Ginetta G12

[Gus534]

Has anyone got any info about the history or present whereabouts of the V8 G12 that was raced/sprinted by David Render in the early seventies?

I bought it as a chassis and body with front suspension from John Greasley in about 1976. Greasley had removed the engine,box and rear suspension to graft onto a rallycross imp.

I fiddled about building it back up again but had to sell it a year later when I moved house. I've long since forgotten who I sold it to but it's one of the bigger regrets in my life, not least because it will be worth a small fortune now!

[Steve Wilkinson]

For David's results with the car in the British Sprint Championship check out the BMSA website years 1971 & 1972.

www.britishsprint.org

[Gus534]

Thanks for that, Steve. Do you know if the reference to it as G12 05 means that it was chassis 05? That would be a good starting point.

[Steve Wilkinson]

Originally Posted by Gus534

Thanks for that, Steve. Do you know if the reference to it as G12 05 means that it was chassis 05? That would be a good starting point.

Yes, the G12-05 is the chassis number.

[John Turner]

Now I'd love to see this developed into a full blown G12 chassis history!

[Steve Wilkinson]

Originally Posted by John Turner

Now I'd love to see this developed into a full blown G12 chassis history!

I only pursued the chassis number of the Render car because of its involvement in the British Sprint Championship. Maybe the Ginetta Owners Club have some of this sort of information available?

[Gus534]

I've emailed Cottage Classics for further info but no reply as yet. They claim to know the history of most G12's, less than 50 made apparently. The only one that I've seen recently was being raced at Coys Silverstone in 1997 by a Japanese driver.

[Gus534]

Spadge at Cottage Classics has come back to me with the news that the car was probably converted back to a twincam, and then went to Japan in the eighties. Hey ho, anyone speak japanese?

He also emailed a picture, which shows the car looking a lot smarter than when I last saw it! How do I lift it out of "my pictures" in Windows and transfer it to this thread?

[h4887]

Originally Posted by Gus534

I've emailed Cottage Classics for further info but no reply as yet. They claim to know the history of most G12's, less than 50 made apparently. The only one that I've seen recently was being raced at Coys Silverstone in 1997 by a Japanese driver.

Quite so, more like 27 of the real 1960s cars

[h4887]

After Render the names I have (not necessarily a complete list) are Robin Gibbons, John Greasley, David Dawson, who had a Lucas twin cam and raced in the HSCC, and Rod Tolhurst, thence to Japan and not heard of since.

[driftwood]

G12 with V8 engine
that will be the blue car with Oldsmobile fitted sold last year to ted williams now having v8 taken out and 2 litre bmw fitted
or is that a G16?

[h4887]

I think that would be a G16

[driftwood]

i now have g12 lotus t cam mk9 gbox car for sale

[tonyabacus]

Was the Oldsmobile car the one that Jonathan Bradburn had for sale for some time?

Driftwood, what is the car you are selling?

[driftwood]

oldsmobile car is G16 now with 2litre fitted
i have ex uk car sold to japan 25 yrs ago

[JCDimsdale]

Back in 1969, I bought a G12 with an ex-McLaren 1.5 litre Climax V8. It had been bought new in, I think, 1967 by Michael Anderson with a 1200 cc Ford engine but he fitted the V8 in 1968. I could never get the engine to run properly so fitted a BRM Lotus Twin Cam and had fun with it for a couple of years. It was maintained by Racing Preparations, who made Royales, and they rose jointed the suspension (not a success as the chassis was not stiff enough round the cockpit) and I fitted 8" and 10" Minilites instead of the standard 7" wheels. I sold it in 1971 less engine and gearbox to Malcolm Clube who cut off the roof to make it into an open racer. I never saw it again. So if anyone ever comes across an open G12, that's its history!

[driftwood]

i may be wrong but there was an open top Ginetta doing the hills for years- was that a G12 or 16 i thik it had big motor fitted

[tonyabacus]

Hi JC
What did you do with the McLaren unit?

[h4887]

Johnny, Very interesting to hear from you! I don't suppose you remember the chassis number of your G12? I thought the Michael Anderson car from Much Hadham had an SCA. Peter Creasey's car also had a Climax - that car ended up in Japan with its roof cut off

[JCDimsdale]

I'm afraid that we didn't bother too much with chassis numbers in those days but it definitely had a Ford based engine for the junior racing class of those days, which was, I think, up to 1200cc. It was the same spec as Willie Green had raced so successfully the previous year. I suppose that it could have been an SCA. And as I told Tony Abacus separately, after such a length of time, I've no idea where the Climax V8 went.

[Steve Wilkinson]

Originally Posted by driftwood

i may be wrong but there was an open top Ginetta doing the hills for years- was that a G12 or 16 i thik it had big motor fitted

Any clues to the era this was? e.g. 1970s or 1980s

[driftwood]

it was the blue car maybe it was g16 it was for sale for yonks then ted williams bought t fitted 2 litre motor to it

[John Turner]

There was a G12 Spyder, drifty, in Switzerland, owned and driven by Walter Fluckiger who won the Swiss hillclimb (up to 1-litre) championship with it in 1969, having won the previous year with it, with roof still attached. Later scrapped, sadly. However, I think that you may be thinking of the G16 campaigned on the hills successfully by Peter Cook. That was blue.

[driftwood]

yes thats the car had oldsmobil motor in it

the ginetta in switzerland with 1 litre motior wa sit Imp powered? are you sure it was not the Costin Nathan 1 litre Imp powered spyder car?

[John Turner]

Positive!