1998 Dare Ginetta
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Year of manufacture1998
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Mileage32 000 km / 19 884 mi
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Car typeOther
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Chassis numberSABTVR03598219120
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Engine numberZ144
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Lot number219
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DriveRHD
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ConditionUsed
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Exterior brand colourSilver/Green
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Number of seats2
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Location
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Exterior colourOther
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Drivetrain2wd
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Fuel typePetrol
Description
The G4 offered here is DARE-built and a comparatively rare convertibleEffectively a competition car but equally at home on the road. Hard and soft tops'Clamshell' bodywork and Silver/Mallard Green paintwork in very good condition2-litre Zetec on throttle bodies producing 225bhp.Type 9, 5-speed, semi-helical, close-ratio boxBespoke Brembo/DARE front four-pot callipers. Brake bias adjuster.Uprated adjustable dampersA well-prepared, fast road/race Ginetta that would be competitive in a number of championships Ginetta began in Suffolk in the 1950s when a young Ivor Walklett joined his three older brothers to work in the family's agricultural and structural engineering business and it wasn't long before his enthusiasm for cars led him to create a special based on a pre-war Wolseley Hornet. The Walklett's car-making business became known as Ginetta, and that first, corner of the barn special, subsequently became known as the G1. A few years later, Ginetta really hit their stride with the G4, which became available as a kit at the beginning of the 1960s. Intended to be both a bare-bones road-going sports car and competitive racer, the G4 featured a tube-frame chassis with double wishbones, coil springs and dampers up front along with a live axle with upper trailing arms, coil springs and dampers at the rear. The old adage "If it looks right, it is right" certainly applied to the astonishingly pretty little Ginetta and, fitted initially with the unburstable 1-litre Ford 105E Anglia engine and subsequently with a Lotus Twin-Cam, the G4 captured the imagination of the competition set and was raced with widespread success as far afield as the USA and Canada. On short circuits, it proved the match of Divas, Marcos and the nimble Lotus Elans and in the hands of the late Chris Meek would become famous for the 'David and Goliath' battles with much more powerful Jaguars and the occasional Ferrari. Following the Walklett brothers' sale of the original Ginetta company, Dare (UK) Ltd of Great Wigborough managed to negotiate a license to produce the Ginetta G4 and G12 and the well-respected Essex company are still in business today fabricating complete shells and an extensive list of parts.The G4 offered here is indeed a DARE built car and is a comparatively rare convertible. Dating from 1998 it was first registered on the 12th of August of that year and was purchased by our vendor in 2006 making him the cars fourth owner. It's effectively a competition car but is equally at home on the road and benefits from both hard and soft tops. The front bodywork is a 'clamshell' race-type and we understand the bodywork is good with no crazing or cracks just a few minor paint imperfections due to wear and tear. The car is always garaged and covered and, whilst with our vendor, has only been used on the road in the dry. The chassis and body were rebuilt in 2010 by Cottage Classics and there is a full photographic record of this. At the same time, the 2-litre Zetec was rebuilt by Dunnell at a cost of 7,000 and there is a full build sheet with the car. Always serviced annually regardless of mileage and has just been serviced with new engine oil, filter and new diff and gearbox oil. The car had a short race season one year with the 750MC. No damage. Still has ignition cut out but no extinguisher.Specification:2-litre Zetec on throttle bodies producing 225bhpDry sump with catch tank and Titan oil pump kitAlloy 'Radtec' radiator. 4-1 exhaust into BTB noise-compliant stainless box Pre-SVA so no catOctober 2016 new Omex 600 ECU and loom by Northampton MotorsportFord Type 9 Gearbox semi-helical 5-speed close ratioRear IRS Sierra LSD with uprated driveshafts Uprated adjustable dampers Bespoke Brembo/DARE front four-pot callipers. Brake bias adjusterAlloy and suede wheel.Black and green vinyl upholsteryPre-SVA so has period instruments and toggle switches DARE chrome rollover barsBrand new R888 tyres on painted Minilites (205 rear/ 185 fronts)DARE has built a reputation for the quality of their Ginettas and this little G4 certainly looks the part, apparently drawing attention wherever it goes. It wouldn't take much to prepare it, once again, for circuit use and it can be supplied with an unused spare set of Minilite wheels from DARE, with new wet/road tyres at additional cost. It's currently on SORN and will come with 12 months MOT. This is a super opportunity to own a well prepared, race/fast road Ginetta G4 that is eligible for a number of championships, would be welcome anywhere, and is on offer at about a quarter the price of a Chevron B8!