27/2/1910 - 8/6/1968
Record updated 05-Jun-06
Sacha Gordine was a respected French film producer who did a few races in a Simca Gordini TMM in the early 50s.
Sacha Gordine was a respected French film producer who did a few races in a Simca Gordini TMM (0001GCS) in the early 50s.
In 1952, Gordine established his own racing team, based in Levallois-Perret. The name he chose was Sacha-Gordine, hyphenating his first name and surname to avoid confusion with Gordini. He wanted his racing cars to be modern, bold and progressive, and by supporting the ideas of an ex-Porsche understudy by the name of Vigna he got what he wanted.
The design of the Sacha-Gordine Grand Prix car was rear-engined and had a motorcycle-style sequential gearbox. It was verylight through the use of expensive magnesium, proving Gordine's money-no-object approach, was quite small and extremely low-slung for its time and the car's huge nostril intakes making it even more futuristic. Indeed, the look would not be seen again until the sharknose Ferrari of 1961. It was introduced in January 1953 with excitement.
With 1.5-litre, 2-litre, 2.5-litre, 3-litre sportscar and 4.5-litre versions of the Sacha-Gordine 90-degree V8 engine planned it was only logical that the first finished product would be a Formula 2 car. The 2-litre engine was a magnesium alloy-cast block using dry sump lubrication and four double-choke carburettors. Power was claimed to be 191hp at 8000rpm. This would have meant that it was easily the fastest F2 car around.
Two cars were built up and tested once at Montlhéry by Jean Behra and possibly André Simon as well, either late 1952 or early 1953, before an entry was made for the 1953 Pau GP, held over Easter weekend. Then, suddenly, a full stop, an anticlimactic end unworthy of a man in the business of selling celluloid dreams. But there it was all the same. Before a car bearing the name of Sacha-Gordine could ever show its mettle the project was completely shut down and written off as a tax loss. Probably the bean counters working behind the scenes made him realise that he couldn't go on much longer throwing money away by the shovel load, and so Gordine simply pulled the plug.