- Amédée Gordini
Amédée Gordini (
June 23 ,1899 –May 25 ,1979 ) was an Italian-born race car driver and sports car manufacturer inFrance .Gordini was born in
Bazzano ,Province of Bologna in theEmilia-Romagna region of northernItaly . He was a young boy when he became fascinated with automobiles and racing. In his early teens, he worked as a mechanic for Alfieri Maserati. After serving in the Italian army duringWorld War I , in 1926 he settled inParis ,France and raced cars forFiat inGrand Prix motor racing events and at the24 hours of Le Mans .In the 1930s he joined with
Simca to improve their engines and eventually founded theGordini company to build a line of sports cars for racing. In the 1940s, his son Aldo joined his racing team as a mechanic and occasional driver.The cars that Amédée Gordini sent to the race track in Le Mans were very fast. Gordini, France’s legendary engine tuner, also called the “sorcerer”, breathed Grand Prix performance into regular engines - a feat no one believed possible. The
Musée National de l'Automobile de Mulhouse inMulhouse ,France featuring the (Schlumpf Collection) has in its collection Grand Prix and road racing cars of the Gordini brand. Exhibits include a type 16 Grand Prix from 1954, a single seater type 32 from 1956 and the Gordini 26 S, the car driven by the famous French authoress Françoise Sagan.After
World War II , obtaining financial support for racing became increasingly difficult and Gordini's long relationship with Simca ended in 1956. However, theRenault car company engaged him and Gordini notably developed theRenault Caravelle ,Renault 5 Alpine Turbo ,Renault 8 ,Renault 12 and theRenault 17 amongst others.External links
* [http://www.collection-schlumpf.com/en/schlumpf// Schlumpf Collection website - English]
* [http://www.classicrallies.com/blog/index.php?/archives/993-Panhard-Levassor,-Gordini-and-De-Dion-Bouton-at-Bremen-Classic-Motorshow.html/ classicrallies.com coverage of Bremen Classic Motorshow 2008 including Gordinis]In 1953 the government of France awarded Amédée Gordini the
Legion of Honor .Amédée Gordini died in 1979 in Paris and was buried in the Montmartre Cemetery.
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