Vintage Renault R8 Gordini footage shows how fun rear-engined cars can be

Thu, 06 Feb 2014

Admit it – you occasionally spend hours on YouTube, watching footage from vintage rallies and pining for days gone by, don't you? That's okay, we're guilty of occasionally overindulging in classic motorsports footage ourselves. Case in point: this swinging little number featuring the Renault 8 Gordini, circa 1964.

The Gordini-tuned version of the homely (yet unforgettable) Renault 8 developed some 89 horsepower from its rear-mounted, 1.1-liter four-cylinder engine, which was operable via a four-speed manual gearbox and had underpinnings befitting the sort of racy action you'll find in the video below.

The tiny French sedan obviously made up for its lack of outright grunt with a double helping of handling panache, and it seems as though '60s racers had no trouble getting the thing to drift on a dime. Enjoy yourself while watching this one guys, the drivers of the Gordini sure did.

By Seyth Miersma