The 600bhp Ginetta Akula Is Here, And It Looks Angry

We’ve long had an idea of what supercars are like when they emerge from Maranello, Sant’Agata, Stuttgart, Tochigi and even Detroit. This, though, is the Ginetta Akula. It’s how Yorkshire does a supercar, and, true to its roots, it’s brash, no-nonsense and looks like it doesn’t suffer fools gladly.

We first got wind of the Akula half a decade ago, when a prototype was unveiled at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show (remember that?). Since then, Ginetta – primarily a builder of race cars, but it’s dabbled with lightweight road cars before – has been beavering away on a production car, and this is the angry-looking result.

Under that snouty, louvred bonnet is a naturally aspirated 6.4-litre V8 (there’ll be none of that turbocharged hybrid nonsense ‘ere lad, etc, etc.), based around Ginetta’s own billet aluminium block, and pumping out 600bhp and 494lb ft of torque.

That goes to the back wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox or an old-fashioned H-pattern six-speed manual. The whole package is good for 0-62mph in 2.9 seconds, and a top speed somewhere north of 180mph, helped along by an unladen weight of just 1190kg.

Ginetta’s racing roots are very apparent in the Akula’s body and underpinnings. It has a full carbon monocoque chassis, and the front and rear subframes are made from the woven stuff too, while a full motorsport-grade roll cage is integrated into its body.

It has all-round double wishbone pushrod suspension with adjustable Tractive dampers, and the racing-spec anti-roll bars can be tweaked too. Underneath, there’s an aero-friendly flat floor incorporating turning vanes and a fairly serious rear diffuser.

That said, it’s not designed to be some completely hardcore track special whose road legality is completely token, despite that steering wheel that looks like it’s been ripped straight from an LMP1 car. Inside, it has a CarPlay-compatible infotainment system, a heated front windscreen, wireless phone charging, and an ultra-luxurious new feature called ‘cupholders’. The seats are fixed directly to the chassis, with the steering column and pedal box sliding electronically to accommodate the driver.

Ginetta only plans to build 20 Akulas, at £275,000 a pop, plus taxes and shipping. That’s likely to provoke some indignant Yorkshire-accented exclamations of ‘’ow much!?’, but then there’s nowt free these days – especially not carbon-bodied, 600bhp supercars.