With Renault announcing it was launching a Gordini version of its latest Twingo, we thought it was time to revisit some of ‘Le Sorcier’s’ finest creations

We hear the three Renault Gordinis before we see them. But as they head over the hill towards us, I’m instantly transported back to 1960s France. Gone are the chirps and tweets of modern life; the mobile phones and laptops are instead replaced by a devil-may-care spirit of revolution. For today at least, we’re swapping Simon Cowell and Cheryl Cole for Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin.

While these iconic cars are as French as red wine and camembert, their creator was actually born and raised in Italy, working as a mechanic for Alfieri Maserati in his teens. After serving in the Italian army during the First World War, Amadeo Gordini moved to Paris in 1926 and quickly changed his name to the more French-sounding Amedee. He signed a contract with Simca in 1936 to build a series of sports cars before being hired by Renault to do ‘a bit of fine tuning’ in 1956. The rest, as they say, is history.

In 1957, 10,000 rather mundane Renault Dauphines were given the Gordini treatment. They looked standard enough, but with 55bhp lurking beneath, their power output was practically doubled. That’s when people started calling Gordini ‘Le Sorcier’.

Frightened to death
It was with the Renault 8 Gordini of 1964 that ‘The Sorcerer’ really made his mark, though. As well as heavily modified suspension and brakes, the souped-up engine now put out a whopping 80bhp, making the R8 a true 100mph car.

Finished in cool French racing blue, the dash boasted a raft of extra gauges, black vinyl upholstery and an aggressive sounding air-horn, plus the indispensable grip handle for the passenger that was about to be frightened to death. This was a car for the ordinary man with sporting ambitions. And unlike many tuned cars of the time (John Cooper’s Minis or Carlos Abarth’s Fiats), Gordini’s Renault was a surprisingly refined affair: its sharp yet light steering meant you could actually take it for a long drive without having to fight it. And the firm but supple suspension meant you even had a good chance of making it home with all your fillings in place.

It’s also less tail-happy than you might expect a rear-engined car to be, according to Cor Baruch, owner of the R8 Gordini 1100 you see here. And it’s perfectly capable of keeping up with modern traffic, as at least one unsuspecting Audi driver discovered as we screamed past at 7000rpm.

Cor bought his car more than 22 years ago, restored it and then drove it thousands of miles. But with the paint starting to fade and the engine smoking a little, Cor’s now preparing to restore it again.

‘A complete mess’
The second R8 Gordini that we’re driving today is a 1300 of 1967 vintage that has just been subjected to a meticulous restoration. Berend Tanis originally planned to ‘Gordini-ise’ an ordinary Renault 8, but quickly abandoned that idea after seeing this car for sale in 2001.

The 1300 was found in the French Haute-Loire district and was used by its former owner on a racetrack, probably Magny-Cours. Berend says: ‘A roll bar was fitted and the body was drastically widened with plastic wheel arches.

The engine was partly disassembled and was missing several bits, while an extra oil tank was mounted in the rear. It was a complete mess.’ Over the next seven years, Berend turned the abused boy racer mobile into a completely original car. He did as much of the work himself as he could, leaving only the engine rebuild and paint to the experts.

Since then he’s put around 3,000 miles on the odometer, most of which were clocked up on a trip to southern France last year. The car looks pristine, and even though the differences between the 1100 and 1300 are small, you can easily tell them apart via the latter car’s extra pair of headlamps.

Then there’s the engine: the 1108cc four-cylinder comes with twin Solex carburettors and a 77.5bhp power output. The 1300, introduced two and a half years later, has double Webers to aid its 1255cc, making it good for 90bhp of rear-wheel drive fun. That power, by the way, is delivered via a fivespeed gearbox – very sexy in 1967. And, to add to the sporting spec, you’ll find extra reinforcements for the body, plus an extra petrol tank controlled with an old-fashioned floor-mounted copper tap.
 

So which of the two R8 Gordinis is the best?
With its recognisable double eyes and more powerful engine, the 1300 seems to be the obvious choice. However, the older and slightly lighter 1100 is more sought after these days, not least because it was produced in lower volumes: just 2,626 for the 1100, compared with 8,981 for its bigger brother.
 

Power Play
The final car that we’ve got here today is the Renault 12 Gordini, which is a world away from its elder brothers. Renault collector Alexandra Roctus bought her R12 Gordini about two years ago – she wasn’t looking for one, she just happened to come across one. Or rather, two: this one and a yellow R12 TS. Alexandra explains: ‘I was smitten with both cars, so I just bought the pair of them!’

They join another 40-odd cars that Alexandra has parked in her, ahem, ‘shed’: ‘When I bought the Gordini, the engine ran terribly. It turned out the Weber carburettors came with a 45mm housing but were fitted with 40mm internals. In the end, they were completely rebuilt and the engine now runs very smoothly.’ The somewhat oddly shaped Renault 12 (a model originally unveiled at the 1969 Paris Motor Show) came with the 1565cc engine from the Renault 16TS. And as well as the afore-mentioned Webers, it boasted a five-speed gearbox and was good for 125bhp.

There were also disc brakes all round – ventilated at the front – plus lowered suspension. The major discrepancy, however, was that it was front-wheel drive. And that’s exactly what caused the problems: 125bhp from the 1.6-litre powerplant was too much for the front wheels, with drivers having to cope with a combination of ferocious wheelspin and bags of understeer. In fact, the car’s launch date was postponed several times for this reason.

By the time the R12 Gordini was officially ready for public consumption, it would be the summer of 1970. And that same year, the newcomer made its debut in the Renault Elf National Cup – although, sadly, the racing proved to be much less spectacular than it had been with the R8 Gordinis. The R12 just couldn’t match its highly-acclaimed predecessor, and Renault finally ceased production after four years – with a disappointing 5,188 cars sold in all.

The French car maker did try again the following year, though, with a Gordini version of the sleek and attractive Renault 17 coupe. This, however, turned out to be even less deserving of the Gordini name, being nothing more than a rebadged R17 TS, with Amedee Gordini having nothing to do with its development.

Although Gordini passed away in 1979, Renault has now revived the famous tuning brand with its launch of the new Renault Twingo RS Gordini. Whether or not the newcomer will live up to Amadee’s high standards is, however, entirely another matter…

Specifications

Renault 8 Gordini 1100
Engine 4-cylinder, 8v.
Capacity 1108cc
Max Power 77.5bhp @ 7000rpm
Transmission 4-spd man, RWD
Measures (l/w/h) 3.99m/1.49m/1.41m
Wheelbase 227
Kerb weight 800kg
Top speed 106 mph
Number built 2626

Renault 8 Gordini 1300
Engine 4-cyl, 8v.
Capacity 1255cc
Max Power 90bhp @ 6750rpm
Transmission 5-spd man, RWD
Measures (l/w/h) 3.99m/1.49m/1.41m
Wheelbase 227
Kerb weight 840kg
Top speed 109mph
Number built 8981

Published in the April 2010 issue of Classic Car Mart.

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