Thursday 17th April 2014

Gordini at Montlhery: Time For Tea?

Never heard - or heard of - the Gordini Type 24 S? Prepare to be amazed!

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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]

[IDrinkPetrol]

Holy heavenly hand-grenade, Batman! When it sings the son of its people....

Giggetty.

[mybrainhurts]

Sacre bleu et zut alors, le grand feckin' noise est superbement.

[Fantuzzi]

Shame it doesn't look as good as it sounds...

Also a shame RM didn't do all of there videos to this standard, no stupid music. I don't want atmospheric music I want atmospheric engine sounds...

[Fetchez la vache]

Oh myyyyyyy!

[Leggy]

Has the front melted?

[sideways man]

Wish my mx5 sounded like this

[soad]

Sound of fury, I agree.

[FarmerJim]

Want.

[ellroy]

What a wonderful thing that is.

[Toymad]

Um, brace means two and I count four exhausts? Glorious noise though.

[virgilio]

straight 8 engines... probably the best sounding configuration ever.

Pity for the packaging issues, but I would love to see a courageous manufacturer launching one in 2014! Perhaps if it would be mounted transversally amidsihp it wouldn't even be too bad in terms of packaging.

[zeduffman]

Wouldn't mind rocking up to a Sunday Service in one of those.

[Ipelm]

My god whats happened to PH? A 2CV and the Gordini in one week.......fantastic! More please; at this rate you will be giving the wonderful Petrolicious a run for its money.

Keep driving tastefully

[Fantuzzi]

Ipelm said:

at this rate you will be giving the wonderful Petrolicious a run for its money.

Keep driving tastefully

I wish Classic driver would come back, as opposed to the bullst its become. fk all to do with cars just overpriced and oversized watches for those interested in 'car culture' rather than cars.