Engineer and Sport Car constructor. He began working in a garage at the age of 11 and later joined a Fiat dealership in Bologna and came under the guidance of Eduardo Weber, who would later make his name as a carburetor manufacturer. At 14 he moved to Isotta-Fraschini where he worked with Alfieri Maserati and after serving in the Italian infantry in World War I he returned to Isotta-Fraschini and built his first car. After that he moved to Mantua and there began a tuning business for Hispano-Suiza. He moved to Paris in the early 1920s. He began to modify and tune Fiats and in 1934, when Pigozzi began to build Fiat copies under the Simca name, he began to tune Simca engines. His first successes came that year with victory in Bol d'Or at Saint-Germain and this was followed by many other class victories including the Index of Performance at Le Mans in 1938 and 1939.In September 1945 Gordini became the first man to win a post-war event when he triumphed in the Robert Benoist Cup in the Bois de Boulogne. In 1953 the man who was nicknamed "The Sorcerer" was recognised by France with his appointment as a Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur.In 1956 Simca stopped all support for Gordini but Renault came to his rescue and asked Gordini to develop the Dauphine into a competitive rally car. In the years that followed he developed the Renault 8 for racing and helped Alpine with its efforts at Le Mans.At the end of 1968 the Gordini company was merged into Renault and the following year moved to the Usine Amedee Gordini at Viry-Chatillon, which eventually became the headquarters of Renault Sport.
Engineer and Sport Car constructor. He began working in a garage at the age of 11 and later joined a Fiat dealership in Bologna and came under the guidance of Eduardo Weber, who would later make his name as a carburetor manufacturer. At 14 he moved to Isotta-Fraschini where he worked with Alfieri Maserati and after serving in the Italian infantry in World War I he returned to Isotta-Fraschini and built his first car. After that he moved to Mantua and there began a tuning business for Hispano-Suiza. He moved to Paris in the early 1920s. He began to modify and tune Fiats and in 1934, when Pigozzi began to build Fiat copies under the Simca name, he began to tune Simca engines. His first successes came that year with victory in Bol d'Or at Saint-Germain and this was followed by many other class victories including the Index of Performance at Le Mans in 1938 and 1939.In September 1945 Gordini became the first man to win a post-war event when he triumphed in the Robert Benoist Cup in the Bois de Boulogne. In 1953 the man who was nicknamed "The Sorcerer" was recognised by France with his appointment as a Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur.In 1956 Simca stopped all support for Gordini but Renault came to his rescue and asked Gordini to develop the Dauphine into a competitive rally car. In the years that followed he developed the Renault 8 for racing and helped Alpine with its efforts at Le Mans.At the end of 1968 the Gordini company was merged into Renault and the following year moved to the Usine Amedee Gordini at Viry-Chatillon, which eventually became the headquarters of Renault Sport.
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