Gordini Simca 8

About this model

In the summer of 1937, Amédée Gordini secretly acquired one of the first Fiat 508 C 8s, which was marketed as the Fiat 1100 in Italy and the Simca 8 in France. His mission was to transform it into a racing car, but he was strictly forbidden to unveil it until Simca had given its approval. The production model was not due to be presented until the Paris Motor Show that same year.

At his workshop in Suresnes, Gordini immediately dismantled the bodywork. The chassis was extensively reinforced and the damping was strengthened. The brake drums were replaced with aluminium units fitted with Rudge hubs and wire-spoke wheels with sheet-metal rims. The fuel tank was also relocated from the rear overhang to the centre of the cockpit on the right-hand side to counterbalance the rider's weight.

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Engine preparation followed Gordini's tried-and-tested methods: planning the cylinder head, meticulously polishing the combustion chambers and ducts, balancing the crankshaft and connecting rods, and lightening the flywheel. As for the bodywork, Amédée Gordini designed a body inspired by the previous two Simca Cinq Gordinis, with wings integrated into the central section.

'It was Launay, a carpenter from Suresnes, who drew the large 1:1 scale plan,' explains Christian Huet, author of the book Gordini, un sorcier, une équipe. Gabriel Beausser, a sheet metal worker hired by Gordini in 1936, hammered out the 1 mm aluminium and 0.8 mm duralumin sheet metal with great dexterity. The overall shape is very streamlined, with the right-hand door smaller than the left and the underside of the chassis fully streamlined. The radiator grille, adorned with the Simca-Fiat badge, echoes the heart shape of the Simca 8.