PASION A LA VELOCIDAD Y MOTORES

FORMULA SACHA-GORDINE (1952-1953)

Este es uno de los Formula que lamentablemente no se pudieron desarrollar en forma completa y demostrar lo competitivo que pudieron haber sido.

Sacha Gordine era un productor de cine franc?s, aficionado al autom?vilismo y corredor de autos.

Funda la Sacha-Gordine con la idea de financiar y construir un auto Formula 1, le entrego el desarrollo a los ingenieros Vigna y Perkins los cuales dise?an un Formula 1 con un motor V8 de 1.5 litros, supercargado con posici?n central, con una caja de 5 velocidades.


Foto: Classic Grand Prix Cars - Karl Ludvigsen

Para adaptarse a la nueva Formula 2 el motor es llevado a 2 litros, desarrolla 191 hp @ 8000 rmp., lo que convertia en uno de los motores mas potentes de la Formula 2 del momento.


Foto: Gus

Fue ensayado con buenos resultados y se pensaba correr por primera ves en el Gran Premio de Pau de 1953, pero no se alcanzo a lograr el objetivo ya que Sacha Gordine retira intepestivamente el apoyo financiero al proyecto declarando en quiebra a la empresa para de esta manera ayudar a mejorar su situaci?n de impuestos.

Tambien estaban dise?ando un auto Sport de 3 litros con un dise?o muy similar.


Foto: Autodiva - Gerard Gamand

La "nariz tibur?n" de este auto nos recuerda a la de la Ferrari 156 de 1961, podemos ver la similitud del dise?o y de donde se inspiraron.

Ricardo

Gracias a una pista que me dio Jorge Salgado pude encontrar en mis revistas Sport Auto de Agosto de 1980 un articulo con fotos sobre el proyecto Sacha-Gordine.


Sacha Gordine con su hijo en 1958 - Foto: Sport Auto

Realmente este Formula es conocido como el Sacha-Gordine, pero la denominaci?n oficial era S.A.G. "Soci?t? des Automobile Gordine".

Ten?an un programa ambicioso de construir Formulas 1, 2 y autos Sport.

Se utilizaba el mismo bloque de motor para todas las versiones variando el di?metro del cilindro.


1952 - Foto: Sport Auto

La Formula 1 S.A.G. tenia motor V8 90? con compresor, de 1498 cc que desarrollaba 390 CV @ 9000 rpm.

La S.A.G. Formula 2 llevaba un motor V8 a 90? atmosf?rico, de 1970cc, con un di?metro de cilindro de 70 mm y carrera de 64 mm que desarrollaba 200 CV @ 8000 rpm.

El auto S.A.G. Sport tenia un chasis aligerado con el mismo motor V8 a 90? atmosf?rico pero llevado a 2.5 litros, la carrocer?a iba a ser elaborada por Michelotti. Estaba destinado para correr especialmente las 24 Horas de Le Mans.


Neuilly 1952 - Foto: Sport Auto

Se alcanzaron a construir tres Formulas una F1 y dos F2. En 1958 fueron robadas de la fabrica (ya cerrada) localizada en Neuilly. En 1960 fue localizada la bodega donde guardaban los ladrones el bot?n de sus robos, pero solo se encontr? una Formula 2, los otros dos autos desaparecieron para siempre.


Neuilly 1952 - Foto: Sport Auto

Ricardo

Seria interesante saber algo mas y obtener algunas fotos de la parte trasera terminada.

Felicitaciones, Ricardo, por "desenpolvar" y traer a la luz, tan importante tema, que merece seguir investigando, sobre este curioso y avanzado prototipo, que pudo haber cambiado la historia de la Formula 1; seguramente habr? mucho m?s por escudri?ar y por ahora les contribuyo con estas im?genes, encontradas en un foro franc?s y que hablan por si solas:




Art?culo publicado por la revista L'Automobile de Febrero de 1952


Momentos de la prueba del motor V-8 con doble arbol de levas por bancada


Su creador, al centro, rodeado por los ingenieros Perkins y Vigna

Esperamos m?s contribuciones...sobre el enigma del robo y sus desapariciones...

Algo mas de informacion que encontre, aparentemente estaban inspirados en el Cisitalia en algunos aspectos.
Rebuscando me encontre con los dibujos originales en una subasta, de los cuales por supuesto no muestran foto.


Sacha-Gordine

Anyone thinking that the Cisitalia-Porsche had seen enough embarrassment through its years of non-competition, think again. There is even more non-competition connected to it that meets the eye. And as the man responsible for one of the biggest what-might-have-beens in the history of motorsport was a respected French film producer, the project can only have been bigger than life. Indeed, Sacha Gordine?s racing ambitions involved no less than five engine variations for three prestigious racing categories: F1, F2 and sportscars, i.e. Le Mans.

This was at a time when the old Talbots were finally retired and the little Gordinis were left as the only French representatives in the World Championships. Perhaps Monsieur Gordine, a keen amateur rally driver, could have put his wealth to better use by simply pouring funds into the ever cash-strapped stable of his almost-namesake. One can only imagine what Amed?e Gordini could have achieved if he hadn?t been forced to survive one financial crisis after another. Instead, the maecenic ambitions of Sacha Gordine went much further than that ? the result of his work would be as much France?s pride as that of his own.

And so, in 1952, Gordine established his own racing stable, based in Levallois-Perret. The name he chose was Sacha-Gordine, hyphenating his first name and surname to avoid confusion with Gordini?s valiant efforts. Above all, 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.

Looking at the design characteristics of the Sacha-Gordine Grand Prix car Vigna got his inspiration from the ill-fated Cisitalia 360. It was rear-engined, used similar front suspension, and carried a motorcycle-style sequential gearbox, just like the 360. On the other hand, it was much lighter through the use of expensive magnesium, proving Gordine?s money-no-object approach, but most of all ? as it was the eye-catching part ? it was substantially smaller and extremely low-slung, 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 caused the January 1953 presentation of the completed F2 car to be buzzing 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 ? it had become the World Championship category the year before and would remain so until superseeded by the 2.5-litre formula. Still, Vigna and French-Siamese development engineer Perkins had been busy working on the obsolete 1.5-litre s/c variation which, given the fact that the original F1 was now an insignificant formula and would be a definitive thing of the past in 1954, seems to have been an utter waste of time and effort. The 2-litre engine was a fully completed job, though. It 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 Montlh?ry by Jean Behra and possibly Andr? 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. The harsh real world had caught up with the movie prince.

This meant that the sequel to the Cisitalia-Porsche adventure was concluded even before the full Autoar drama down in Argentina had a chance to fully pan out?

Si esa nota la hab?a visto tiene aparentemente algunos errores.

Sobre la inspiraron de estos formulas, el Cisitalia se inspiro en el Auo Union dise?ado por el profesor Ferdinand Porsche en 1939. A su ves el S.A.G. estaba inspirado en los principios de Cisitalia, la raz?n es que el ingeniero Vigna hizo parte del equipo que dise?o el Cisitalia.

Ricardo