G15

[T.K.E]

Has anyone here owned a G15? I've had my eye on one for a while now and will be seriously considering one to purchase around easter time. So does anyone have any words of advice with regards to them? Anything to particulalry look out for? Ideally I'm after one with a 998 or 1040 engine, but I guess I could settle for an 875 and upgrade later.

Many Thanks
Tom

[GreenV8S]

Join the Ginetta Owners Club, they're a friendly bunch. Then you can find out all about them before you buy.

[dandarez]

go on ebay.co.uk and key in Ginetta - usually a copy of out-of-print Haynes Super Profile on Ginetta G15 appears (2 on there at the mo.) Covers virtually all you would ever want to know about the car, loads of pics and how to decipher between Mk 1 onwards.

[samol]

I've had a G15, great fun
It had a firey 998 engine on a side weber which I changed to twin 40's, janspeed exhaust, and adjustable ear shocks.
A well sorted one will embarace alot of bigger engined more expensive kit, due to its handling.
On the limit it showed a little big un understeer be for quick oversteer, you'll be lucky to catch!
To get the best out of these little imp engines they need to be thrashed within an inch of its life 9000 rpm is not uncommon!!
So the engine needs to be sorted lightend strengthend etcc and dig deep in you pocket when it goes bang! which it will.
I've now got a g27 ginetta, less classic but with a zetec engine faster and easier to run.
Check out some of the imp websites and spadge a cottage classics.
www.ginetta.co.uk

[crossle]

I owned two of these little sods! The first was chassis number 003, and whilst being great fun to drive was the most unreliable heap of badly designed second hand parts imaginable. It leaked like a sieve around the tops of the doors, the bonnet lid used to fly off without warning and the hinges for the engine cover and doors were not up to the job. Don't get me started on trying to replace a choke or throttle cable or the number of water hoses I got through! To my great relief I sold it in 1977 for more than I paid for it.

So how stupid was I to buy another in 1978? This monstrosity had been cobbled together from a new shell and chassis by an aeronuatical engineer in Devon who should have known better. With huge flared arches and a deep front air dam, it was endowed with ultra stiff springs, silly wide alloys and possibly the worst handling of any car on the road. On the second day i owned it, it swapped ends on a greasy roundabout at 20 mph, wiping off the front spoiler. I never replaced that! The best thing that happened to it was when it caught fire on the way back from the Dutch Grand Prix and was fully burnt to a crisp before the fire brigade arrived.

My advice? TVR S Series (mine's an S1) for about five grand...

>> Edited by crossle on Saturday 26th June 16:18

[dandarez]

Crossle obviously bought 2 sheds. Take no notice of him - most G15s are light, nimble, kart like and bloody quick. That's why Alison Davis became the first ever lady national race champion in her G15 slaughtering even Chris Meek in his ...TVR! Cobbled together - really!! It was a fine handling car (see what the late John Bolster said about it in Motor Sport - much better to take his advice than a TVR nut). After David Beams won 2 sports car championships in his G15 the inevitable happened. Beams even outran a 5.3 litre V12 E-type driven by ex-Le Mans driver, Martin Birrane - the Jag eventually spinning off the circuit in its vain attempt to keep up! Oh, what was the inevitable?... the G15 was banned! Later some 15's were invited to a Ferrari club race meeting - the G15s took 3 of the first five places with only a Boxer taking the spoils. Don't listen to TVR drips. And note, even with sheds he made a profit! Great little car - incidentally I had one of mine for 10 years and sold it for DOUBLE what I paid for it. As I said, great little car.