Ginetta G33

[yazza54]

What are the Ginetta G33s like to live with?

I have a GTM Libra which I am not entirely happy with and have always admired Ginettas, G4s and 33s mainly. The Libra is a great car but I'm not a massive fan of it's handling and I'd like a bit of torque in my life too!

Soo.. How do the G33s handle with the Rover 3.9 v8 up front? I understand these are quite a light engine for the size. Is it a well balanced car handling wise and how much do they tend to weigh less driver?

Performance wise my libra is probably around 5.5s to 60. How would a G33 compare?

Another thing I have heard is that the gearing is a bit too 'long' for a sports car, is this true and is this difficult to change?

Also, how does the running gear, axles, brakes etc cope with the power as I understand a lot of these bits are old ford and may not necessarily be designed for the amount of power/speed they're being used with?

Help would be appreciated!

Edited by yazza54 on Tuesday 25th May 12:48

[blueg33]

I will do a longer reply later but in brief:

cheap to run
handling is very good if set up right, weight distribution is almost 50/50, much faster around corners than say a TVR Griff, and well set up can be almost as good as an Elise. Lots of power and torque can unstick the rears, care required in the wet
door seals leak
dif mounts can suffer from the torque and are worth checking regularly and beefing up if required
Performance wise they vary, around 5 secs to 60 for standard car, mine has a few minor improvements to map and manifolds and has been data logged at 4.5
Gearing is tad long but with all that torque is not really an issue. I have done 0 to 150mph in 5th
Running gear is fine. Box is Rover LT77 and needs the right oil, diffs are lsd ford sierra and seem fine, wishbones and hubs are ginetta, brakes a version of sierra cosworth 4 pots with turned down front disks.
Cooling fans need rewiring with a second relay

I have had my G33 for 4 years and it has been reliable except for door seals and flanges on the custom exhaust (other cars dont have this exhaust so they dont have the probs). Its pretty fast and I struggle to know what to replace it with that can give me the performance per pound, I keep toying with TVR Tuscan.

I have driven it to Le Mans annually for the last 4 years with no probs and this year we are doing Santander in Spain to Le Mans, driving through the Pyrenees.

Be prepared for lots of attention always very positive.

[dandarez]

Perhaps he's seen the G33 Rapide on here?

I am interested but trouble is it's been off road for a year so no mot and on sorn. And do I really want something that manic? Harvey has sort of talked me out of it... ought to look for a 'normal' G33, but might still be worth having a look.

Having missed several G4s now, some through my fault, I thought I might widen my horizon and always loved the sound of the the Rover V8.

The website for G33s having now has a really good look, must be one of the best sites for a single model anywhere.

[yazza54]

I think the G4s are nicer and if that's what you've wanted then hold out for the right one. I simply can't afford a g4 and thought maybe something like a g27 or 33 would be a nice compromise. I have seen that car, wasn't aware it was sorn and had no mot, plus it needs the doors repainting if you don't like the mural!

[blueg33]

I may be selling my G33 but not for a few months yet. I didnt know there was a rapide for sale. I wish I could remember which website it was on, but there is a yellow G33 with about 3200 miles for sale in Tewkesbury.

Edited to add

Just looked at the Rapide advertised, it seems cheap. I reckon about £1000 to get a really good job done on the doors getting rid of the mural.

I have found the other low mileage G33 its here

http://www.classiccarsforsale.co.uk/classic-car-pa...

Edited by blueg33 on Tuesday 25th May 21:45

[yazza54]

I'd need to sell my Libra to get one anyway, just working out my options!

I'll have a search!

[yazza54]

blueg33 said:

I have found the other low mileage G33 its here

http://www.classiccarsforsale.co.uk/classic-car-pa...

Edited by blueg33 on Tuesday 25th May 21:45

Cheers

No pics of it - can't understand why people don't put pics on classifieds in this day and age!

[blueg33]

yazza54 said:

blueg33 said:

I have found the other low mileage G33 its here

http://www.classiccarsforsale.co.uk/classic-car-pa...

Edited by blueg33 on Tuesday 25th May 21:45

Cheers

No pics of it - can't understand why people don't put pics on classifieds in this day and age!

When I bought my car 4 years ago, it only had 5700 miles on the clock and I had a few issues caused by lack of use. They were all minor but needed sorting, they included perished seals on clutch and brake cylinders, dried out uj's on the propshaft, sticky stepper motor, perished fuel lines, corroded terminals for lights, jammed door mechanisms. All now sorted, but worth being aware of if the car hasnt been used much. I have put 10k miles on the car in 4 years so its still lowish mileage.

[SimonV8ster]

This one has been up for sale for along time - but don't know why -

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C47435/

[blueg33]

SimonV8ster said:

This one has been up for sale for along time - but don't know why -

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C47435/

It has been up for ages. It is a kit rather than a factory car, so could be better or worse depending on the builder! Shut lines look better than most factory G33's I have seen. It has the wrong wheels and doesnt look as if it has a hood (there are no studs for the "lift the dot" fasteners.

[blitzracing]

One thing I will say, is ex factory the fueling runs too lean, so they need a rechip to gain something like 20 BHP, or 8 mph on the top speed. The chassis can be over welmed with the power and torque of the V8 plus a it has a very short wheel base, so they need a bit of respect as Nick says. Ive had mine for 18 years and still love it inspite of any short commings. They are now being recognised as a rare classic, so prices are likely to go up for GOOD ones.

[dandarez]

blueg33 said:

SimonV8ster said:

This one has been up for sale for along time - but don't know why -

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C47435/

It has been up for ages. It is a kit rather than a factory car, so could be better or worse depending on the builder! Shut lines look better than most factory G33's I have seen. It has the wrong wheels and doesnt look as if it has a hood (there are no studs for the "lift the dot" fasteners.

Probably because it is kit built and not factory and similar price to factory ones. I agree the shut lines all round look really good. What i cannot fathom is 3 owners over 12 years (fair enough) but an average of only 200 miles a year...?
I assume it was registered as a new car though going by reg?

Anybody on here actually seen the car?

[blueg33]

dandarez said:

blueg33 said:

SimonV8ster said:

This one has been up for sale for along time - but don't know why -

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C47435/

It has been up for ages. It is a kit rather than a factory car, so could be better or worse depending on the builder! Shut lines look better than most factory G33's I have seen. It has the wrong wheels and doesnt look as if it has a hood (there are no studs for the "lift the dot" fasteners.

Probably because it is kit built and not factory and similar price to factory ones. I agree the shut lines all round look really good. What i cannot fathom is 3 owners over 12 years (fair enough) but an average of only 200 miles a year...?
I assume it was registered as a new car though going by reg?

Anybody on here actually seen the car?

I havent seen it.

When I bought my car it had done 5700 miles in 12 years, thats only 475 pa which is not alot, also 3 owners.

[Marlin45]

I had a factory assembled G33 for 18 months and on sunny days it was great but as mentioned above on wet days watch your right foot! Economy even hit 30MPG on a 200 miles 70-90mph run - impressive.

Night driving I never enjoyed due to the acute angle of the screen and the problems that cause when hit with oncoming headlights. On country roads that became a PITA so sunny days only for me.

I sold it in the end as a PO had fitted front springs that were too soft and the sump had grounded out on me twice in 3 months resulting in a lost plug and dropping the oil content on the highway. I could have sorted the front end out but lost faith in it and bought another bike

All in all looking back I wish I hadn't sold it and never had any real problems bar the above. Young would be PH'ers loved it especially the sound of the custom S/S 3" exhaust.

So if anyone on here now owns J949JBB in blue then that was mine.

[blueg33]

Marlin45 said:

I had a factory assembled G33 for 18 months and on sunny days it was great but as mentioned above on wet days watch your right foot! Economy even hit 30MPG on a 200 miles 70-90mph run - impressive.

Night driving I never enjoyed due to the acute angle of the screen and the problems that cause when hit with oncoming headlights. On country roads that became a PITA so sunny days only for me.

I sold it in the end as a PO had fitted front springs that were too soft and the sump had grounded out on me twice in 3 months resulting in a lost plug and dropping the oil content on the highway. I could have sorted the front end out but lost faith in it and bought another bike

All in all looking back I wish I hadn't sold it and never had any real problems bar the above. Young would be PH'ers loved it especially the sound of the custom S/S 3" exhaust.

So if anyone on here now owns J949JBB in blue then that was mine.

I had a sump guard made and run the dampers on fairly stiff settings

Oh and mine is for sale

Edited by blueg33 on Friday 13th August 16:09

[mdh2]

Very tasty G33 Mr BlueG33!!

Bit pricey for my taste though :-(

[blueg33]

mdh2 said:

Very tasty G33 Mr BlueG33!!

Bit pricey for my taste though :-(

Thanks, the price is because its tasty :-) I am however known to be flexible. ;-)

[mdh2]

I'll email you once the forum allows it! ;-)

[blueg33]

mdh2 said:

I'll email you once the forum allows it! ;-)

YHM