Lot Ended
Description
Rare Gordini
turbo hot hatch; one of only around 120 in the UK; few owners; lots of service
history; nippy and frugal; ideal starter classic
Produced between
2007 and 2014, the second generation Twingo was based on the Clio platform and
was a highly acclaimed city car that scooped numerous awards for its cheeky
styling and nippy performance.
In 2010, responding to Fiat’s revival of
its Abarth name, Renault brought out a hot hatch Gordini version painted in
signature Manta Blue with white racing stripes.
Two engines were
available, a naturally aspirated 1.6 16v producing 133bhp and a 1.2 TCe 100
(Turbo Compressed Efficiency) 16v which produced 100bhp (hence the name). Both
had a 5-speed manual gearbox as standard. Weighing just 980kg, the 1.2 turbo
version could sprint to 60mph in a whisker over 9 seconds with a top speed of
117mph and 49mpg economy.
Sports suspension from the Twingo GT gave
go-kart handling, and it rode on 15” Turini diamond-cut alloys with color-coded
inner spokes to match the bodywork. Tiny on the outside but spacious on the
inside, it could comfortably seat four with folding rear seats for a usefully
large load area.
The
sporty interior had Gordini-badged bucket seats; a leather steering wheel with
two white stripes at the 12 o'clock position; alloy foot pedals and Gordini gear
knob; a central digital speedo; a race-syle blue rev counter pod directly above
the steering wheel plus a big glass area for excellent all-round
visibility.
A worthy rival to the Fiat 500 Abarth, Ford Fiesta ST or Mini
Cooper, the Gordini TCe 100 is a much rarer car with a limited production run
and there are only around 120 still registered in the UK today.
Supplied
new by Renault main agent Clock Garage of Chorley in March 2011, this Gordini
TCe 100 has covered 93,930 miles with a good service history including four
stamps in the book, the last in October 2016 at 34,970 miles with supporting
invoices.
There are also lots of other invoices for subsequent upkeep,
including four more services at 36,312 miles in August 2017; at 49,777 miles in
September 2018; at 63,916 miles in May 2020 and at c.90k miles in March 2024
(see photos).
A JVC Bluetooth/DAB stereo system is fitted and a dash cam
is also included along with a spare wheel and wheel-changing kit.
The
V5C records three former keepers, the first owning it for one month (presumably
as a demonstrator), the second for over five years and the third for over nine
years, our vendor acquiring it in January this year from a family friend as a
cheap and cheerful runabout while his own car was being fixed.
Now surplus
to requirements, we are told that it is great fun to drive and it has been
starting promptly and feeling light and nippy as we have driven it around on
site. It has an MOT until August 2026 with just one advisory for the o/s/r brake
pipe.
Appearing to
be clean and tidy for its year/mileage, this rare and well-maintained Gordini
really stands out from the crowd and would make an ideal starter classic for
someone.
Consigned
by James Dennison – 07970 309907 –
james.dennison@brightwells.com