Renault's revival of the fittest

The famous Gordini had distinctive blue paintwork with white stripes.

Renault used the launch of its new Renaultsport Megane 250 sports hatch to confirm it would revive one of its most famous sporting badges - Gordini.

The first car to wear the badge will be the small Twingo, in 2010. It will be followed by hot versions of the Clio, as well as the new Megane Coupe.

All three will wear the famous Gordini blue paintwork along with striking white stripes and contrasting black alloys.

The French carmaker will aim the Gordini Twingo at Mini, which has enjoyed worldwide success with its factory Cooper and Cooper S models and
the specialised John Cooper Works variants.

Stephen Norman, Renault's senior vice-president of global marketing, confirmed at Geneva both Gordini and Gordini S cars are likely.

"The aim is to reintroduce Gordini along the lines of the Mini Cooper and Cooper S," he said.

That would allow the Renaultsport brand to move further up the range, building on the new models unveiled at Geneva.

The Gordini models would offer warm performance from a likely line-up of new small-capacity turbocharged engines.

The Gordini moniker will sit just below the Renaultsport performance range, the latest of which was unveiled at the Geneva motor show.

The new Megane Renaultsport 250 fuses a boosted 2-litre 186kW four-cylinder engine with the choice of two chassis, Sport and Cup, the latter with a limited-slip differential.

The only hatchback on New Zealand roads offering that output through the front wheels is the Mazda MPS. The 30th anniversary model of the Volkswagen Golf GTi comes close, with 171kW.

The new Ford Focus RS is the big daddy of the go-fast hatchbacks, with 224kW through the front wheels. It is expected to arrive in New Zealand later in the year in limited numbers.

Coming after Megane F1 Team R26 and Megane R26.R, the new Megane Renaultsport 250 profits fully from Renault Sport Technologies' extensive high-performance experience.

Gordinis will also get a wide mix of paint schemes, body stripes and alloy wheel combinations. It's an approach that's worked well for Mini - and Fiat, with its Abarth line-up - and Renault hopes to capitalise.

Norman suggested that Gordini could be used as the backbone of a new club racing formula.

Gordini cars first came to prominence when they raced in Formula One in the 1950s. The sportscar firm was founded by Amedee Gordini, nicknamed "The Sorcerer." Gordini had close ties with another small French carmaker, Simca, whose founder Henri Pigozzi also shared Italian origins.

Later Gordini worked with Renault as an engine tuner and finally sold his firm to Renault, which entered Renault-Gordini cars at the Le Mans 24-hour race from 1962 until 1969. Gordini continued to work with Renault, tuning engines and creating fast road cars, including the 8, 12 and, lastly, in the 1980s, the Gordini 5.

The idea to bring the name back is part of a push by Renault to boost its perception. Renault chiefs believe the new designs - such as the Renaultsport Megane Coupe and Clio - plus the arrival of Gordini will lift sales. The decision to revive the brand came after top brass ditched plans for an Alpine comeback, which would have included a new sports car. But Renault decided to focus on ranges that make financial sense in the downturn.