ERNIE UNGER STORY
possessed excellent dynamics, the
sophistication I sought was still lacking.”
Seeking this sophistication and
spotting an opportunity, Ernie set about
creating his own GT. His formula for
success was to take the dynamics of the
best British sports cars; the aesthetics
and engineering of the Abarths, blend,
and then present them in a compact,
attractive and perfectly-proportioned
package. If the fundamental design
wasn’t a problem, finding the right
powertrain was.
“Through my work, I was able to have
a very good look at the Mini and it
suddenly became obvious. It was just a
case of suitably repackaging the Mini’s
power train,” he elaborates. “The
A-series engine was in volume
production, and inexpensive. The basic
design had been around for aeons, so
tuning gear was already well developed,
and affordable. And it soon became
available in a variety of displacements.”
Ernie had already penned the basic
design layout sketches and as alluded to,
had decided upon using the Mini’s
powertrain. But it was whilst attending a
Goodwood race meeting, that his GT
project turned a corner. At Goodwood heteam cars. The experience was
invaluable, but the hours and demands
were unsustainable and in Ernie’s view,
counterproductive. Exhausted and
somewhat disillusioned, he left Lotus at
the end of 1955 to join the Rootes Group
Student Apprenticeship Scheme, but hecontinued to lead a double life: focusing
on mainstream projects at work,
preparing racing cars and running teams
in his spare time. And there was more.STYLE AND SUBSTANCE
Having always admired engineering
excellence, Ernie was becoming
increasingly fascinated by the sensational
cars the Turin-based Abarth concern was
producing, feeling that Abarth’s sublime
creations possessed the f lair and brio
absent in British sports cars. “Abarths
were delightful, and their engineering
exquisite,” he enthuses. “Their bodies
were beautifully designed and made; the
engines were like Swiss watches.
Although Lotus, Marcos, TVR and Ginetta
etc were starting to blossom, and their carsCabin was surprisingly
comfortable in such a
low profile car.Gearchange was located in the driver’s sill.A masterpiece in packaging.ERNIE UNGER STORY
possessed excellent dynamics, the
sophistication I sought was still lacking.”
Seeking this sophistication and
spotting an opportunity, Ernie set about
creating his own GT. His formula for
success was to take the dynamics of the
best British sports cars; the aesthetics
and engineering of the Abarths, blend,
and then present them in a compact,
attractive and perfectly-proportioned
package. If the fundamental design
wasn’t a problem, finding the right
powertrain was.
“Through my work, I was able to have
a very good look at the Mini and it
suddenly became obvious. It was just a
case of suitably repackaging the Mini’s
power train,” he elaborates. “The
A-series engine was in volume
production, and inexpensive. The basic
design had been around for aeons, so
tuning gear was already well developed,
and affordable. And it soon became
available in a variety of displacements.”
Ernie had already penned the basic
design layout sketches and as alluded to,
had decided upon using the Mini’s
powertrain. But it was whilst attending a
Goodwood race meeting, that his GT
project turned a corner. At Goodwood heteam cars. The experience was
invaluable, but the hours and demands
were unsustainable and in Ernie’s view,
counterproductive. Exhausted and
somewhat disillusioned, he left Lotus at
the end of 1955 to join the Rootes Group
Student Apprenticeship Scheme, but he
continued to lead a double life: focusing
on mainstream projects at work,
preparing racing cars and running teams
in his spare time. And there was more.STYLE AND SUBSTANCE
Having always admired engineering
excellence, Ernie was becoming
increasingly fascinated by the sensational
cars the Turin-based Abarth concern was
producing, feeling that Abarth’s sublime
creations possessed the f lair and brio
absent in British sports cars. “Abarths
were delightful, and their engineering
exquisite,” he enthuses. “Their bodies
were beautifully designed and made; the
engines were like Swiss watches.
Although Lotus, Marcos, TVR and Ginetta
etc were starting to blossom, and their carsCabin was surprisingly
comfortable in such a
low profile car.Gearchange was located in the driver’s sill.A masterpiece in packaging.