Matra 530: the French sports car named after a missile

The Matra Sports M530 was the first “true” sports car from the French engineering group Matra: a mid-engined 2+2 coupé built from 1967 to 1973. It took its name from the R.530 air-to-air missile made by Matra’s armaments division, and it introduced the layout, the glassfibre body and the hidden headlamps that stayed with the marque through the Bagheera and the Murena.

Matra 530 at a glance

Production figures and the 1969 Autocar road test come from the English article; prices and the French market reception from the French one.

History of the Matra 530

In 1965 Matra’s chief executive Jean-Luc Lagardère decided to develop a successor to the Matra Djet that would appeal to the ordinary enthusiast rather than the racing customer — a voiture des copains, a car for friends. The M530 was designed by Philippe Guédon, a former Simca engineer who later created the Renault Espace, and its body was styled by Jacques Nochet. It was named after Matra’s R.530 missile.

The car made its debut on 7 March 1967 at the Geneva Motor Show. With 70 DIN hp from the Ford V4, it reached 175 km/h. Production began in April with a chrome bumper bar protecting the front grille, a reshaped dashboard giving the passenger more knee room and a repositioned ignition key. For the first two years the chassis was built by Carrier in Alençon and final assembly was carried out by the coachbuilder Brissonneau et Lotz at Creil; the engine bay of early cars could only be reached by removing the acrylic rear window.

The year 1969 brought several changes. Ford’s own engine updates, including a different carburettor, raised output to 75 CV, the car was now built entirely at Matra’s factory in Romorantin, and Matra agreed with Chrysler Europe to sell its cars through the Simca dealer network from 1970. The revised model was badged M530 A. In March 1970 the M530 LX appeared at Geneva, a light redesign by Michelotti with a glass rear hatch held open by struts and a new front bumper; in October 1971 the cheaper M530 SX joined it. Production ended in 1973, when the Bagheera took over, after 9,609 cars had been built.

The French press of the time praised the M530’s roadholding, comfortable suspension and excellent brakes, but the car missed its intended young buyers: it was too expensive, and the Ford-derived engine was never powerful enough. Fewer than 10,000 were sold against an original plan of some 50,000.

Design and features

• Mid-engine layout: the 1,699 cc Ford Taunus V4 and its transaxle sat between the rear seats and the boot, leaving room for 2+2 seating and luggage.
• Composite body on a steel platform: the glass-reinforced plastic panels were stapled to a welded steel structure perforated for lightness, replacing the Djet’s backbone chassis.
• Targa roof and hidden headlamps: the two-part removable roof and pop-up lamps gave the car its avant-garde look.
• Front-mounted spare and tank: the spare wheel and fuel tank were placed ahead of the cabin to balance the mid-mounted engine.
• Chassis and brakes: independent suspension at all four corners, disc brakes front and rear, rack-and-pinion steering.

Matra 530 versions

• M530 (1967–1969): the original car with the 70 hp Ford V4.
• M530 A (1969–1970): 75 CV, built entirely at Romorantin, sold through Simca dealers.
• M530 LX (1970–1973): Michelotti redesign with a strut-held glass rear hatch and a new bumper.
• M530 SX (1971–1973): budget version with a fixed roof, four fixed headlamps instead of pop-ups, black bumpers and only yellow or white paint; the rear bench was deleted.
• Customs: a Sonia Delaunay-painted pre-production car, a Vignale coupé shown at Geneva in 1968, Michelotti’s gull-wing “Laser” study and the Weslake V6.

The 530 was replaced by the Matra-Simca Bagheera, itself followed by the Matra Murena. More Matra models are in the Matra collection.

Sources

• Matra 530, English Wikipedia: development, versions, production
• Matra 530, French Wikipedia: history, prices, technical data