Ginetta is a manufacturer best known for its efforts on track, building cars for its Ginetta Junior one-make championship, where many modern sports car and single-seater racing greats cut their teeth as part of their journey up the motorsport ladder. Ginetta has also built and raced cars in the GT4, GT3, LMP3 and LMP1 categories in recent years, but in 2019, it surprised us all with the bespoke Akula. Five years later, the dream becomes reality, with the V8-powered racing car for the road finally going on sale.

While Ginetta’s racing cars exude a certain elegance, the Akula looks menacing - living up to its name, which means “shark” in Russian. Sharp surfaces with gill-like vents run along the spine of the bonnet, behind the front wheels and all the way along the sills, which lead to the side-exit exhausts. A flat floor, modelled on that of the G61-LT-P1 LMP1 car, connects the front to the rear, channelling air towards a large, complex rear diffuser. It's evident that the floor generates the majority of the car’s downforce, as the boot lid-mounted rear wing is relatively small in comparison. Ginetta has carefully packaged the Akula, with the areas behind the wheels devoid of airflow-disrupting components.

While the racing cars have a certain elegance about them, the Akula looks menacing and at first glance lives up to its name which means shark in Russian. Sharp surfaces with gill-like vents are found along the spine of the bonnet, behind the front wheels and all the way along the sills which lead to the side-exit exhausts. Connecting front to rear is a flat floor, modelled on that of the G61-LT-P1 LMP1 car, which sends air towards a large and complex rear diffuser. It’s evident that the floor generates the majority of the downforce, as the boot lid-mounted rear wing is relatively small in comparison. Ginetta have carefully packaged the Akula, with the areas behind the wheels being devoid of airflow-disrupting components.

One such item, deliberately positioned centrally, is the 6.4-litre naturally aspirated V8 engine. Mounted behind the front axle, the in-house powerplant features a billet aluminium block and titanium valvetrain, and it’s connected to either a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed twin-clutch automatic transmission. The V8 produces 494 lb-ft (670 Nm) of torque at 5,100 rpm and 600 bhp at 7,200 rpm. The power is channelled to the rear wheels through your choice of gearbox, paired with a Ginetta-developed limited-slip differential, which, as Ginetta claims, “ensures optimum traction even when that trip to a track day at Spa turns into a deluge.”

Thanks to its light weight of just 1,190 kg, the Akula rockets from 0-60 mph in just 2.9 seconds and pushes on to a top speed north of 180 mph. Naturally, the performance isn’t just for straight lines - it's designed for corners too. The carbon fibre subframes house a race-bred suspension system, with double-wishbones at both ends. Billet aluminium uprights meet pushrod-actuated adjustable dampers, which can be electronically adjusted by the driver at a moment’s notice. Mechanical anti-roll bars can also be manually adjusted to perfect the setup.

For owners intending to hit as many track days as possible, there’s an optional Race Pack, which adds a six-point racing harness, a Ginetta racing suit, gloves, boots and even underwear. It also includes carbon ceramic brakes. Regardless of the brake setup, the Akula features 360mm discs at the front and rear, gripped by four-piston callipers. All models come with 20-inch Ginetta racing wheels wrapped in Pirelli P Zero tyres from the factory.

Inside, the Akula feels just as focused on weight-saving as it does on performance. Carbon fibre dominates the interior, with the black weave visible on everything except the headlining and central armrest. The steering wheel, column, instrument display shroud and dashboard are all formed from carbon fibre, while the door handles, air vents and switches are made from milled aluminium.

The seats are integrated into the carbon monocoque, with padding that’s fully customisable to suit each owner. However, looks can be deceiving - despite its track focus, the Akula comes with several creature comforts, including a heated windscreen, wireless charging, a touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and even cupholders.

Behind the cabin, there’s a large 475-litre boot, which might slightly disrupt the Akula’s 50/50 weight distribution when fully loaded. However, this adds to Ginetta’s desire to make the Akula usable as a grand tourer and “the ideal choice for a road trip to Le Mans or further afield.”

The passion behind the Akula is evident, and it’s amplified by Ginetta’s owner and chairman, Dr Lawrence Tomlinson, who says, “We focus on the thrill of driving and the visceral experience of piloting a car that performs like a racing machine.” His words are supported by Ginetta’s racing pedigree, as well as his own. Dr Tomlinson is a Le Mans class winner, having taken top honours in the GT2 class in a Panoz Esperante GT-LM, which he shared with Tom Kimber-Smith and Richard Dean.

Although first revealed five years ago, the Akula’s production coincides with the 20th anniversary of Dr Tomlinson’s acquisition of Ginetta. Fittingly, only 20 examples of the Akula will be made, with prices starting at £275,000 before taxes and options - a price that seems reasonable for a British-built, V8-powered, (optionally) manual-equipped, track-focused GT, born from two decades of racing experience. Some build slots remain available, but with a pedigree like this, they aren’t likely to last long.