Before looking at this Matra Sports, it is worth setting the scene by going back to the origin of the Matra car. This started with its predecessor, the Djet, designed and sold by René Bonnet from 1962 to 1964 and then taken over by Matra and sold as the Matra Djet from 1965 to 1967. It was the world’s first rear mid-engined production road car. Different versions were sold under a variety of names, including René Bonnet Djet, Matra-Bonnet Djet, Matra Sports Djet, and finally Matra Sports Jet.
Bonnet named it “Djet” as he wanted it to be pronounced by French speakers more like the English word “jet” instead of the French word “jet”. It was powered by a 65 PS 1,108cc engine from a Renault 8 in a mid-engine location mated to a gearbox from the Renault Estafette van.
The Matra Sports M530 was created by Matra and was in production from 1967 to 1973. In 1965, Matra’s CEO Jean-Luc Lagardère decided to develop a successor to the Matra Djet that was more appealing to the non-racing public — a voiture des copains (car for friends), The resulting Matra M530 was the first “true” Matra sports car as opposed to a René Bonnet design. The car was named after Matra’s R.530 missile, and was designed by former Simca designer Philippe Guédon, with the body styled by Jacques Nochet.
Although both the Djet and the M530 had glass reinforced plastic bodywork and mid-engine layouts, the Djet used a relatively simple steel backbone chassis with a large-diameter centre spine and an engine cradle and outriggers of smaller diameter square-section steel tube, while the M530 was built on a steel platform chassis with perforations for lightness. To accommodate a mid-mounted engine and yet still provide 2+2 seating and a reasonable boot, various engine options were considered. In the end, the running gear came from the Ford Mustang I prototype by way of Ford Germany. The “high compression” 1,699cc Ford Taunus V4 engine and transaxle combination from the Taunus 15M TS was compact enough to fit between the rear seats and the boot. Other noteworthy features of the M530 were its targa top roof, hidden headlamps and avant-garde design.
The Matra Sports M530 debuted on 7 March 1967 at the Geneva Motor Show. With 70 PS from its Ford V4 engine, the car had a top speed of 109 mph. The 1969 M53A brought improvements to the Ford engine, and a deal between Matra and Chrysler Europe, to sell the cars through the Simca dealer network from 1970 onwards and jointly develop the M530’s successor.
The M530 LX was introduced at the 1970 Geneva Motor Show and was a minor redesign of the M530 A by Michelotti. Notable changes included a new glass rear hatch held open with struts, and a new front bumper.
Production of the M530 ceased in 1973 after a total of 9,609 cars had been built. No right-hand-drive M530s were built.
Photo by Peter McFadyen. See his website: http://petermcfadyen.co.uk
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