Gordini became famous for its rally success
The Gordini name is officially set to return to hot Renaults. The comeback will start with the Renault Twingo Gordini RS (set to be revealed later this month), with a Clio version following in a few months time.
The return of the Gordini badge marks Renault's renewed commitment to performance hatches, just as Peugeot is pulling out of the hot hatch market.
The new Gordini Renaults won't be more extreme versions of current Renaultsport offerings, however. Instead, the Gordinis will sit at the top of a three-tier performance range, with budget GT-badged warm hatches at the bottom, Renaultsport models in the middle, and more luxury-oriented (albeit mechanically identical) Gordini models at the top.
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In fact, one of Gordini's main tasks will be to tackle 'lifestyle' competitors such as the Mini and Fiat 500 by offering more luxurious offerings with a greater range of 'personalisation' options.
Gordini breathed on more than 200,000 Renaults during the 1960s and 1970s, perhaps the most famous of which was the Renault 8 Gordini (pictured above right), which was a successful rally competitor in the 1960s. The last car to wear the Gordini badge was the 1976 Renault 5 Gordini, arguably one of the first hot hatches.