Lot details Registration No: 25 URO Chassis No: 4/0143 Mot Expiry: N/A
This righthand drive G4R was purchased in £650 component form from Ginetta in 1963 by Chris Webb of 'Practical Motorist' for a series of build articles. A copy of the factory record confirming this transaction is included in the history file which also contains a 1964 published road test of the completed project by Graham Hill. 25 URO also featured in Trevor Pyman's 'Four Brothers 4' book, while constructor Webb went on to race the car with some success including a class win at Snetterton.
Following completion in early 1964, and as confirmed in a letter to a subsequent owner from Ginetta MD Bob Walklett, chassis number 143 was returned to Ginetta for factory upgrades.
Via a North American dealer, the car was acquired in 1965 and raced by Canadian Vince Di Cesar who is now racing a G15. Subsequently back in the UK, owners included Martin Brazil, Eric Walker and, in the early 1980s, Simon Hearne, for whom it was restored by Thoroughbred Sports Cars of Witney. In 1994, dealer Chris Alford sold it to Belgian Jacqui Gheysens who raced it, without hardtop, as a sportscar.
More recently, though, and back in the UK, the current owner has invested £28,000 in returning the car to GTP specification, refitting the original hardtop and road equipment. Chassis, body, metallic Blue paintwork, grey race-spec interior, Lotus 1558cc twin cam and claimed to be new 4-speed manual gearbox are all claimed to be in excellent order. A truly historic racer with FIA papers.
PLEASE NOTE: This Ginetta comes with Belgian FIA papers as a sportscar, and not as a Grand Touring Prototype, and these expire in 2006. The history contains paperwork confirming its entry at Brands Hatch, Cadwell etc and some spares plus receipts to show the engine rebuild and other work which has cost some £27000 in total in the last two years.
The body is fibreglass and in superb condition whilst the engine was prepared last month by Vessey Race Engines with full steel Lotus twin cam developing 168bhp. The gearbox is an original Ford 4 speed with racing spec internals and the suspension is G4R, independent wishbone all round, a Lotus Elite limited slip differential and discs all round. This car will make an exceptional club racer.
The car has period photos showing the car and registration number including Graham Hill testing the Car at Goodwood. The paperwork confirms this was a G4 which went back to factory for G4R upgrade in 1964.
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