Matra Djet (1962) - does anyone know anything about it?

[chikico.matos]

Hi folks!

I know what you're thinking, this is a bit

However!

• Low, slung, low drag fibreglass body;
• Steel backbone chassis;
• Sub 620kg kerb weight;
• Double wishbone suspension all around;
• Renault-derived transaxle and engine - in the middle!;
• Beautifully quirky design!

Sounds familiar?

As certainly most (if not all) of us in this forum are fans of small, lightweight sports cars, I wonder if there's anyone here who has some more info about these, there doesn't seem to be much about them (besides the basic specs, which don't always tell the full story...) - maybe there's even someone who had some first hand experience in one of these and could tell us how it's like to drive! And if you didn't know these were a thing, hope this post makes you dive further into the wonderful world of oddball, obscure cars. Some hidden gems out there for sure!

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

World’s first mid-engined production sports car wasn’t it? Deserves more credit.

[chikico.matos]

I believe so, it beat DeTomaso by a matter of less than a year

[Escape]

I don't have much first hand experience, but a couple of friends have no less than 4 Djets. Including 2 Réné Bonnets, from the first run of 195 cars before Matra took over. I helped recover 2 of them from a barn, pictures here. One of the group knows his way around Renault engines, so he did the tech stuff. They do seem good fun, though the owner says he much prefers his Elan +2. Rust is often the main problem.

If you're seriously looking, I think they plan to sell at least 2 Djets. I'd be happy to put you in touch.

Incidentally, late last night we finally managed to get the white Bagheera running and driving. Which means the white 530 will be making her way to the Workshop for a similar treatment. I have mixed feelings, as I have more than enough projects, but just can't refuse something so wonderfully strange. 😉 

[chikico.matos]

@EscapeWoah, so not that long ago two more were recovered! Even in that state, they look absolutely goregous! (akin to the A110, but somehow just better!) The 530 as well, I just love these quirky cars!

I'd love to talk to them, not exactly to buy a car (even though I would love to have one at some point, or other 60s lightweight drivers car like the Elan or the Europa (when I'm fully settled I'll 100% own a Europa, regardless of that making sense or not!, but as long as there are Elise S1 examples being sold for ~20 000€ that would definetly be my priority in the not-so-distant future...)

I remember wathing a TV show where the presenter described it as rough and it feeling like a kit-car... Maybe that particular one needed some TLC? The thing is I can't even find active Djet forums, it would be cool to get into the Matra community as well!

[Escape]

I've been offered a drive in one of the Djets (in part for the work I did on the Bagheera), so will let you know what I think and will certainly compare to my Elan +2. Not had a drive in a 2-seat Elan or Europa unfortunately, those would be more akin no doubt.

There a few good sites, but nothing like for Lotus. And mostly European, but I'm sure you can manage some French or German.

http://www.bagheera-cafe.com/

http://www.matra-passion.com/phpBB3/index.php

http://www.matrasport.dk/forum/

https://www.matraforum.de/mf/

https://www.autotitre.com/forum/Matra/

http://www.matraclub.org.uk/index2.html

If you don't mind doing some work to get the car up to spec, you can find a Djet below €20K. Even a running one. I'll check which one(s) they're planning to sell and how much they want.

[Arregueti]

Your posts are as useful and informative as always and I sense you are warming to the Bagheera and Matras more generally, Filip @Escape. 🙂

 

 

[Escape]

Well, I do look forward to one last drive with the Bagheera today, but I'll be happy to see her go. 6 months was too long, even if I was only working on it from time to time. I hope we get a better turnaround on the M530. I guess you can't win 'em all, a couple of weeks ago I bought a Range Rover that had been standing after overheating for over a year. Got it started, drove home, replaced the leaking radiator, gave it a quick service (as well as a long clean by a mate) and had it ready for sale pretty much all in one weekend. Now sold, to the mate who did the cleaning and came up with the idea in the first place. So not that much profit (I much prefer his friendship to cash!), but a nice little project nevertheless.

[Arregueti]

I do not want to derail the thread, but that sounds like a win-win, if you manage to have some fun sorting the cars and relocating them  among your friends/contacts.

This is a great thread, by the way, and shows the affinity between Lotus and other brands of cars developed against all odds.

I can see myself identified with some of the options of the op. An Elan +2, a Bagheera, an Elise S1, S3, a Mazda Rx-8 or an original Mini could fill my garage one day. Trouble is, I can’t decide!

To try to stay on topic, I know someone in the French Lotus club, working in a high position for a very large manufacturer who says that if he had to keep one car it would be the Elan… (he owns an Elise S1, two Elans and has driven/owned a load of hot cars)

[mg4lotus]

@Escape That RR that was overheating, did you sell it to someone who lives at Luton? 😆

[Escape]

Nope, actually the guy sold his Range Rover Sport for this older P38. Less elektrickery. 😉

[Escape]

@Arregueti you are absolutely right, this is a nice thread and I find often Lotus owners or enthusiasts are more than happy to discuss other (sports) cars. It's all part of the fun and games, you learn from each other, discover new or different technology and have a reason to talk cars. 🙂

The fun for me is getting the cars in better shape. I don't think I'll buy one of the Matra's but am glad to have worked on them and they can go on to a new owner and not the scrappy. Driving the Bagheera was nice as well. And I'm even more excited about the M530 I collected today. Not to mention I was told I can have a go in one of the Djets as well if I want. Which puts us back on topic, I'll be sure to report my findings.

Filip

[chikico.matos]

Here goes another great little car: the Tommykaira ZZ!

It beat the S1 Elise by a couple of months, and it's strikingly similar. It was Tommykaira's first car, a company that up to that point was an engine tuning company. 

It's a bit more unrefined than the Elise, as it's sills are even more... silly big (hahaha how funny), had a finicky hardtop which was not watertight at all and it didn't even feature side windows! However, it weighed 690kg, featured double-wishbones all around and given that its tuned Nissan-derived powertrain made 180hp, it went from 0-60 in 4 seconds. Around Japan’s Tsukuba Circuit it outran the Lamborghini Diablo and Ferrari F430 Scuderia! The later ZZ-S would finally get an actual roof and functioning side windows... together with an extra 20hp!

Even though I prefer the looks of the S1 Elise, this one also looks very cool. Its brushed-aluminium gauge cluster and exposed gearbox components are a thing of beauty! I particularly like its stance viewing it from the rear. The back cover has two layers, the top one, shaped by the engine underneath it looks super cool, and it would double down as an emergency hardtop in case the bigger one was left at home. Not that it would protect you much from the elements... Different companies kept producing them up to 2005. It's like the Ariel Atom of the 90s, must be absolutely bonkers to drive one!

Top Gear concluded: "It rides with a surprising degree of compliancy, stays planted at the back (once beyond second gear) and generally feels surefooted. Enjoyable on a track, but needs more tuning to rival an Elise. If only the steering was a little sweeter and the brake pedal wasn’t quite so lifeless, the car would genuinely be approaching Elise territory."

 

Edited October 16, 2023 by chikico.matos

[chikico.matos]

@Arregueti Right!? So many great ones, it's really hard to choose!

I have never even seen one in real life, but my "bet" would go to the Europa, being mid-engine, also having a great ride and simple mechanics. I would actually really like to tinker around with them, to know every nut and bolt, and actually be hands-on with its mechanics (sometimes not for the best reasons from what I've read, but the Europa fits the bill nevertheless)

Also, writing this reply directly after my previous post, now that I think about it, it would be cool to turn this into a thread about other cars that also carry some of the Lotus' spirit and philosophy, I imagine lots of other curious users would enjoy it.