood up.

Buy one you won't regret it.

[Chris71]

Hmm, certainly worth investigation further I feel.

Always liked the look of them and I'm thinking of swapping the TVR for something a bit more track focused in the future. Given the G27 has a hood (or at least something approximating to one) it would presumably be nicer to drive to the track than a 'Seven clone and still an order of magnitude better than most production cars when you get there I suppose.

Quite keen to speak to anyone with experience of running and maintaining one to find out what access and parts availbility is like. I haven't been hugely hands-on with cars in the past and the one thing that tempts me about something more mainstream is the ready supply of parts, expertise (and if all else fails labour) available.

[blueg33]

There are a couple of good G33's for sale at the moment. See classifieds.

[dcr]

If it helps , I ran G27's from 97 through to 2005 winning the championship in 99 and G20's from 2002 to 2005 so have come across most of the issues involved in the cars. What do you want to know? Dave

[Comadis]

some G27 do have an IRS, early models are often fitted with a marina live-axle or a ford live-axle.

the road-behaviour of a live-axled fury is much better than the ginetta setup.

i´ve driven certain fury´s, i also own a sylva phoenix (similar to fury) and i nearly want to say that the live-axle setup on these cars are competitive with a friends ´89 westfield IRS..compared to that the ginetta setup is far away from that.

[Chris71]

dcr said:

If it helps , I ran G27's from 97 through to 2005 winning the championship in 99 and G20's from 2002 to 2005 so have come across most of the issues involved in the cars. What do you want to know? Dave

Hi Dave. There’s nothing specific, but what matters is that all the parts are freely available from a well documented source and at a sensible price. Service and repair costs are a significant issue (coincidentally this is why I’m trying to avoid the lure of the V8 cars!) and having cheated in the past I intend to do any work on the new car myself. Because I don’t have much experience of hands-on work I really want to find something straightforward to work on, with good access to all the components and no jobs that require the skills of a double-jointed pygmy.

I’ve always liked the G27’s shape and the other thought is that it would be more civilised on the road than one of the ‘Seven clones.

The idea is to split it between tracks days, occasional road use and possibly some very low-level club competition (sprints, hillclimbs or autotests). I’d like something which makes this as straightforward and affordable as possible but still offers a bit more performance and character than the production alternatives. Coincidentally - I know there’s a very active circuit racing series, but would a G27 lend itself to lower-level club competition? Is there a suitable class or anything that someone could recommend?

Comadis said:

some G27 do have an IRS, early models are often fitted with a marina live-axle or a ford live-axle.

the road-behaviour of a live-axled fury is much better than the ginetta setup.

i´ve driven certain fury´s, i also own a sylva phoenix (similar to fury) and i nearly want to say that the live-axle setup on these cars are competitive with a friends ´89 westfield IRS..compared to that the ginetta setup is far away from that.

Interesting - how different is the IRS setup? Does that make it the configuration to go for?

A Fury or Stylus is very much a possibility too, but I assumed the rather more established Ginetta design would be more complete when it comes to things like weather protection? To be honest the other options are either a Seven of some description (but that might seem a bit extreme if I'm driving to the 'Ring or something) or a production car like an MX5 (not as fun, but an overwhelming level of mainstream support). The G27 sounds like a nice balance between the two.

[dcr]

As far as parts go much of the running gear (G27 racecars) was standard stuff from the Ford parts bin with the odd Saab and Spitfire bits to suit, similarly the G20 but with the independent rear end. Wishbones etc tend to be all special, Wishbone bushes were nylon on 27's and a standard sized metalastic on 20's. Rose joints on the rear of a 27 can get sloppy and make things a bit lively!Identifying parts is the hard bit and I expect those that know may charge a slight premium for having worked it out , that said none of the parts are that expensive. Both great cars, 27's a bit harder to drive when on the limit than 20's , more adjustment in a 20 too so more chance of correcting things for past indiscretions! You wont regret getting one , whatever it is , I can't afford one but it doesn't stop me looking! Dave

[Comadis]

and whats about a G4/S4? ..more or less simlar to a G27.

[Chris71]

Comadis said:

and whats about a G4/S4? ..more or less simlar to a G27.

I'm a little confused by the whole range to be honest.

Purchase budget is relatively flexible, but I'm looking for something that will be reasonably cheap to maintain and tough enough for regular track outings, as well as the occasional pot-holed B-road.

The more leftfield choices are basically some sort of 'Seven (probably a Sylva Striker), some sort of wide-bodied 'Seven derivative (i.e. a Fury) or one of the Ginetta line. Or I might just cheat and wstick a supercharger on a certain Mazda roadster.

[Husker]

Comadis said:

and whats about a G4/S4? ..more or less simlar to a G27.

G4S4 and G27 are pretty similar. With G4S4 you are more likely to find one with :
- a live axle instead of IRS
- an "old" engine (Xflow, even Pinto) instead of Zetec.

[ginV8]

Best bet is go to Stoneliegh NAC this weekend as its the biggest get together of Ginetta's you'll see all year. There should be plenty of G4 S4,G27 and G33's to view and some may be for sale.
See the stoneleigh thread on here.
Harvey

[Chris71]

ginV8 said:

Best bet is go to Stoneliegh NAC this weekend as its the biggest get together of Ginetta's you'll see all year. There should be plenty of G4 S4,G27 and G33's to view and some may be for sale.
See the stoneleigh thread on here.
Harvey

Unfortunately I'm already due to be heading in the opposite direction to photograph some TVRs this weekend.

Have to say, aesthetically, I thought this looked superb: http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/430635.htm

[mikeg15]

If you go for one of those and want to do any track work, be prepared for considerable development costs. A friend of mine got one supposedly race ready and had to bin the rollover (not to MSA standard)and anti-roll bars (didn't work) and have proper ones made. Also much sorting of springs , shocks and shock mounts had to be done. All very expensive.

[Comadis]

bought my G4-S4 2 years ago for 2300,-pound. was in good condition, and still is. but "only" had a 1600 pinto fitted (now 2l).

[Comadis]

whats about this one?

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/975447.htm

ok...price much too high, but i guess the seller will be open for a discusion.

[Chris71]

What's the handling like on a well sorted G27? I remember a magazine article cricising them for sudden breakaway, but it could be more than a coincidence that they'd just binned theirs in the Ginetta championship around the same time!

Keep thinking: The TVR's a bit heavy and potentially costly, and a Lotus Seven type kit would be a bit uncomfortable driving any distance to the track. Seems I don't have space for a trailer it does sort of point back to a G27 again.

Can the hoods and hard tops be made to seal reasonably well? And any idea how competitive they are against the Caterhams and Westfields in the same MSA sprint catergory?