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Friday, January 26, 2018

Matra 530


The Matra 530 is a sports car created and built by the French engineering group Matra.

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 chums). The result was the Matra M530, the first "true" Matra sports car, the Djet having been a René Bonnet design. The car was named after Matra's R.530 missile, and was designed by former Simca designer Philippe Guédon.

Like its predecessor, the M530 was built on a steel frame with polyester body and a mid-engine layout. To accommodate 2+2 seating, a mid-mounted engine and a reasonable boot, various engine options were considered. In the end, the running gear came from Ford in Germany: the "high compression" 1699 cc Ford Taunus V4 engine and gearbox from the Taunus 15M TS were chosen. This combination was compact enough to fit between the rear seats and the boot.

Other noteworthy features of the M530 were its targa top roof, pop-up headlights and, most notably, the outstanding avant-garde design.

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