Ginetta G20

Close your eyes for a moment and try to visualise just what a traditional British sports car should look like. The chances are that something very similar to the new Ginetta G20 will have flashed across your sub-conscious. Now open them again and join us as we take the G20 out on the road for real. The first thing that strikes you about the car is its size, because it is shorter, narrower and lower than even the tiny Lotus Elise.

The shape, however, is unmistakably Ginetta. Having experimented unsuccessfully with more practical and less attractive road cars in the past, the small Sheffield-based manufacturer with a worldwide reputation has returned to its roots. With no roof, windows or even a windscreen, the G20’s purposeful curves and clean lines scream classic Sixties racer.

Jump in and the theme continues. The two-piece fibreglass bodywork curls around deep bucket seats, and despite the car’s size even tall drivers will find relative comfort. But there are precious few luxuries. An eye-catching centrally mounted instrument binnacle and the bare minimum of switchgear are clear and within easy reach. A leather-trimmed Mountney steering wheel and aluminium gearknob are the only other features in a cockpit more spartan than even a Caterham’s.