What's all this about?

Ginetta, the tiny-volume sports car manufacturer - which is now based in Leeds but which has a history stretching right back to the 1950s - is going to make its first-ever supercar. And this is it. As yet unnamed, this ferocious-looking thing will make its world debut at the forthcoming Geneva Motor Show.

So, have we only got scant details on it, for now?

No, we've got most of the key data, but there are still some specifics to be set in stone, which will become apparent once the Geneva show has taken place. So, the looks are inspired by Ginetta's motorsport programme, in which the company has created LMP1 and LMP3 racers. With its colossal rear aerofoil, the ginormous diffuser, slashed bodywork and side-exit exhausts, the Ginetta supercar certainly looks like it means business... evidenced by the fact it can summon up 376kg of downforce at 100mph. Which is a mere five per cent less than the Ginetta LMP3 competition car. Crikey!

And is it light, like all Ginettas?

We'll say. A carbon-fibre tub and heavy use of the material in the construction means the Ginetta supercar clocks in at just 1,150kg. Now, Ginetta has stated that its engine (more on this in a moment) delivers 'more than 600hp' and 700Nm, but then also goes on to say that the power-to-weight ratio is 552hp-per-tonne. Extrapolation from that would therefore suggest we're looking at something like 636hp from the motor.

What motor is it, to be developing all that grunt?

An in-house developed, 90-degree, dry-sumped, normally aspirated V8 of 6.0 litres in capacity. Mounted so far back in the nose of the Ginetta that the company calls it a 'mid-mid' vehicle, the weight distribution is 49:51 front-to-rear. Drive goes via a six-speed sequential gearbox (made by an unnamed 'industry-leading British transmission specialist', or - at our guess - one of either Xtrac or Ricardo) and a carbon propshaft to the rear wheels. The steering (controlled by a carbon-fibre wheel) is hydraulically assisted, the suspension is adjustable push-rod double-wishbones all round, the brakes are carbon ceramic and the wheels are 19s on the front axle, 20s at the rear... but don't think the Ginetta is uncompromising.

Er... it looks pretty uncompromising, so what do you mean?

We mean Ginetta is keen to play up the other side of its character, the one where it might function as a two-seat grand tourer. The Leeds firm even mentions the boot space, which is a frankly huge 675 litres (some SUVs would kill for that much cargo capacity), and also the equipment such as ABS, traction control, a reversing camera, automatic headlights, parking sensors, air conditioning, heated screens front and rear, wireless phone charging and more, as a big part of the vehicle's multitalented appeal.

Anything else about the car?

Well, each customer will get a bespoke seat-fitting session, although the Ginetta's pedal box is adjustable. And all the customer support initiatives will be revealed at Geneva.

Does the boss of the company have anything to say?

Ginetta's chairman Lawrence Tomlinson said: "Racing at the highest level has taught us that to win, you have to have your overall car concept and every detail exactly right, and we've brought that same philosophy to our first supercar. Starting with a blank sheet of paper allowed us to create a true mid-mid engine design with an all-carbon monocoque, LMP-derived aerodynamics and an in-house designed powertrain resulting in a driver-orientated package for the road. I have felt for a long time there was a gap in the market at around the £400,000 price point for a genuinely low production number supercar, with proper craftsmanship and true race derived know-how and technology. Production will be limited to just 20 units in the first production year of 2020, with 60 per cent of this allocation already sold before the car has been revealed."

I'm sorry, did you say 400 grand?!

Yes. Yes, we did. Well, actually, Mr Tomlinson said it, we just reported the facts.

Matt Robinson - 28 Feb 2019