Gordini is a division of Renault Sport Technologies (Renault Sport). In the past, it was a sports car manufacturer and performance tuner, established in 1946 by Amédée Gordini, nicknamed "Le Sorcier" (The Sorcerer). Gordini became a division of Renault in 1968 and of Renault Sport in 1976.

Amédée Gordini tuned cars and competed in motor races since the 1930s. His results prompted Simca (the French assembler of Fiat) to hire him for its motorsport program and to develop road cars. Their association continued after World War II.

In 1946, Gordini introduced the first cars bearing his name, Fiat-engined single-seaters raced by him and Jose Scaron, achieving several victories.

Gordini competed in Formula One from 1950 to 1956 (with a brief return in 1957 with an eight cylinder engine), although it achieved a major success in Formula Two during that period.

After its Formula One program ended, Gordini worked with Renault as an engine tuner, entering Renault-Gordini cars at the 24 Hours of Le Mans between 1962 and 1969. It also tuned engines for Alpine, a rival sports car manufacturer also associated with Renault. In 1957, Gordini and Renault manufactured the Dauphine Gordini, a modified version of the Renault Dauphine which was a sales success.

18s

Just two new Type 18S Gordinis were built. The tubular chassis, numbered 020 and 021. Designed and built by Gordini, the bodywork was highly original, made entirely from Duralumin and with great care taken over its aerodynamics. The 1491cc Type 15C engine was fitted with a Wade RO15 supercharger made from magnesium and was rated as equivalent to a 2982cc naturally-aspirated unit. Chassis no. 020S (S for Sport), fitted with engine no. 16, was allocated to Fangio and González (no. 33), while chassis no. 021S, with engine no. 18, was assigned to Trintignant and Manzon (no. 32).

In Formula 1 spec, the 15C engines developed 138–140bhp at 5500rpm. But in Le Mans trim, their power was reduced because of the ACO regulations which stipulated the use of commercially available 80-octane petrol. This did not prevent Fangio from reaching 235kph on the Hunaudières, as fast as Louis Rosier’s 4.5-litre Talbot T26GS (11055).

dauphine

The Renault Dauphine is a rear-engined economy car manufactured by Renault in a single body style – a three-box, 4-door sedan – as the successor to the Renault 4CV; more than two million were manufactured during its 1956–1967 production.

The Gordini version was offered with a 4-speed transmission, four-wheel disc brakes from 1964 and increased horsepower, performance tuned by Amédée Gordini to 37 hp. Both Dauphine Gordini and Ondine Gordini variants were offered.

r1134

The Renault 8 (Renault R8 until 1964) and Renault 10 are two rear-engined, rear-wheel drive small family cars produced by the French manufacturer Renault in the 1960s and early 1970s.

A more powerful version, the 8 model R1134 Gordini, was released in 1964, with a tuned engine of the same capacity but developing 90 PS.  The R1134 Gordini was originally available only in blue, with two stick-on white stripes. It was also distinguishable from the 8 Major by the bigger 200mm headlamp units. In 1965, the Renault 10 Major, a more luxurious version of the 8 with different front and rear styling, was released, replacing the 8 Major.

In 1967, the R8 Gordini (model R1135) received a facelift including two additional headlights (in effect Cibie Oscar driving lights), and its engine upgraded to a 1255cc unit rated at 100 PS.

At the end of 1968, Gordini retired and sold a 70% majority stake from his firm to Renault. Renault-Gordini was moved to Viry-Châtillon in 1969 and became a sport division of Renault, before being merged with Alpine to form Renault Sport in 1976. On 1 January 1976, René Vauillat became director of Gordini. The Gordini company name became wholly owned by Renault in 1977.

Renault sold Gordini-badged performance versions of models including the Renault 5, the Renault 8 the Renault 12 and the Renault 17.

Since its early Renault models the most characteristic colour scheme of Gordini cars has been bleu de France (the French motor racing colour) with white stripes, although different combinations have been used over the years.

In November 2009, Renault announced that it would be reviving the Gordini name for an exclusive line of hot hatches, in a similar fashion to Fiat's revival of its Abarth name. Modern models to bear the name include the Renault Twingo and the Renault Clio.

type 16

The Gordini T16 was a Formula 2 racing car that was developed by Gordini in 1952 and also used in the Formula 1 World Championship until 1957. In 1952, the T16 was Gordini's first new monoposto development since the late 1940s. With the Gordini T15 , Jean-Pierre Wimille had some successes in 1948. The vehicles were small, light and fast, but had a filigree tubular space frame.  The first engine was a 2-liter six-cylinder unit with a double camshaft and two Weber carburetors that developed 170 hp. The car was developed according to the technical regulations of Formula 2.

In 1954 , the T16s were adapted to the new Formula 1 regulations and received a new 2.5-liter engine. However, the engine was too heavy for the light frame, so that this year was mainly characterized by breakdowns. At the end of the year the T16s were sold to private drivers and the team concentrated on developing the successor model, the T32 .

type 32

Eight-cylindercars. A completely new Gordini was a novelty, and the T32 straight eight unveiled at Montlhery late in the summer of 1955 looked promising. Gordini clung to a ladder-type tubular chassis, but used independent suspension all round and the Messier disc brakes that had been brought in on the late sixes. Its straight eight (75 x 70mm, 2498cc) was the last of the type in a formula car and was initially rated at 250bhp, although that figure was revised down at the end of the year. It had a corpulent body, which was smooth only until the realities of racing called for revision. Only two were built, and they proved large, heavy and uncompetitive. The Gordini eight was last seen at Pau early in 1957.