Ginetta's Supercar Finally Enters Production, Keeps Its Manual and V-8

After debuting in 2019, the Ginetta Akula supercar is finally heading to production. The supercar has a 6.4-liter V-8 engine making 600 horsepower and 494 pound-feet of torque. Ginetta will only build 20 cars, and the starting price is $362,300. 

British sports car maker Ginetta presented the Akula in March 2019 at the Geneva Motor Show. Back then, the company promised to start customer deliveries in January 2020. That didn't happen. But the niche brand is finally making things right by unveiling a production version, and while it may not be the prettiest supercar out there, the details are pretty juicy.

A mid-mounted naturally aspirated 6.4-liter V-8 powers the Ginetta Akula. Displacement has gone up from the original car, which had a smaller 6.0-liter engine. The road-going version still packs 600 horsepower but torque is down by 26 pound-feet to a still healthy 494 pound-feet. In the turbocharging and electrification era, that output isn't overly impressive. However, the Akula is lighter than the vast majority of performance cars.

Thanks to a carbon fiber monocoque and floor, the car weighs just 2,624 pounds, so it's only 172 lbs heavier than a Miata RF. The Akula routes power to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox. Alternatively, customers can opt for a dual-clutch, seven-speed automatic transmission, but why would they? Ginetta installs a limited-slip differential developed in-house and can optionally mount carbon-ceramic brakes for superior stopping power.

We need more naturally aspirated supercars in 2024 when almost everyone is going hybrid or electric. This "old-school" formula is plenty quick, with 0 to 62 mph taking only 2.9 seconds. Flat out, the Akula exceeds 180 mph. Weight is distributed evenly between the two axles where you'll find a double wishbone suspension and 20-inch wheels.

Although performance was prioritized, Ginetta also envisioned the Akula as a grand tourer by giving it a generous cargo capacity of 16.7 cubic feet. It also has an electronically adjustable steering column and pedal box along with a large 26.4-gallon fuel tank. A Corvette C8 can only take 18.5 gallons. If you don't drive it like you stole it, the car should do 450 miles before it runs out of gas.

Only 20 cars will be made, and as you can imagine, the Leeds-built Akula is not cheap. Ginetta wants £275,000, before taxes and shipping. At current exchange rates, that works out to $362,300. Many build slots have already been taken but a limited number are still up for grabs. The asking price has decreased substantially compared to the original £340,000 ($448,000) sticker.

If you're wondering about the car's name, Akula is the Russian word for "shark," which seems fitting given the car's pointy shape. The aero bits were tested in the wind tunnel and are derived from the Ginetta G61-LT-P1 LMP1 race car.