Matra car books - history and models

Matra - Brooklands Portfolio

Brooklands Portfolio book about the Matra models from the years 1965-2003. Describes the Matra Djet 5, Jet 6, M530, M650, Bagheera, Murena, Rancho, Espace phase I, II, and III, Avantime, MS80, MS84, MS670B and many other models designed by Matra.

• The articles, taken from contemporary British and American car magazines, provide much information about history, model changes and technology.
• Also driving impressions, tests, comparison tests, technical specifications, etc.

Product details

Details:	200 pages, 28 x 21 x 1.4 cm / 11 x 8.25 x 0.55 in, paperback
Illustrations:	profusely illustrated
Publisher:	Brooklands Books (GB, 2012)
ISBN:	9781855209459

More information on the Brooklands Portfolio books

La Renault Avantime de mon père

The Avantime, developed by Renault and Matra at the turn of the 2000s, represents a new approach to French luxury automobiles, combining pleasure and innovation. This unique model blends the characteristics of a coupé, a convertible with its "grand air" feature, and a minivan with avant-garde design. It offers Renault a "third path" in the luxury market.

Launched in 2001 with a 3L V6 engine, the Avantime was later followed by 2L turbo petrol and 2.2L turbo diesel versions in 2002. Despite its innovative concept, the Avantime failed to establish itself in the market, and its sales targets were never met.

This richly illustrated book is dedicated to the Renault Avantime, with only 8.552 units produced between 2001 and 2003. It provides a detailed account of its history, evolution, and technical features, as well as its variants and special editions. Part of the "La voiture de mon père" series, this book is a valuable guide for owners and collectors, including more than 250 period photos, many of which are previously unpublished.

Product details

Author:	André Dewael
Details:	120 pages, 21.5 x 24 cm / 8.5 x 9 in, hardback
Illustrations:	298 b&w and colour photos
Publisher:	ETAI (F, 2017)
Series:	De mon père
ISBN:	9791028301750

Matra de route

Matra is a story of passion, a stroke of genius, and a serious dose of conviction! The technological and commercial dream of a young, innovative and aggressive business leader who decides to create, starting from almost nothing, a brand and model of automobile for the bouncing youth of the 1960s. That's a few years later, the M 530, non-conformist and provocative, the Bagheera with its obvious success, the astonishing career of the Simca Rancho and the logical outcome of the Talbot Murena.

Matra's road adventure is also a breeding ground for talent to anticipate future success. Multiple prototypes and projects, some of which, like the masterstroke of the Renault Espace, have already entered automotive history as textbook cases.

Product details

Author:	Dominique Pagneux
Details:	192 pages, 31 x 23.5 cm / 12.2 x 9.25 in, hardback
Illustrations:	350 colour photos
Publisher:	ETAI (F, 2003)
ISBN:	9782726886038

La Rancho de mon père

With the Rancho, Matra happily surfed the wave of the 1970s rural escape, where the green motorcycle had found a place among bucolic leisure activities. Also, to get away from the well-trodden path of sports vehicles, Philippe Guédon had the intuition to create a "green car", halfway between the Méhari and the Range-Rover. His team imagined a leisure car, with the look of a 4x4 with a trendy look, based on the Simca 1100 in its VF2 pick-up version.

Produced in 56 457 units from 1977 to 1984, the Rancho enjoyed unexpected success for Matra and Simca. Equipped with the 1442 cm³ engine, it is a front-wheel drive whose crossing qualities have been optimized to allow it to crisscross sunken roads, discovering nature. It has brought joy to many families who were attracted by its friendly appearance, but also to traders and craftsmen who were interested in its generous loading volume (from 1005 dm3 to 2200 dm3) for multiple transports.

• Richly illustrated, this book is dedicated to the famous Matra-Simca Rancho of the years 1977-1984.
• Retraces in detail the history and evolution of the Matra-Simca / Talbot-Matra Rancho.
• This volume of the collection "La voiture de mon père" is not only a source of in-depth information for the owner, but also a concise guide to originality.
• The technique, variants, modifications and special versions are described in detail.
• Contains more than 280 period photos, often unpublished.

Product details

Author:	André Dewael
Details:	120 pages, 21.5 x 24 cm / 8.5 x 9 in, hardback
Illustrations:	281 b&w and colour photos
Publisher:	ETAI (F, 2014)
Series:	De mon père
ISBN:	9791028300159

La Renault Espace de mon père

Who doesn't know the Renault Espace? A true social phenomenon, it shook up the codes of the European automobile in the mid-1980s by imposing the concept of the minivan.
Born at Matra to succeed the Talbot-Matra Rancho, it was adopted by Renault where it would embody the "car for living" par excellence. Produced in more than one million two hundred thousand units over thirty years, this niche car created a market segment of which it has continued to be the leader, thanks to innovations.

The author has gathered abundant documentation taking you in the wake of this incredible automotive success: from the first sketches to the developments of successive generations, including anecdotes from its designers.

• Richly illustrated, this book is devoted to the Renault Espace I, II and III MPVs from 1984-2002.
• Retraces in detail the history and evolution of Renault Espace cars produced by Matra (Matra P23, P36 and P52 projects).
• This volume of the "La voiture de mon père" collection is not only a source of in-depth information for the owner, but also a concise guide to originality.
• The technology, variants, modifications and special versions are described in detail.
• Contains more than 200 period photos, often unpublished.

Product details

Author:	André Dewael
Details:	120 pages, 21.5 x 24 cm / 8.5 x 9 in, hardback
Illustrations:	200 b&w and colour photos
Publisher:	ETAI (F, 2016)
Series:	De mon père
ISBN:	9791028301019