ginetta g4... thoughts?
- Thread starter bergauk
- 52 comments
- 23,267 views
- 1,101
- GTP_EA11R
It's insanely light, and not overpowered by any means. A great car to drive, if not to race. Think of it as a Catarham that you can actually race in GT4. Though, it's actually a bit too light to properly utilize traction and bumpy circuits.
Why, what do you think of it? This sounds like a thread to solve a problem about a car, or to worship it, but I'm not sure which I should be attempting here.
Peace.
Why, what do you think of it? This sounds like a thread to solve a problem about a car, or to worship it, but I'm not sure which I should be attempting here.
Peace.
- 2,587
oh i was just curious as to what everyones thoughts were on it. i couldnt properly think of a topic to speak about on it without making it sound like a godly car. it is a reallly nice car to drive and ill agree its actually almost too light. it ran nurburgring faster than the caterham though. the tractions odd. i may spend some time on it and try to make it hold onto the ground better.
- 495
- AERO_HDT
- AERO_HDT
Great thread. Here goes.
The once little heard-about Ginetta G4 has become one of the star cars of Gran Turismo I think. No wonder either when it was gifted with race-bred looks, a rorty little engine and more cornering grip than most know what to do with it.
Developed in 1962, the Ginetta G4 was the car that was to take the company racing and quite simply, took the whole Colin Chapman theory to ridiculous heights. That's not to say that the G4 is an offspring of an Elan or an Elite - truth be told, the G4 was one of those cars that threatened to be quicker than anything in Chapman's stable.
Nobody could say that the G4 was pretty (unlike later cars such as the G33). It was bulbous, somewhat oddly proportioned and looked like a kit car that was a pretend racer. The heavy cabin, massively oversized guards and tiny Maglite alloy wheels did nothing for the delicate nature of the 454kg chassis and the more time I gazed at it, the more I came to realize that the Ginetta G4 was the closest thing to an ant with four wheels...
First off, there's the chassis. At 454 kilos, this is the lightest car you'll find this side of a Fiat 500. When you mate a chassis like that to a 1.5 litre worked engine, the results are impressive. Admittedly, the G4 isn't a straight line bullet, especially from a standing start, but once it gets moving, it's a hard machine to stop and I mean that in more ways than one. Torque is sufficient enough to ge tthe Ginetta to 100km/h in a shade over 10 seconds and it will cruise onto 226km/h before hitting a wall. The standing quarter is dispatched in a leisurely 17.9 seconds which is hardly knock-over stuff, but the Ginetta has never been a getaway torque monster.
The slippery, race-bred fibreglass body was designed for maximum speed and minimum drag and it worked superbly well. The G4 was able to outrun every American muscle car of the day, a stunning achievement considering that cars like the Pontiac GTO were packing engines 4 times larger than the Ginetta.
That's not to say that the Ginetta was inherently quicker than the big-block, fire-breathing muscle cars of Detroit. Sure it could outcorner and outrun, but in terms of sprinting, the G4 is left wanting. Not only is the 1.5 litre engine short on torque, but the small Maglite alloy wheels also limit it's braking capacity and the drums fitted on all four ends are inadequate for a car that piles on speed in short order. Matter of fact, so poor are the brakes on the G4, it is often at a disadvantage against the same US muscle cars that have similar drums and weigh three and a half times as much.
So what's it like around Nurburgring in GT4? Despite its shortcomings, the G4 is actually a car elicits a manic grin at each and every opportunity and it reminded me of taking a billy kart down a steep hill half a kilometre long when I was a kid. The only problem was, there was a rather busy road at the bottom of the hill and if I didn't pull the kart up in time, I'd probably end up beneath the wheels of a car, or worse yet, a W-class tram. I expected a mid 9-minute time and wasn't the least disappointed when it did so - it's only 9 seconds off the pace of a 327-powered Corvette Sting Ray. And that's where the beauty of the Ginetta G4 lies, because few people would ever suspect that this tiny machine ranked with some of the world's quickest production cars in the 60's. You can name the Corvettes and the Mustangs and the Aston Martins and Ferraris, but singling out the G4 is a little tougher.
Fanging the Ant around the Nurburgring on lousy tyres is a devilish pleasure for me and I sincerely hope that we get to see the G4's return in Gran Turismo 5. If you haven't spent much time with the Ginetta, I strongly recommend you do, because it is a truly memorable car.
The once little heard-about Ginetta G4 has become one of the star cars of Gran Turismo I think. No wonder either when it was gifted with race-bred looks, a rorty little engine and more cornering grip than most know what to do with it.
Developed in 1962, the Ginetta G4 was the car that was to take the company racing and quite simply, took the whole Colin Chapman theory to ridiculous heights. That's not to say that the G4 is an offspring of an Elan or an Elite - truth be told, the G4 was one of those cars that threatened to be quicker than anything in Chapman's stable.
Nobody could say that the G4 was pretty (unlike later cars such as the G33). It was bulbous, somewhat oddly proportioned and looked like a kit car that was a pretend racer. The heavy cabin, massively oversized guards and tiny Maglite alloy wheels did nothing for the delicate nature of the 454kg chassis and the more time I gazed at it, the more I came to realize that the Ginetta G4 was the closest thing to an ant with four wheels...
First off, there's the chassis. At 454 kilos, this is the lightest car you'll find this side of a Fiat 500. When you mate a chassis like that to a 1.5 litre worked engine, the results are impressive. Admittedly, the G4 isn't a straight line bullet, especially from a standing start, but once it gets moving, it's a hard machine to stop and I mean that in more ways than one. Torque is sufficient enough to ge tthe Ginetta to 100km/h in a shade over 10 seconds and it will cruise onto 226km/h before hitting a wall. The standing quarter is dispatched in a leisurely 17.9 seconds which is hardly knock-over stuff, but the Ginetta has never been a getaway torque monster.
The slippery, race-bred fibreglass body was designed for maximum speed and minimum drag and it worked superbly well. The G4 was able to outrun every American muscle car of the day, a stunning achievement considering that cars like the Pontiac GTO were packing engines 4 times larger than the Ginetta.
That's not to say that the Ginetta was inherently quicker than the big-block, fire-breathing muscle cars of Detroit. Sure it could outcorner and outrun, but in terms of sprinting, the G4 is left wanting. Not only is the 1.5 litre engine short on torque, but the small Maglite alloy wheels also limit it's braking capacity and the drums fitted on all four ends are inadequate for a car that piles on speed in short order. Matter of fact, so poor are the brakes on the G4, it is often at a disadvantage against the same US muscle cars that have similar drums and weigh three and a half times as much.
So what's it like around Nurburgring in GT4? Despite its shortcomings, the G4 is actually a car elicits a manic grin at each and every opportunity and it reminded me of taking a billy kart down a steep hill half a kilometre long when I was a kid. The only problem was, there was a rather busy road at the bottom of the hill and if I didn't pull the kart up in time, I'd probably end up beneath the wheels of a car, or worse yet, a W-class tram. I expected a mid 9-minute time and wasn't the least disappointed when it did so - it's only 9 seconds off the pace of a 327-powered Corvette Sting Ray. And that's where the beauty of the Ginetta G4 lies, because few people would ever suspect that this tiny machine ranked with some of the world's quickest production cars in the 60's. You can name the Corvettes and the Mustangs and the Aston Martins and Ferraris, but singling out the G4 is a little tougher.
Fanging the Ant around the Nurburgring on lousy tyres is a devilish pleasure for me and I sincerely hope that we get to see the G4's return in Gran Turismo 5. If you haven't spent much time with the Ginetta, I strongly recommend you do, because it is a truly memorable car.
- 2,587
very nice review. at first when i saw it, i was like "its so smoot looking it must be amazingly fast and have a giant engine" then i went and looked at it after winning it and realized it was like the caterham, small, but amazingly fast. and so light too. its hard to maintain control of it. i very well might spend alot on it and see what i can do with it.
one things for sure, it likes sliding through corners at high speeds.
one things for sure, it likes sliding through corners at high speeds.
- 27,245
- United Kingdom
I'm a big fan of it in GT4, and I've always liked the different types of Ginetta. The only trouble is that GT4 doesn't model vehicle weight very well, so very light cars like this one float far too much over bumps and crests.
- 8,707
- Utah
- ceiling_fan
The Ginetta G4 is one of my very favorite cars in the game. The fact that it can win Like the Wind is astonishing as well as it's "floaty" handling characteristics make it one of the most fun cars to drive for me. Though I must mention the stability of the car at high speed leaves a lot to be desired. (!)
- 11
I drove it a bit when I first won it. Modded it, then became a purist and when back to win an unmodified G4 to drive around.
It tends to wander a bit for me, though that may just be my driving style! Its definitely a fun little car, much like any Lotus Elise! There's nothing quite like sailing past a 300+ hp car in your little mosquito with wheels!
It tends to wander a bit for me, though that may just be my driving style! Its definitely a fun little car, much like any Lotus Elise! There's nothing quite like sailing past a 300+ hp car in your little mosquito with wheels!
- 45
OK, I used this car to compete against (cpu driven opponents) some of which were driving AC cobra's and it will beat the competition, mostly because of it's power to weight ratio.
Like it's been mentioned, I agree, it is floaty on tracks with bumps. On El Capitan or the Nurburgring, for example, you have to scrub speed off more than you would in a heavy car because you'll loose all traction in some sections, which results in floating across the track, ending an otherwise good lap in tears.
Like the powerful TVR's, where you have to stay focused to manage the brute power, the Ginetta needs to be driven sharply and precisely at speed.
Like it's been mentioned, I agree, it is floaty on tracks with bumps. On El Capitan or the Nurburgring, for example, you have to scrub speed off more than you would in a heavy car because you'll loose all traction in some sections, which results in floating across the track, ending an otherwise good lap in tears.
Like the powerful TVR's, where you have to stay focused to manage the brute power, the Ginetta needs to be driven sharply and precisely at speed.
- 3,212
This car is actually better-looking than most of its size...
The Ginetta G4 seems unstable, but that's just the A.I. at work. I have never driven the car (due to an internal agreement set with a relation of mine), but it really is a Caterham, similar to the 21 which came around 30 years later. I would imagine that if the A.I. did not run into walls with this car in its events, it would be near-unbeatable in the more technical courses.
As for top speed, it accelerates and is faster than a Lotus Elan even in top end.
The Ginetta G4 seems unstable, but that's just the A.I. at work. I have never driven the car (due to an internal agreement set with a relation of mine), but it really is a Caterham, similar to the 21 which came around 30 years later. I would imagine that if the A.I. did not run into walls with this car in its events, it would be near-unbeatable in the more technical courses.
As for top speed, it accelerates and is faster than a Lotus Elan even in top end.
- 2,587
When has there been a race with the G4 in it. I've yet to see such a race, must be amusing to watch them crash it though. Fun fact, the G4 actually has a better power to weight ratio than the Caterham has. I want to make it drag race. I bet it'll be a beast when set up just right. I haven't figured out how to set it up so it launches off the line and doesn't lose traction, keeps doing that to me. =/
- 517
- 495
- AERO_HDT
- AERO_HDT
The Elan will wipe the floor with the Ginetta any day of the week except on circuits that are high-speed in nature. For places like Suzuka, Tsukuba, Nordie, Monaco, Citta Di Aria, the Lotus is vastly superior.
- 3,212
Well, I don't know... the Ginetta and the Elan seem likely to compete very much with each other even on technical courses, but sloppy suspension tuning for the A.I. and similar driving will set the G4 back. Maybe if the G4 and the Elan were tested back-to-back by one human driver, then the real capabilities of the Ginetta will be shown. For now, the Elan does trump the G4 on technical courses.
PARAGON GT
Premium
- 1,018
- Motor City
- R MK XXV
Great car! A little tail happy on occasion, but overall al great car.
After winning my first Ginetta G4 (red) I initally ignored the car because of its sub hundred hp rating, and I only held on to it because I thought it was sharp looking. After my first outing in it I thought I would never use it again. (I was still driving with driving aids, and that really screws up this cars handeling.) So it was sold off with out a second thought.
But after making that jump away from using driving aids, I decided to give the cars that I had no use for another try to see if that made any diffrence in my opinion on them. The Ginetta G4 was the first on the list to give a second chance. So out I went to win another one. This one was yellow, and although I wasn't impressed with the color, I figured it would be fine for a test car.
Although it was slow in compaired to most of the other classic cars in my garage, its ability to hold speed while corning was truely amazing. My only complaint was it had a tendency to become a little tail happy at unexpected times. But that for the most part can be tamed through suspension tuning.
The first event I took it through was the light weight cup in the beginners hall. I ran the car stock and it quickly ran through the competition placing first in all three races. After completeing that I decided to take it into the Sunday cup to see how it would compair agains't a little more powerful grid of cars. Again, in stock form, it placed first in all the events. So I decided at that point to try something a little more serious with the car.
It was at that point I decided to enter the 1000 miles event in the europian hall. But before I did that I was going to need to remedy its skiddish tail end. So off to Ginetta's dealership I went for some supplies. Suspension, engine tuning, drivetrain and other odds and ends were purchased to allow me to experiment with tuning settings. But nothing was purchased that would alter the cars stock performance. It took some time, but I finaly set up 3 individual degrees of tuning. Well two actually, one was stock. So accomplishing that I went out and won a car to actually compeate in the event. This new car was white. I went out and repurchased the parts I used and duplicated my settings into the new car. Picked up a set of nice rime and it was off to the races.
Though challanging, I did manage to win the 1000 miles event clocking 1000.1 miles on the odometer. My largest problem stemmed after 300 miles were logged and the frame warped. That caused some serious problems in the cars handling, and at high speeds the car became very touchy and could hardly hold a straight line on its own. I know it was because of my suspension settings, so when time allows I'll have to dig in and see if I can correct that problem. Untill then the car will sit in the garage w/ its 1000.1 miles on it.
After winning my first Ginetta G4 (red) I initally ignored the car because of its sub hundred hp rating, and I only held on to it because I thought it was sharp looking. After my first outing in it I thought I would never use it again. (I was still driving with driving aids, and that really screws up this cars handeling.) So it was sold off with out a second thought.
But after making that jump away from using driving aids, I decided to give the cars that I had no use for another try to see if that made any diffrence in my opinion on them. The Ginetta G4 was the first on the list to give a second chance. So out I went to win another one. This one was yellow, and although I wasn't impressed with the color, I figured it would be fine for a test car.
Although it was slow in compaired to most of the other classic cars in my garage, its ability to hold speed while corning was truely amazing. My only complaint was it had a tendency to become a little tail happy at unexpected times. But that for the most part can be tamed through suspension tuning.
The first event I took it through was the light weight cup in the beginners hall. I ran the car stock and it quickly ran through the competition placing first in all three races. After completeing that I decided to take it into the Sunday cup to see how it would compair agains't a little more powerful grid of cars. Again, in stock form, it placed first in all the events. So I decided at that point to try something a little more serious with the car.
It was at that point I decided to enter the 1000 miles event in the europian hall. But before I did that I was going to need to remedy its skiddish tail end. So off to Ginetta's dealership I went for some supplies. Suspension, engine tuning, drivetrain and other odds and ends were purchased to allow me to experiment with tuning settings. But nothing was purchased that would alter the cars stock performance. It took some time, but I finaly set up 3 individual degrees of tuning. Well two actually, one was stock. So accomplishing that I went out and won a car to actually compeate in the event. This new car was white. I went out and repurchased the parts I used and duplicated my settings into the new car. Picked up a set of nice rime and it was off to the races.
Though challanging, I did manage to win the 1000 miles event clocking 1000.1 miles on the odometer. My largest problem stemmed after 300 miles were logged and the frame warped. That caused some serious problems in the cars handling, and at high speeds the car became very touchy and could hardly hold a straight line on its own. I know it was because of my suspension settings, so when time allows I'll have to dig in and see if I can correct that problem. Untill then the car will sit in the garage w/ its 1000.1 miles on it.
- 1,085
- Barcelona
- Missing
- Halo v8
Today I tried it for the first time, after winning it I taught "Hmmm, this could win the World Compact Car Cup" and boy I was right. It felt a little slow at straights, but after dropping 15000 credits on a ECU and a Stage 2 Turbo, it made 200 hp. TWO ****ING HUNDRED HORSEPOWER. On a car that weights stock 454 kilograms, I'm impatient to see what it can do with more upgrades (Maximum weight reduction, S3 tyres...*drools*)
- 24,344
- Midlantic Area
- GTP_Duke
...and extremely unrealistic. Light weight typically does very little for cars in top speed contests and in fact is often a problem because it promotes instability and buffeting. Drag racing, which measures acceleration, and road racing, which measures handling as well as power, are of course different, and light weight is a bonus.
Please don't do that.
Rotary Junkie
Premium
- 9,810
- Canton, MI
- RJs_RX-7
killer450235
(Banned)
- 647
- dawright96
Its a nice car.Cant really say much left
the Interceptor
Premium
- 4,175
- BEL / GER
- theInterceptor77
Thoughts on the Ginetta G4? It's fast!
killer450235
(Banned)
- 647
- dawright96
Wow it is fast! 
- 152
I love my Ginetta...
thanks again to MFT...
thanks again to MFT...
- 10,558
- Columbia, MD.
- Parnelli_Bones
HOnestly, i think it starts off a bit of a mess when you buy it. A very nervous car..high-strung like Joan Rivers doing interviews at the E! Fashion Awards or something.
But i also think you can eventually do alot with this car after tuning it and getting to know its idiosyncracies. After awhile it's like "WHOA, dont' hit the throttle just yet!"... The G4 is so lightweight, you can actually do quite a few races in one, making a sizeable dent into GT4 races theoretically if you have the skillz.
I also think (dammit, going on a tangent) it's good-looking. Love those curves. I'm really glad PD took the time and effort to present this odd car into a game mostly full of popular brand-name type cars. I mean, i'd never heard of Ginetta before! Same with TVR...i'd never heard of tVR till i bought GT1.
I'm sure you know this by now, but jsut a 1-way or 1.5-way diff works wonders...i also was in the habit of placing the rear end 10 or 15 mm lower than the front, to kill some of the back-end skittishness.
Yeah, but how often does the G4 get raced (in real life) at Gran Turismo speeds? 💡 In other words, i'll bet most Ginetta G4 racing is kept at speeds under 120 mph. Right? Like, the G4 (as a kit or as a finished product) probably sees alot of action on an amateur level, right?
You could have run the Ginetta nearly at stock power and still won the Compact Car races....they're not that challenging.
- 1,085
- Barcelona
- Missing
- Halo v8
I didn't tune the G4 to make the races easier...I did to make the races SHORTER. If I am winning by, like, a 1/4 mile, I would like the car to finish the race as soon as possible. I'm that lazy.
- 10,558
- Columbia, MD.
- Parnelli_Bones
If you stoop to their level, you might get trounced. I understand. 
