From the Dauphine to the Twingo: Amédé Gordini's work with Renaults.

Despite being a native of Italy, Amédé Gordini (born Amedeo) became well-known for his work with French manufacturer Renault. He was born in northern Italy in 1899 and at 27 years old he moved to France to work for Fiat’s racing team. He had great success as a racer but this article will focus on his work with Renault.

Gordini made the decision to quit racing in the mid 1950s due to financial problems. He pulled out almost completely when Pierre Dreyfus, Renault’s CEO at the time, approached him in 1956 to ask if he would take the reins of their motorsports division. Gordini accepted the offer and got to work on his first project, the Dauphine Gordini.

(Above: Jean Rédélé on the left, the man who created the first Alpine based on a Renault 4CV, and Amédé Gordini on the right.)

The Dauphine Gordini was not as heavily modified as subsequent Gordini models would turn out to be. In fact, the true sport version of the Dauphine wasn’t the Gordini but the 1093, a model that put out 55hp and that Renault built in very small numbers for homologation purposes. Interestingly enough the 1093 borrowed a fair amount of parts (12 volt electrics, larger headlights, etc) from the Dauphines built for export to the US market. Back to the Dauphine Gordini: one of the most important modifications was the use of a 4-speed transmission instead of the standard 3-speed. Gordini also raised the compression ratio and modified the head which raised the rear-mounted Ventoux engine’s output to 37hp, a small gain over a standard Dauphine. In 1960 minor modifications gave the engine 40hp and to make it a more appealing car Renault transferred the Ondine’s extra equipment (chrome side strips, cloth on the door panels, etc) to the Gordini. From 1964 until it was phased out in 1967 the Dauphine Gordini offered better braking thanks to four disc brakes transferred over from the Renault 8.

The next model Gordini modified was the Renault 8. A boxy four dour sedan introduced in 1962, the Renault 8 was the last rear-engined car made by Renault. The engine was a brand new four-cylinder 956cc unit that had already been installed in the Caravelle and the Estafette.

The 1964 press release introducing the Renault 8 Gordini began with the phrase “the Renault 8 will allow everyone who enjoys or has ever dreamed of driving a sports car to satisfy their passion without paying more than they would for a mass-produced car.” This was the first model to sport the French blue and white stripes paint combination that later made Gordini models instantly recognizable. Amédé Gordini (who by this time had become known as “le sorcier”, or “the sorcerer”) redesigned the head and bored the engine out to 1108cc. While that may not seem like much, it allowed the Renault 8 Gordini to achieve a top speed of about 110mph. And while that may not seem like much either, keep in mind that at the time a Citroen DS19, the goddess of the road, had a top speed of roughly 100mph. Case in point: very few sedans could keep up with the Renault 8 Gordini; the ones that could cost double the price.

The Renault 8 Gordini had a tremendously successful career in racing. It won the Tour de Corse in 1964, 1965 and 1966. In all three of the races it competed against much more expensive cars: in the 1964 race second place was an Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ; in 1965 an Alpine A110 came in second and sixth place was awarded to none other than an Alfa Romeo GTA; lastly, in 1966, second and sixth place were GTAs but perhaps more eye-opening is that the recently-launched Porsche 911 driven by Vic Elford placed third. A Lancia Fulvia HF won the race the next year and the best Renault 8 Gordini placed seventh.

In 1966 a race series exclusively reserved for Renault 8 Gordinis, called the Coupe R8 Gordini, was launched. It became a type of racing school for would-be race car drivers who could take their R8s out and flog it around a racecourse, often door to door or bumper to bumper, while learning how to master their tail-heavy car. This was also meant to prove to the public that Gordini versions were much more than mere blue paint, these were actual race cars you could take to the track.

Also in 1966 came the ultimate evolution of the Renault 8 Gordini, the Gordini 1300. As its name implies the engine had a displacement of 1300cc (110hp) and the car was easily distinguishable from its 1100cc counterpart thanks to its four headlights. With the 1300 Gordini also remedied what critics complained about the most with 1100: the car now had a 5-speed gearbox.

1970 marked the end of the Renault 8 Gordini and the Coupe R8 Gordini. The standard Renault 8 lingered on showroom floor until 1973.

(Above: Renault 8 Gordini 1300s competing in the Coupe R8 Gordini)

Renault purchased the rights to the Gordini name in 1969, the same year it launched the all-new Renault 12. The launch of the Gordini version was pushed back several times but it was finally launched in July of 1970. This car faced the near-impossible task of replacing the R8 Gordini in competition, on the sports car market but also in the hearts and minds of young enthusiasts. For the engine a 1565cc was borrowed from the Renault 16’s parts bin and sent to the Gordini workshop for modifications that included a pair of two barrel Weber carburetors. In sharp contrast with the Renault 8 the engine (like on all Renault 12s) was front-mounted and turned the front wheels. When all was said and done the Renault 12 Gordini pushed out 113hp and was good for about 115 miles per hour in 5^th gear. The car was finished in French blue with white stripes but some versions were orange with white stripes. Over the years numerous Renault 12s have been painted to look like Gordinis but the quickest way to tell from a distance if it’s a real Gordini or not is to look at the fuel filler: on standard R12s the fuel filler was located to the right of the license plate; on a 12 Gordini it comes out of the left quarter panel.

Renault launched the Coupe Nationale Renault Elf in 1971 to replace the Coupe R8 Gordini. The concept was the same as the old series except the cars were now Renault 12 Gordinis. The Coupe Nationale proved much less popular than the series for Renault 8s which marked the tip of the iceberg of the 12’s shortcomings. The Renault 12 Gordini was not very well received by professional race car drivers and enthusiasts alike and failed to replace the Renault 8 Gordini. The car was noticeably bigger and heavier than the nimble Renault 8 and the handling of the front-wheel drive Renault 12 was criticized endlessly by the masses which yearned for the tail happy Renault 8. Another important aspect of the Renault 8 Gordini that lacked on the 12 was that despite the blue paint and the four headlights the 8 was still an economy car. By contrast the Renault 12 was a midsize car and had a particularly large thirst for fuel, a trait that did not help its sales in the early 1970s. 2225 Renault 12 Gordinis were sold in 1971 but after that sales began a free fall. Renault stopped production in 1974 after 5188 had been sold (compared to 11,607 Renault 8 Gordinis)

The last Renault model to sport the Gordini name was the 17. The 17 itself was launched in 1971 as a coupe version of the Renault 12. The launch of the 17 merits another sway from the Gordini story: Renault launched the 17 with a sister model, the 15. The 15 was a standard hardtop coupe while the 17 could be ordered either as a hardtop coupe or with a large cloth sunroof. The 15 had large rear side windows while the 17 had smaller ones to accommodate metallic louvers. The front was also different, with the 17 having four round headlights (vaguely reminiscent of an Alfetta) and the 15 two square lights like the Renault 12.

When the Renault 12 Gordini was phased out in 1974 Renault took a Renault 17 TS, offered more standard equipment like tinted windows and called it the Renault 17 Gordini, the last Gordini model of the 20^th century. The engine was a 1600cc four-cylinder unit that used Bosch fuel injection and put out 108hp. Perhaps the most notable aspect of the Renault 17 Gordini was its ability to make the arguably-failed Renault 12 Gordini look like a commercial success. No race series was developed for this car and truth be told it had precious little in common with its Gordini roots. Unlike previous Gordinis the most common color was not blue with white stripes but yellow. It was phased out in 1977. Renault did race it with some success in various rallies around the world but competition from the Renault-Alpines, as well as the plans for the upcoming Renault 5 Turbo, put its racing career to an end. The Renault 15s and 17s left showroom floors in 1979 and were replaced by the Fuego, a coupe version of the Renault 18 that replaced the 12. Amédé Gordini died in 1979 and was buried in Paris.

In an attempt to surf the retro wave while realizing that it doesn’t have any models to bring back, Renault revived the Gordini name for the 2010 model year. The first car to have a Gordini badge is the Twingo Gordini. At first glance some might see it as a worthy descendant of the Renault 8 Gordini since the Twingo is a small economy car. Those who see that will be greatly disappointed: theTwingo Gordini costs 1,850 Euros more than the RS (Renault Sport) version but isn’t any quicker or any lighter. The car is loaded with equipment like leather, automatic A/C and cruise control. This new Gordini is more at home in the posh neighborhoods of Paris than on a racetrack. Jean-Marc Pinel, a spokesman for the Gordini nameplate at Renault, defends this new model by saying that “times have changed and the aspirations of young people as well. Plus, Renault did not want to propose a version quicker than the Renault Sport models.”

So why bring back the Gordini name? Patrice Duclos, director of Abarth in France, explained that “it’s always easier to relaunch a nameplate, even if it’s not very well known, than to create a new one.” The next Renault Gordini to hit showroom floors is the Clio Gordini which will be closer in spirit to the Twingo Gordini than the 8 Gordini.

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Porto.

A recent trip to Portugal left me amazed with how many old cars are running around in good shape. Even cars from the 1990s that you typically find in terrible shape here like a Citroen AX or a Peugeot 205 still sport shiny paint and untorn interiors. In the city of Porto I spotted classic cars by the dozen, below is a sampling of what is around.

By far the most common classic cars are 1980s Mercedes sedans. A fair amount of w201 190s (of both the E and the D type) still roam the streets as taxis and private cars. w124s are plentiful as well but w210 E-Classes seem to slowly replace the taxis. And, plenty of people still enjoy the bomb-proof w123s as their daily transportation.

w201 190E taxi followed by a w204 C220 CDI taxi:

w201 190D:
w124 200D:w126 280SE: Saving the best for last, a small sample of the w123s I photographed over five days:

240D: 300D:

If you own a Mercedes in Portugal there are two fairly active clubs, the Clube w123 Portugal (exclusively for w123s, though other vintage Mercedes are invited) and the Mercedistas club (open to all Mercedes).

A couple of Fiats were present as well, starting with this Fiat 600:

Fiat 850 Coupe:Miscellaneous German cars; a carbureted BMW 316 and an early 1960s Beetle:

Lastly, a pair of air-cooled Citroens; a Mehari and a 2CV6:

The latest addition: 1974 Porsche 914 1.8

As some readers will recall, the silver '74 Porsche 914 my father and I had been continuously restoring since 1999 was wrecked. After much consideration, my dad and I decided that repairing the car at this point wasn't going to happen and the search began for another 914. Earlier this March, a very nice Marathon Blue 1974 914 1.8 appeared on eBay and later that week we were the proud new owners.

The original owner, according to the original owner's manual, was a Ms. Ursula Nelson of Hyannis Massachusetts. She purchased the car from Hyannis Porsche + Audi on February 26th, 1974 with 10 miles on the odometer. On April 23rd of that year, she had it brought in for the scheduled "600 Mile Service" with 1,060 miles and finally stopped having Porsche+Audi service the car after that. Undoubtedly due to their notoriously high prices. At some point, the car was sold to an owner in Vermont, and then to another owner in New Hampshire in 1993. He recently passed away, and the car was then put up on eBay by his family. Always garaged, never driven in foul weather, and expertly maintained by Porsche specialist Blair Talbot Motors in NH, the 'new' blue 914 was even better than we had expected.

The best way to describe this example is "original" - very original. From the fully intact tool kit, to the vintage Michelin ZX spare tire mounted on a VW rim, and even the functioning Sapphire radio and VDO clock. The car is powered by its original 1.8 L fuel injected "Type 4" engine, though curiously, it sports a 2.0 badge added by a previous owner. The car only has 55,000 fully documented miles on it, and every detail including its spotless interior and engine bay as well as gleaming trim and perfect panel gaps will attest to that.

It's equipped with the "Appearance Group" options which include center console with gauges, and leatherette wrapped steering wheel. Unlike our silver 914, which was built in September of 1973, the blue car has later style instrumentation without the silver button over the gauge needles - one of many slight detail changes during the model run of the 914. This car is also equipped with optional intermittent wipers (though this function doesn't seem to work any longer) and also fog lights from the factory, passenger side rear-view mirror, and Bendix Sapphire XIX radio. Interestingly no 914 ever left the factory with a radio as they were all dealer installed but nearly every North American model had one put in before it made it to the showroom floor. A variety of examples were available, including Becker and Blaupunkt units, though the rather cheap Sapphire was most common.

What is not original however, are the wider Continental tires mounted black accented Fuchs wheels and a short-shift kit.(Eventually the wheels will be stripped and fully polished again.) Old-style Michelins are available through Coker Tires for originality's sake, though for a real driver's car the more modern rubber is preferable. It's rare to find an unmolested 914, and driving this car is a real insight into what one would have experienced in 1974.

The 1.8 L engine is not exactly what one might call 'sporty' - and rightfully so considering it was intended for the VW 411 and Bus. That's not to say it's a total slug though. It's got ample torque and in spite of it's mere 73 horsepower, the power-plant can still briskly carry the 2300 lb. car. This was also one of the earliest engines to use Bosch's L-Jetronic electronic fuel injection system, which, while rather primitive by today's standards, is really quite good when properly maintained. The 1.8 liter L-Jet engined car is naturally not as powerful as its 2.1 liter Weber carbed stable-mate. Although like all 914s, its well suited to long distance high-speed through-way runs as I more than aware of on the 630 mile drive back from New Hampshire at an average 70 mph. The engine never got hot, the heater worked brilliantly, and the old sealed beam headlights were actually pretty good.

The front of the car rides a little on the high side due to US bumper and headlight height regulations, though this is fairly easily changed by adjusting the position of the torsion bars in the 911-sourced suspension. (Note the front of the silver 914, which has had the front torsion bars turned by a few splines to lower and stiffen it.) The short shift kit, as the name would suggest, allows for shorter throws of the gear selector, though it also makes the shifter lower and a little out of reach. The gear selection is quite precise though in spite of the rather complicated mechanism required to reach the transmission at the rear of the car. As with all 914s, the steering is sharp and quick without a hint of play and if fitted with the original 165 SR 15 tires, would be even quicker. Perhaps a little too quick if you're not used to it. That being said, the current 205 / 55 R15 tires are about as wide as you can fit on a 914 without wider fenders and they perform more than adequately.

In the future, we intend to fit the car with chrome bumpers and some NPR flat-top pistons to make the engine displacement 2 liters, as well as the aforementioned suspension settings. Perhaps what the car needs most of all is the Porsche crest that 914s never came with. Of course, be sure to check back here at RWP for future updates on this, as well as all of our cars.
The 914, while often under-appreciated compared to the iconic 911, is just as true of a Porsche as the first 356 of 1948. A modest economical Volkswagen engine placed in the middle, a lightweight yet solid chassis, superlative handling, and a little radical looking.

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Between the bugs and the benz.

In the 1960s European families progressively earned more and demanded larger, roomier cars. In response to this Citroen introduced the GS in 1970, Renault introduced the 12 in 1969 and Simca reacted first by introducing the 1100 in 1967, and that’s only the French car makers! Peugeot’s answer was the 304, launched in 1969 at the Paris auto show.

The 304’s overall styling is reminiscent of the smaller 204 sedan; in fact, both sedans use the same doors. The 304 is longer, though, and the front is unmistakably inspired by the bigger 504 sedan. The first version introduced was a sedan but a station wagon (“break” in French), a coupe and a convertible were all introduced a year later. It’s worth noting that after Renault phased out its Caravelle in 1968, Peugeot was the only French carmaker offering a mass-produced convertible.

The engine that powered all variants was a transversally-mounted gasoline four-cylinder borrowed from the 204’s parts bin and pushed to 1288cc, giving it a healthy 65hp. A four-speed manual transmission came standard across the line and turned the front wheels. The engine sat on top of the transmission and the two shared the same oil. The independent suspension was lifted directly from the 204, saving Peugeot the expense of developing a new setup while giving them the peace of mind of using a time-tested design.

Production remained steady and without significant changes until 1972 when the sportier, better-equipped and more expensive “S” models were introduced. The “S” trim was available first on the coupe/convertible and later on the sedan. These cars benefitted from a tachometer, headrests and a floor-mounted shifter, just to name a few changes. Under the hood the engine remained the same but power output was pushed to 70hp. Peugeot also took this opportunity to slightly restyle the sedan, giving it new vertical taillights.

The next important evolution for the 304 came in 1976. At the time Peugeot boasted about producing the smallest four-door car in Europe, the 104 with 3m58 in length, but it could also boast about having the smallest displacement diesel engine in a passenger car, the 1357cc four-cylinder that powered the 204. This powerplant moved up to the 304 when the 204 disappeared from showrooms. It got excellent gas mileage but with a mere 45hp / 57 lb-ft of torque it struggled in the performance department and the 304’s top speed in diesel form was 130 kilometers per hour, or roughly 80mph.

Sales dropped slowly as the 304 aged in the late 1970s. Peugeot introduced the 305 in late-1979 and 1980 marked the end of the 304’s eleven-year career. Following the 204’s example the station wagon version was the last to be phased out as production dwindled down. The last 304 station wagons were available with the 305’s 1549cc diesel, increasing horsepower and torque to 47 and 63 respectively, a small but noticeable improvement over the smaller unit it inherited from the 204. When all was said and done Peugeot built 1,178,423 304s; 849,103 of them were sedans. While today sedans and wagons have largely joined the legions of forgotten French cars, the coupes and convertibles are steadily increasing in value.

Emblem that designates "S" models:

Interior of the "S" model with round gauges (as opposed to rectangular ones), a tachometer and a floor mounted shifter:

Rear of the station wagon:

Side view of the sedan:

Coupe: Convertible:
Some ads for the North American market; note the market-specific headlights:

The 305 that replaced the 304:

Designing for South Bend in Stuttgart

We didn't get any correct guesses for this mystery car, though our Facebook readers were close with American brands...

Even in the early 1950s, the writing was starting to appear on the wall; “compact” cars were going to be the next big thing in the auto industry. Certainly the Europeans had a good handle on this, but as we know, Detroit is often a little slow on the uptake. GM, Ford, and Chrysler had yet to downsize their monstrous cars. American Motors was beginning to make smaller cars and Studebaker (still independent at this time) took notice.
Ferry Porsche came to the United States in 1951 for the first time since WWII. Evidently Porsche’s designs for the Germans impressed some of the opposition as Ferry was contacted by the US for a military project. While in New York, he met with his importer Max Hoffman. Porsche expressed interest in more consulting work stateside and Hoffman knew just the right person to contact.
Richard Hutchinson, head of Studebaker exports, was a friend of Hoffman’s who took interest in having Porsche design a small car more in-line with American market tastes. Even though Hoffman struggled to sell VWs and only distributed them from 1950 to 1953, Hutchinson liked the idea of the Volkswagen and personally had one of the first Beetles shipped to him while VW was still under British control after the war. His plan was for Studebaker to become the exclusive importer of Volkswagens, and he tried very hard to do so, but the firm’s bosses disagreed. (Imagine if they had signed the deal – by the time Studebaker closed, VW had sold well over 100,000 Beetles in the US.) Nevertheless, Hutchinson still arranged for Porsche to meet with Studebaker officials in 1952.
Ferry Porsche, Erwin Komenda, Karl Rabe, Leopold Schmid, and Max Hoffman drove a 356 coupe and their latest sedan prototype, the Type 530, to South Bend, Indiana. The 530 was not overly impressive to the Studebaker people, but Porsche’s potential prevailed and an agreement was reached.


According to the contract, the car, which would be known as the Type 542, was to be a front-engined sedan, rear-wheel-drive, and use a six cylinder (air cooled) power plant. Porsche embarked on a radical design for the time in terms of the engine. The initial proposal was an entirely air-cooled 120° 3.0L V6. This wide angle was chosen due to its inherent balance and required a less complex crankshaft. Studebaker was concerned about trouble with interior heating and noise from an air-cooled unit. Subsequently, Porsche also proposed a similar V6 using water-cooled cylinders and air-cooled heads. The heated water would then be used for a more conventional heating system, but Studebaker still felt the blower fan was too loud. Ultimately, a final entirely water-cooled iron block version of the V6 was decided upon. Iron was chosen due to obvious cost restrictions, but also because Studebaker was not well equipped to work with aluminum castings. Regardless, all versions of the V6 used aluminum heads and pistons. Fuel was fed through a single Stromberg carburetor, though Porsche had also experimented with using six Zenith carbs and even Bosch fuel injection. The engine produced 106 hp at 3,500 rpm and weighed 455 lbs.

Above: The air and water cooled engine. Below: The final water-cooled engine.

Studebaker supplied Porsche with numerous parts (including wheels, brakes, handles, a transmission, and steering gear) for the car from their existing inventory to keep costs down and some similarity across the brand’s lineup.
The suspension was fully independent all-around. The front was rather unique in that it combined trailing links like a Beetle with coil springs. The rear was similar in design, also using trailing links with coil springs – something that would not appear on a Porsche model until the 914 in 1969.
Studebaker had always used body-on-frame chassis designs before, but the 542 called for unit body construction. While parts were constructed in South Bend, Studebaker wanted to be able to transport the unfinished cars to a final assembly plant in California. As a result, Porsche developed a removable front section that bolted on at the firewall. This allowed Studebaker to transport the bodies by special railroad cars that they had developed for their other vehicles.
Styling wise, Studebaker preferred their designer, the famed Raymond Lowey. For the prototype though, it was necessary for Porsche to have an entire car due to the unit-body construction. This was produced by Reutter who was of course also building 356s.
The 542 was completed in 1954 and after some testing in Europe, was shipped to the United States.
Unfortunately, Studebaker was struggling too much with finances due to poor sales from quality control issues and stiff competition from Detroit and that same year merged with Packard. The new management lost interest in the project as it would have been too costly to produce at the time. Studies had also shown that now the public preferred cars like the Beetle when it came to smaller cars. Porsche had been afraid of this and even proposed yet another design to Studebaker-Packard, the Type 633. This concept was surprisingly similar to the yet-to-be-born Corvair – rear engined, air-cooled, and smaller. Studebaker-Packard could not afford further development however.

Above: A Studebaker sketch for a small car. Note rear air intake fins.

Eventually, the 542 project would get some attention again in 1956 after John Z. DeLorean – then director of experimental engineering had a look at it. He was not impressed however and the project was over. In 1956, Curtis-Wright of aircraft fame took managerial control of Studebaker to try and turn the company around. Interestingly a Studebaker Lark was modified by Curtis-Wright to use a Porsche 356 drive train with Type-2 Bus gear-reduction, though this too remained a one-off. While the American firm struggled on, the project had supplied a good deal of funding to Porsche when they needed it most. While Studebaker and Packard were closing factories, Porsche was building new ones. Studebaker-Packard did manage to get a piece of the late 1950s imported car market eventually though – they became the American importers of Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union before exiting the auto industry all together in the mid 1960s. (Imagine what Max Hoffman must have thought.) The rest, as they say, is history.


Much research credit must be given to Karl Ludvigsen's articles on this topic from the mid-1970s.