Cars
The Nostalgia of Forgotten Gods: Matra, France, 1965-2003
Matra: French wartime venture evolves into aerospace, motorsports success. Led by Lagardère, Formula 1 triumph, Le Mans dominance. Innovative road cars. Financial woes lead to closure in 2003, leaving a legacy of uniqueness.
Matra was founded in France at the beginning of World War II to operate in the aviation and defense sectors and then moved into the aerospace and transportation fields after the war. A key figure for Matra was engineer Jean Luc Lagardère, who was chosen in 1962 by founders Marcel Chassagny and Sylvain Floirat as the company's chief executive officer. With his help, new fields were explored, diversifying its activities in automation, telecommunications, information technology, urban transportation, and automobiles.
Lagardère, in addition to being talented, was passionate about motorsports and arranged for Matra to acquire René Bonnet Automobiles, which had just created the Djet, a compact sports car with a fiberglass body equipped with a Renault engine, which took the highly respected Matra name. The aerospace company's entry into the automotive market was facilitated by a fortunate coincidence: The first Russian astronaut, the famous Yuri Gagarin, while visiting the Matra factories, discovered the small car and fell in love with it. There was no hesitation: A photograph next to the car and a special gift for him. The cost was largely compensated by the great publicity obtained.
