diff --git a/src/Composer/Downloader/GitDownloader.php b/src/Composer/Downloader/GitDownloader.php
index 864465215..0bf8e65ac 100644
--- a/src/Composer/Downloader/GitDownloader.php
+++ b/src/Composer/Downloader/GitDownloader.php
@@ -67,8 +67,7 @@ class GitDownloader extends VcsDownloader
     {
         $template = 'git checkout %s && git reset --hard %1$s';
 
-        $gitRef = preg_match('{^[a-f0-9]{40}$}', $reference) ? $reference : 'composer/'.$reference;
-        $command = sprintf($template, escapeshellarg($gitRef));
+        $command = sprintf($template, escapeshellarg($reference));
         if (0 === $this->process->execute($command, $output, $path)) {
             return;
         }
@@ -105,8 +104,7 @@ class GitDownloader extends VcsDownloader
             }
 
             // checkout the new recovered ref
-            $gitRef = preg_match('{^[a-f0-9]{40}$}', $reference) ? $reference : 'composer/'.$reference;
-            $command = sprintf($template, escapeshellarg($gitRef));
+            $command = sprintf($template, escapeshellarg($newReference));
             if (0 === $this->process->execute($command, $output, $path)) {
                 $this->io->write('    '.$reference.' is gone (history was rewritten?), recovered by checking out '.$newReference);
 
diff --git a/tests/Composer/Test/Downloader/GitDownloaderTest.php b/tests/Composer/Test/Downloader/GitDownloaderTest.php
index 55f84618e..639913498 100644
--- a/tests/Composer/Test/Downloader/GitDownloaderTest.php
+++ b/tests/Composer/Test/Downloader/GitDownloaderTest.php
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ class GitDownloaderTest extends \PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
 
         $processExecutor->expects($this->at(1))
             ->method('execute')
-            ->with($this->equalTo($this->getCmd("git checkout 'composer/ref' && git reset --hard 'composer/ref'")), $this->equalTo(null), $this->equalTo('composerPath'))
+            ->with($this->equalTo($this->getCmd("git checkout 'ref' && git reset --hard 'ref'")), $this->equalTo(null), $this->equalTo('composerPath'))
             ->will($this->returnValue(0));
 
         $downloader = $this->getDownloaderMock(null, $processExecutor);
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ class GitDownloaderTest extends \PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
 
         $processExecutor->expects($this->at(6))
             ->method('execute')
-            ->with($this->equalTo($this->getCmd("git checkout 'composer/ref' && git reset --hard 'composer/ref'")), $this->equalTo(null), $this->equalTo('composerPath'))
+            ->with($this->equalTo($this->getCmd("git checkout 'ref' && git reset --hard 'ref'")), $this->equalTo(null), $this->equalTo('composerPath'))
             ->will($this->returnValue(0));
 
         $downloader = $this->getDownloaderMock(null, $processExecutor);
@@ -174,7 +174,7 @@ class GitDownloaderTest extends \PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
             ->will($this->returnValue(0));
         $processExecutor->expects($this->at(3))
             ->method('execute')
-            ->with($this->equalTo($this->getCmd("git checkout 'composer/ref' && git reset --hard 'composer/ref'")), $this->equalTo(null), $this->equalTo('composerPath'))
+            ->with($this->equalTo($this->getCmd("git checkout 'ref' && git reset --hard 'ref'")), $this->equalTo(null), $this->equalTo('composerPath'))
             ->will($this->returnValue(0));
 
         $downloader = $this->getDownloaderMock(null, $processExecutor);