Description
This Gordini 2.5-liter was the last gasp for Amedee Gordini, “the Sorcerer. Out of funds and sponsors, Gordini built this new 8-cylinder car to compete against the Mercedes-Benz and Ferrari grand prix cars. The car was entered for the 1955 French Grand Prix but then that race was canceled, leading to Jean Lucas debuting the T32 at Monza, where it retired after only 8 laps. Meanwhile, the 6-cylinder was kept on for 1956 and Robert Manzon took another surprise win for Gordini at Posillipo, again coming through after the Ferrari cars had faltered mid-way through the race. Although technically very interesting, the T32 couldn’t make any hay during 1956, Pilette’s sixth at Monaco, albeit 12 laps down, the car’s best result in a World Championship race. Nano da Silva Ramos then took a win in the minor Montlhéry Autumn Cup but it was a false dawn. The team entered just two races in 1957, Pau and Naples, before the money well finally ran dry. Not a single French manufacturer stepped in to support Gordini, as they apparently just waited for the chance to snap up Amedée’s services once his racing enterprise had gone bankrupt.
The delightful little model built by Gene Wallingford is based on a fiberglass body probably produced by Dick Dobson. The body color is a bit too dark to be like the full-size car but there was little else than black & white photos then to work from. The brass pan chassis is powered by the popular Bonner slot car motor and the gears are beveled. Note that the exhausts are tubing, their ends flared to look the part. As on many early Wallingford models, the driver is rather basic.
