Gordini
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive |
| Founded | 1946 |
| Founder | Amédée Gordini |
| Fate | Incorporated into Renault Sport |
| Headquarters | Viry-Châtillon (since 1969) , France |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | René Vuaillat (from 1976) |
| Products | Sports cars, performance tuning, Formula One cars |
| Owner | Renault |
| Parent | Renault Sport Technologies |
Gordini () operates as a branch within Renault Sport Technologies (Renault Sport). Established in 1946 by Amédée Gordini (1899–1979), who earned the moniker "Le Sorcier" (The Sorcerer), Gordini initially focused on sports car manufacturing and performance tuning. The brand joined Renault's portfolio in 1968 and was fully incorporated into Renault Sport by 1976.
History
Amédée Gordini's involvement with car tuning and racing began in the 1930s, which eventually led to a collaboration with Simca, the French assembler of Fiat vehicles, to develop both motorsport initiatives and production automobiles. In 1946, Gordini introduced its first single-seater cars powered by Fiat engines, securing numerous wins. The company set up a workshop in Paris and actively participated in sports car competitions and Grand Prix racing during the late 1940s and early 1950s. Due to political disagreements, Gordini ended its partnership with Simca in 1951.
Between 1950 and 1956, Gordini competed in Formula One, making a brief comeback in 1957 with an eight-cylinder engine, while also achieving success in Formula Two racing. After withdrawing from F1, Gordini worked alongside Renault as an engine tuner, entering Renault-Gordini vehicles at the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 1962 through 1969 and providing engine tuning for Alpine. The 1957 Dauphine Gordini—a modified version of the Renault Dauphine—proved commercially successful. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Gordini-tuned Renault cars also attained several rally victories.
In 1963, plans were made to move Gordini’s headquarters to Noisy-le-Roi. By late 1968, Amédée Gordini retired and sold a majority share (70%) of the company to Renault. The following year, operations relocated to Viry-Châtillon, transforming into Renault’s performance division before merging with Alpine in 1976 to create Renault Sport. On January 1, 1976, René Vuaillat assumed leadership of Gordini. The brand name became fully owned by Renault in 1977.
Renault released several performance models under the Gordini badge, including the Renault 5, Renault 8, Renault 12, and Renault 17. In November 2009, Renault revived the Gordini name for a premium range of sporty hatchbacks, paralleling Fiat’s Abarth revival strategy. Present-day vehicles carrying the Gordini emblem include the Renault Twingo and Renault Clio.
Models
- Dauphine Gordini (1957–1967)
- Renault 8 Gordini (1964–1970)
- Renault 12 Gordini (1970–1974)
- Renault 17 Gordini (1974–1978)
- Renault 5 Gordini (1979–1985; exclusive to UK market)
- Clio Gordini RS (2010–present)
- Twingo Gordini (2010–present)
- Twingo Gordini RS (2010–present)
- Wind Gordini (2011–2013)
Car colours
Traditionally, Gordini vehicles are finished in bleu de France, recognized as France's national racing colour, often complemented by white stripes; however, alternative color schemes have occasionally been employed.
Formula One results
(key)
| Year | Chassis | Engine | Driver | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:F1 | Simca-Gordini Type 15 | Gordini straight-4 | GBR | MON | 500 | SUI | BEL | FRA | ITA | |||
| Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Robert Manzon | Ret | 4 | Ret | |||||||||
| Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Maurice Trintignant | Ret | Ret | ||||||||||
| Template:F1 | Simca-Gordini Type 15 | Gordini straight-4 | SUI | 500 | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | ITA | ESP | ||
| Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall André Simon | Ret | Ret | 6 | Ret | ||||||||
| Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Robert Manzon | Ret | 7 | Ret | 9 | ||||||||
| Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Maurice Trintignant | Ret | Ret | DNS | Ret | ||||||||
| Template:F1 | Gordini Type 16 | Gordini straight-6 | SUI | 500 | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | NED | ITA | ||
| Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Robert Manzon | Ret | 3 |
style:"background:#DFFFDF;" |4 |
style:"background:#EFCFFF;" | Ret |
style:"background:#EFCFFF;" | Ret |
style:"background:#DFFFDF;" |5 |
style:"background:#CFCFFF;" |14 |
(† denotes shared driving)