The $360,000 Ginetta Akula is a manual transmission and

Weighing just 2,600 pounds, Ginetta’s 600-horsepower track-only car is designed for track driving and can be driven to and from the track.

The Ginetta Akula is certainly one of the ugliest cars we’ve seen since the Akula concept was unveiled in 2019. However, it’s hard not to fall in love with a car that weighs just 2,600 pounds (1,190 kg) and has a naturally aspirated V8 engine sending 600 horsepower (608 PS) to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission.

UK-based Ginetta, or whatever incarnation of the company is called, has been building sports cars for nearly 70 years. Like Lotus and Marcos, it grew up in the post-war cottage industry sports car boom, with some ups and downs. But in the past 20 years, since being bought by current owner Lawrence Tomlinson, Ginetta has focused on racing and building race cars.

Related: Ginetta’s 600-horsepower supercar looks sharp enough to outshine a Ferrari

The Akula is a major innovation, the company’s most ambitious road car yet and, at £275,000 ($360,000) plus tax, its most expensive model yet. The aggressive-looking coupe is packed with motorsport know-how and materials, including a carbon-fiber monocoque and carbon-fiber subframe. But Ginetta says the Akula is designed not only to impress on the track but also to be practical enough to drive around in without you starting to wish you were towing it behind a Range Rover five minutes after setting off.

In addition to the carbon fiber structure, a steel roll cage and an aerodynamic package derived from the company’s G61-LT-P1 LMP1 race car remind us of Ginetta’s focus on motorsport. It consists of a flat floor, turning vanes, a rear wing, and a diffuser underneath. Ginetta doesn’t publish downforce figures, but we have no doubt they’re enough to put real pressure on the 20-profile Pirelli P Zero sidewalls.

Billet V8, manual ‘box

Propulsion is provided by a 6.4-litre V8 mounted ahead of the driver but away from the front axle line, much like the V12 Ferrari’s new 12Cilindri. Ginetta says this configuration offers superior handling balance and makes it easier to package the best aerodynamic aids compared to a mid-engine setup.

This V8 is no simple crate engine, by the way. It’s built from Ginetta’s own billet aluminum block and features a titanium valvetrain. Its maximum power of 600 horsepower is reached at 7,200 rpm, and it delivers 494 lb-ft (670 Nm) of torque at 5,100 rpm.

Zero to 62 mph (100 km/h) takes 2.9 seconds and tops out at 180 mph (290 km/h), and while those numbers don’t make the Akula stand out among supercars, the fact that it’s available with a six-speed manual transmission does make it stand out. Prefer to keep both hands on the wheel? There’s also a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox available, also driving the rear wheels via a limited-slip differential.

Speed ​​and Space

The suspension is a double wishbone setup with billet uprights and pushrod-operated shock absorbers that can be electronically adjusted from within the cabin. The racing-style front and rear anti-roll bars are also adjustable, but that’s an old-school mechanical job that requires parking the car. If you think you need more stopping power and fade resistance than the stock steel rotors offer, there’s the option of upgrading to carbon brakes.

This all sounds like a great recipe for a very fun track supercar, but cars like this don’t usually come with a 100-liter (26.4-gallon) fuel tank that promises a 450-mile (724-kilometer) range, nor a 473-liter (16.7-cubic-foot) trunk that offers more cargo space than a Volkswagen Golf R .

The Akula also comes with a wireless phone charger and Ginetta’s own infotainment system, which integrates Apple iOS. But both are housed in an interior that’s dominated by a racing steering wheel with no top or bottom.

Does this curious combination of madness and comfort make the Akula a capable supercar? Or does it try too hard to be everyone’s thing, risking losing its clear identity? Only a select few will ever really know the answer, as Ginetta production will be capped at 20 units.

Tomlinson says he’s already taken the first car, which means Ginetta needs to find 19 buyers willing to overlook the Akula’s awkward looks and discover that beauty is more than skin deep. A simple tug on the manual transmission should get interested parties moving in the right direction, away from automatic-only supercars.