The afternoon trawl around YouTube for Time For Tea? videos is never a chore when it turns up treats like this. Created to promote an extremely rare Gordini Type 24 S offered for sale earlier in the year by RM Auctions the car received a 'high bid' of 2.5m euros, the implication of that being that it wasn't high enough...
Generously you might associate Gordini with rally prepped Renault Dauphines, 8s, 12s and the like competing in the distinctive French racing blue with white stripes in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Those with a shorter memory will perhaps remember the ill-advised 'Renaultsport lux' versions of the Twingo, Clio and Wind bearing the same name and colour scheme that was more marketing than motorsport.
Quality and quantity on the side exhaust front
You might not have known the pre-Renault Gordini was building and racing cars alongside Maserati, Ferrari, Jaguar and others in big-league sportscar and road racing events in the 50s, not to mention dabbling in F1. This Type 24 S has a fascinating history, detailed in RM's catalogue entry and
well worth a read
A straight-eight engine built from two conjoined 1.5-litre fours, delicate looking bodywork and fearsome exhaust note from its impressive brace of pipes down the side are all standout features, racing history from Le Mans, the Carrera Panamericana, Mille Miglia and other legendary events all adding up to an incredible provenance. It might not have the fame of some of the cars it competed against but that somehow makes it cooler.
Words and pictures only count for so much though. Seeing the thing been given the beans around Montlhery will really make you sit up and take notice. And don't worry about the tinkly piano music at the beginning. Once the car gets going the production crew wisely leave the car to sing its own tune... Turn it up loud!
[Source and photo: RM Auctions]