Matra DJet 6 -1967

In 1963, Engins Matra, a large airplane and armaments company, took over the assets

of a small sports car company run by René Bonnet. Bonnet was at the forefront of French motor racing, and was unfortunately much better at building cars than running a business. To support his competition exploits, Bonnet unveiled three cars at the 1962 Paris Salon. The top range of these three cars was his pioneering D´jet (derived from his racing prototype). It has the distinction of being the world’s first mid-engined production race car. Matra continued producing the D´jet – a fiberglass coupè. This is a central backbone/fiberglass body configuration, using Renault running gear. The engine is mounted in the middle of the car. Total weight is about 1000 pounds. The Djet was a very successful road and race car.

 

Specifications:

 

Manufacturer:  MatraSports

Country of Origin:  France

Drivetrain Configuration: Gordini-tuned 1108 cc Renault engine

Engine:  79 bhp

Transmission:  4 speed manual

Top Speed:  110 miles per hour

Years of Production:  1965-1969

Number Produced:  Less than 1,500

Original Cost:  Unknown