KEEPERS
A desire to own something different led Mark to find an R8 Gordini – a one-owner example with ties to none other than Sir John Surtees…
A‘s an engineer I have enjoyed tinkering with and restoring what are now regarded as classic cars from the age of 16. Also, I like something different, a bit of an odd ball with low production numbers – such as a Piper J2 sports car. The vehicle doesn’t have to be flash, just not conventional. I’ve owned a few French saloons such as a rear-engined Simca 1000 that I turned into a rally replica. So perhaps it’s not too surprising that, when I hankered for something similar, a Renault 8 Gordini came to mind.
‘As expensive as a Lotus Cortina when new, The Gordini R8 was a rarity in this country back then, let alone now, so I knew that finding one would take some searching. I placed an advert in the “wanted” section of a Renault website and months passed before a lovely lady from Bury St Edmunds rang out of the blue to say that her late father’s Gordini – which he’d bought new – was for sale. As you can imagine, I hot-footed it to Suffolk that very same day with a trailer and bought the car like a shot.
CLUBS & SPECIALISTS
❚ Renault Owners’ Club. Renaultownersclub.com
❚ Der Franzose, Germany. 0049 4441 9161 912, franzose.de/en/
❚ Retro Renault Services. retrorenaultservices.co.uk
‘HLT 494C came with a lot of paperwork, including its original bill of sale. And it was only then that I discovered just how special this Gordini was. The late owner, a Mr Greenfield, lived in Barnet, London, and was friends with John and Jack Surtees. He looked after John’s car and could often be seen driving his famous BMW 507 around the area. In fact, rumour has it that the then-world champion acted as a guarantor for the £984 Gordini’s financing.
‘The car was very solid and mechanically strong, pulling like a train – despite having a shot exhaust – when I bought it in September 2014. The body was tired, though, with poor paint and four wings that needed replacing. All of the chrome had been painted silver, too, but the rather Spartan interior was still in excellent and original condition.
‘I slowly stripped the car and photographed it at different stages. The shell and bonnet were taken to chemical strippers in Nottingham. I acquired new-old stock wings through the owners’ club, with two sourced from the Netherlands. Suspension parts were shot-blasted and painted while the shell was away before being treated to new bushes and joints from companies in France. Thankfully the engine was in good sh
