Ginetta has revealed its new Akula supercar, which relies heavily on technology developed for the manufacturer’s 2019 LMP1 car, at the Geneva International Motor Show.
The car, which is being produced in-house at Ginetta’s Leeds, UK, headquarters, uses a full carbon-fiber monocoque chassis clothed in carbon fiber body panels and features a 6-liter 90° V8 engine which will develop a peak power of over 600ps and 700Nm of torque. The car has a top speed of 200mph (320km/h).
The design is based on Ginetta’s LMP1 cars with a rear wing with the same aerofoil shape as the latest Ginetta LMP1 racer, an underbody diffuser, efficient body ducting and slash-cut side-exit exhausts that work together to create incredibly smooth airflow, with downforce at 100mph totalling 376kg – just 5% less than Ginetta’s LMP3 car.
The Akula uses an adjustable pushrod activated double wishbone suspension system, as used in Ginetta’s LMP1 car. It also features hydraulic power assisted steering, with an LMP1-inspired carbon-fiber steering wheel and billet aluminum shift paddles and a fully adjustable floor-mounted pedal box.
The engine is mounted much further back than conventional supercars in a central mid-mid position. This layout enabled the engineers to achieve a weight distribution of 49% front and 51% rear and use a race-derived suspension set-up tweaked for on-road feel and a large boot.
The dry weight of the Akula is just 1150kg despite a roll-over structure designed to current FIA specifications that forms a robust safety cell and gives the chassis torsional rigidity.
Ginetta chairman Lawrence Tomlinson said, “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.
“We’re offering the chance to own a limited production, truly bespoke supercar built alongside machines from the top level of prototype racing.
“I have felt for a long time there was a gap in the market at around the £400,000 [US$526,000] 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% of this allocation already sold before the car has been revealed.”
