Gordini Type 16
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The Gordini T16 was a Formula 2 racing car that was developed by Gordini in 1952 and also used in the Formula 1 World Championship until 1957 .
Development history
The T16 was 1952, the first single-seater -Neuentwicklung at Gordini since the late 1940s. With the Gordini T15 , Jean-Pierre Wimille had some successes in 1948. The vehicles were small, light and fast, but had a filigree tubular space frame. Wimille had a fatal accident in a T15 at the Palermo Grand Prix in Buenos Aires in 1949 , but the Frenchman's fatal accident had no causal connection with the technology of the Type 15.
The new development of a monoposto racing car was also related to the separation of Amédée Gordini from Simca . Simca was interested in larger numbers for the production of the racing cars - especially the sports cars. This was in contrast to the ideas of Gordini, who wanted his company to remain small and manageable. The separation from Simca also meant that Gordini had to design his own engine.
Like its predecessor, the Type 16 was a very light racing car that had a simple tubular space frame with an independent front axle. The rear of the car had a rigid axle . The first engine was a 2-liter, six-cylinder unit with a double camshaft and two Weber carburettors that developed 170 hp. The car was developed according to the technical regulations of Formula 2 , as the races of the drivers' world championship in 1952 and 1953 were run according to this racing formula .
Racing history
In 1952 the two Frenchmen Robert Manzon and Jean Behra as well as the Thai Prince Bira drove as factory drivers for Gordini. The racing car made its debut at the 1952 Swiss Grand Prix . Manzon and Bira retired with engine failure or shock absorber defects. Jean Behra achieved third place with the car behind the two Ferrari 500s owned by Piero Taruffi and Rudolf Fischer and thus the first podium for the T16 in the world championship. Although clearly inferior to the Ferrari 500, Gordini established himself as the second force in the world championship in 1952. At the beginning of the Belgian Grand Prix , Behra even led the race, but later collided with Piero Taruffi and had to give up. This time it was Robert Manzon who finished third overall. The Grand Prix de la Marne was not part of the world championship, but was top-class. The factory Ferrari were also at the start. Jean Behra celebrated a start-to-finish victory and ensured the T16's first race win. In the other races for the World Championship, however, the little Gordini had no chance. Manzon reached sixth place overall in the final ranking of the world championship; Behra finished eleventh.
In 1953 the situation at Gordini worsened. Because the T16 still had too little engine power, engine damage increased, often in the early stages of the race. In addition, the small team had major financial problems. As a result, parts were only exchanged when there was no other way. In order to get too much entry fee, Gordini reported the vehicles at many events and thus exploited the material shortage even more. It was not uncommon for the drivers to start several races on one weekend.
In 1954 the T16s were adapted to the new Formula 1 regulations and received a new 2.5 liter engine. However, the engine was too heavy for the light frame, so this year was mainly characterized by failures. At the end of the year the T16 were sold to private drivers and the team concentrated on developing the successor model, the T32 .
literature
- David Hodges: Racing cars from A – Z after 1945. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 1994, ISBN 3-613-01477-7 .
- David Hodges: A – Z of Grand Prix Cars. Crowood Press, Marlborough 2001, ISBN 1-86126-339-2 (English).
- Pierre Ménard: La Grande Encyclopédie de la Formule 1st 2nd edition. Chronosports, St. Sulpice 2000, ISBN 2-940125-45-7 (French).
