The Renault Gordini brand will be revived with a new Twingo Gordini to be revealed on November 25, ready for the market in spring next year. It will be followed by the Renault Clio Gordini and then a Megane Gordini version. The models will appear alonside the Renault Sport models already available, and will come into direct competition with Abarth and John Cooper Works models.

To celebrate the return of the Gordini brand, here’s a historic gallery for you. The new models will take on the same classic blue tint with two white stripes. The first Renault Gordini model that was produced was the Dauphine Gordini back in 1958, with an 845 engine producing 38 hp. It was the start of a successful brand, with four of five top places in the 1964 Tour de Corsica going to Gordini, leading to the inauguration of the Gordini cup in 1966.

The Gordini looks very much like the French version of the Italian job, and the classic model was the Gordini R8 with four round headlights and the exclusive “bleu de France” livery. The 1964 model of the Corsica rally was equipped with a 1100 engine with 90 hp and a five-speed gearbox. In 1966 the first 1300 Gordini R8 was used with 100 hp. About 11,500 Renault 8 Gordini models were produced, and about 9,000 of these were the 1300 version.

The R8 was replaced by the Renault 12 Gordini in 1971 which had a 1.6-litre engine and 125 hp. Competition models were equipped with a 1.6-litre engine with 160 hp which achieved a top speed of more than 200 km/hr. The last Renault Gordini model produced was the 17 Gordini, which didn’t have the same success as previous models, with production ending in 1979.

Renault Gordini history

Source | Autoblog.it

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