What’s a Ginetta G26 - just a Cortina with a plastic top? Google is your friend for the history of Ginetta, making lightweight cars since 1958. In the 1980s they realised that kitcars should be made to a higher quality so did the trick of using proper doors in their designs. The family of G26, G28, G30 and G31 were born, with either 2+2 or 5 seats and either pop-up lights or fixed with a higher bonnet line.
The G26 is a 5 seater with pop up lights; this means you can throw kids in the back on their booster seats, and the front looks more like a Lotus than a Mk4 Escort. Engines were either 1600 or 2 litre Ford Pinto, 2 litres needed the bonnet bulge as this one has.
The whole car is about 10% lighter than the Cortina it’s based on and all the weight is low down in the chassis. Ginetta also specified that the front subframe bushes should be removed so it handles a lot better than the Cortina you remember from 30 years ago. It’s got front and rear anti-roll bars, I believe the rear was an option or only fitted to the bigger engined Fords.
This one was built from a Superkit (complete kit supplied and painted) back in 1987 with the optional galvanised chassis, this is still in excellent condition with no welding ever done, nor any needed. It has Fiesta doors and the driver’s side is good but the passenger’s side has some bubbles at the bottom edge. The fibreglass is good quality but there are a few cracks in the paint around the nose, probably from stonechips. There’s one crack on the front bumper area and another under the rear bumper.
It’s got a 2 litre Ford Pinto engine and 5 speed Type 9 gearbox. The engine has the standard Weber twin choke carb but there’s a nice 4 branch manifold fitted, the rest of the exhaust system is brand new (well, three weeks old). Rest of the running gear is Cortina Mk3/4/5 with a high ratio rear axle, 9 inch drum brakes on the back and discs up front. The discs themselves were replaced a few months ago, whilst the rear cylinders were replaced in February. All brake lines are standard Cortina and in good condition.
The interior lets it down a bit – it was stripped when I bought the car but I’ve managed to find all the bits needed, just not fitted them all yet. The front seats are grey cloth Recaros, the rear is Cortina but re-covered back when the car was built. Door trims are standard Fiesta but scruffy. The rear ¼ trim panels are dedicated Ginetta parts, but these have been trimmed by someone with no taste. Carpets and headliner are in my garage, looking scruffy but at least it’s all there. Dashboard is Cortina and I’ve fitted a set of clocks from a Ghia so there’s a revcounter, cos it’s sporty innit? The speedo is the original with 72,000 miles. Often they were zeroed when the Ginetta was built, but who knows.
I bought this car back in February where it had been sitting in a field for a month, before that it had been parked up for a while. It’s now my daily driver, how did this transformation happen? Well.... it’s had:
New battery, new discs, new exhaust, 2 new tyres, new brake slave cylinders, new propshaft coupling, new plugs, new HT leads, new thermostat, new fan belt, new clutch cable, new front springs and a few second hand parts like the Ghia dashboard, Recaro front seats, radio, rear parcel shelf, heater fan, heater matrix and probably lots more that I’ve forgotten.
So, the good bits:
- Galvanised chassis with no rust
- Fibreglass body which won’t rust
- RWD Ford components, servicing is really cheap
- OMG RWD DRIFT handling!!1! It’s not as quick to bite as a Capri, more stable than an Escort but more fun than a Cortina
- Looks like a Lotus, if you squint hard enough, but without the associated repair costs. Definitely of the 1980s wedge-tastic school of styling though.
- Runs, drives, legal
- Insurance is about £120 on a classic car policy
- No glass sunroof as they often had – not what an old car needs.....
- MoT and tax until February, no reason why it shouldn’t pass another MoT.
And the bad bits:
- Paint goes flat after a few weeks, back out with the polish please
- Heated rear window doesn’t work, a Fiesta part
- The magazines of the time called it the best kitcar on the market, but even its best friend wouldn’t say it’s refined
- Might have a squeaky front wheel bearing, or it might not. Depends on its mood I think
- Interior needs fitting and tidying but I could quite happily ignore it. You probably could too.
- Passenger front window doesn’t wind down. It’s a Fiesta part.
If you’re ready to get some classic RWD coupe action, but don’t fancy chasing rust every month, this could be just the thing for you.
Post here or PM if you'd like to know more.
Taken last month, with its wheel spacers to fill the arches better
And go-faster stripe
Ahem, it's not how it looks, officer
Lower springs - I abandoned this after a few weeks when my new route to work involved a mile of speedbumps. I used spacers instead to make it look better.
Comfy Recaros, no rips.
The G26 is a 5 seater with pop up lights; this means you can throw kids in the back on their booster seats, and the front looks more like a Lotus than a Mk4 Escort. Engines were either 1600 or 2 litre Ford Pinto, 2 litres needed the bonnet bulge as this one has.
The whole car is about 10% lighter than the Cortina it’s based on and all the weight is low down in the chassis. Ginetta also specified that the front subframe bushes should be removed so it handles a lot better than the Cortina you remember from 30 years ago. It’s got front and rear anti-roll bars, I believe the rear was an option or only fitted to the bigger engined Fords.
This one was built from a Superkit (complete kit supplied and painted) back in 1987 with the optional galvanised chassis, this is still in excellent condition with no welding ever done, nor any needed. It has Fiesta doors and the driver’s side is good but the passenger’s side has some bubbles at the bottom edge. The fibreglass is good quality but there are a few cracks in the paint around the nose, probably from stonechips. There’s one crack on the front bumper area and another under the rear bumper.
It’s got a 2 litre Ford Pinto engine and 5 speed Type 9 gearbox. The engine has the standard Weber twin choke carb but there’s a nice 4 branch manifold fitted, the rest of the exhaust system is brand new (well, three weeks old). Rest of the running gear is Cortina Mk3/4/5 with a high ratio rear axle, 9 inch drum brakes on the back and discs up front. The discs themselves were replaced a few months ago, whilst the rear cylinders were replaced in February. All brake lines are standard Cortina and in good condition.
The interior lets it down a bit – it was stripped when I bought the car but I’ve managed to find all the bits needed, just not fitted them all yet. The front seats are grey cloth Recaros, the rear is Cortina but re-covered back when the car was built. Door trims are standard Fiesta but scruffy. The rear ¼ trim panels are dedicated Ginetta parts, but these have been trimmed by someone with no taste. Carpets and headliner are in my garage, looking scruffy but at least it’s all there. Dashboard is Cortina and I’ve fitted a set of clocks from a Ghia so there’s a revcounter, cos it’s sporty innit? The speedo is the original with 72,000 miles. Often they were zeroed when the Ginetta was built, but who knows.
I bought this car back in February where it had been sitting in a field for a month, before that it had been parked up for a while. It’s now my daily driver, how did this transformation happen? Well.... it’s had:
New battery, new discs, new exhaust, 2 new tyres, new brake slave cylinders, new propshaft coupling, new plugs, new HT leads, new thermostat, new fan belt, new clutch cable, new front springs and a few second hand parts like the Ghia dashboard, Recaro front seats, radio, rear parcel shelf, heater fan, heater matrix and probably lots more that I’ve forgotten.
So, the good bits:
- Galvanised chassis with no rust
- Fibreglass body which won’t rust
- RWD Ford components, servicing is really cheap
- OMG RWD DRIFT handling!!1! It’s not as quick to bite as a Capri, more stable than an Escort but more fun than a Cortina
- Looks like a Lotus, if you squint hard enough, but without the associated repair costs. Definitely of the 1980s wedge-tastic school of styling though.
- Runs, drives, legal
- Insurance is about £120 on a classic car policy
- No glass sunroof as they often had – not what an old car needs.....
- MoT and tax until February, no reason why it shouldn’t pass another MoT.
And the bad bits:
- Paint goes flat after a few weeks, back out with the polish please
- Heated rear window doesn’t work, a Fiesta part
- The magazines of the time called it the best kitcar on the market, but even its best friend wouldn’t say it’s refined
- Might have a squeaky front wheel bearing, or it might not. Depends on its mood I think
- Interior needs fitting and tidying but I could quite happily ignore it. You probably could too.
- Passenger front window doesn’t wind down. It’s a Fiesta part.
If you’re ready to get some classic RWD coupe action, but don’t fancy chasing rust every month, this could be just the thing for you.
Post here or PM if you'd like to know more.
Taken last month, with its wheel spacers to fill the arches better
And go-faster stripe
Ahem, it's not how it looks, officer
Lower springs - I abandoned this after a few weeks when my new route to work involved a mile of speedbumps. I used spacers instead to make it look better.
Comfy Recaros, no rips.
)
