If you think that a Porsche Cayman GT4RS is cool but not quite hardcore enough for your mid-engine motorsport-inspired fantasies, Ginetta’s newly road-legal Akula could be just the thing you’ve been missing. Although Ginetta sounds Italian and Akula is Russian for ‘shark’ (and the name of a Soviet-era submarine), you’re looking at a British creation that was first unveiled in concept form roughly five years ago. The company built Lotus-like sports cars for decades, but in the modern age, its cars have transcended the idea of compromise, and all roadgoing versions remain hardcore. The limited-production Akula for the street has several considerations towards comfort, but ridiculous performance is still its chief goal.
Naturally Aspirated V8 And Le Mans-Derived Aero
The Akula features a carbon fiber monocoque and front and rear subframes that house double-wishbone suspension with billet aluminum uprights and a pushrod-actuated two-way adjustable damper setup. Front and rear anti-roll bars further stiffen the structure, and the entire car weighs a scant 2,623 lbs; even a Subaru BRZ weighs more. No wonder then, that the 6.4-liter front-mid-mounted V8 needs no forced induction – “over 600 horsepower” is quite sufficient, enabling 0-62 mph in 2.9 seconds and a top speed beyond 180 mph. Power goes to the rear through either a six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.
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20-inch wheels wrapped in 265/35 rubber in front and 305/35 profile tires at the back wear Pirelli’s P Zero compound – nothing overly fancy. There’s also a steel motorsport-spec roll cage, and the aero upgrades – including a flat floor, front splitter, dive planes, rear diffuser, and rear wing made of carbon fiber – are based on the package on the company’s G61-LT-P1 LMP1 race car. In addition, four-piston calipers with 360-millimeter discs all-round, a limited-slip differential, and careful design optimization ensure that the perfectly balanced (50:50) weight of the car is housed as near the center of the vehicle as possible, enabling easier direction changes and greater control.
You Can Use The Ginetta Akula On The Road, But Probably Not These Ones
The company also offers a Race Pack with carbon-ceramic brakes, six-point harnesses, and a full racing outfit, but the idea is that one can use this on the road. The interior seat padding is molded to the body of the buyer, so the steering wheel and pedal box are adjustable. With a touchscreen infotainment system featuring iOS integration, a wireless charging pad, and cupholders, along with neatly milled aluminum door handles, air vents, and center console elements, Ginetta wants this cabin to be inhabited for long periods of time. To that end, the trunk offers 16.7 cubic feet of volume and there’s a 26-gallon gas tank enabling 450 miles of range.
As for the price, each of the 20 units slated for production will start at £275,000, or a whisker over $360,000. Unfortunately, the multifunction carbon fiber steering wheel, as cool as it looks, doesn’t appear to be capable of housing an airbag. Sure, there’s ABS, but the only way this will make it to American roads is likely through a Show or Display exemption, assuming it can get one; several cool cars have failed in the past. We think this one could be interesting enough to qualify.