The name Matra is synonymous with F1 and Le Mans engines that sound like symphony orchestras.  Turns out their handiwork can also be found in this rare gem, the shapely Djet (no, that’s not a type-o).

The Djet was originally designed by René Bonnet.  Get this:  He named it the Djet because he thought the French couldn’t pronounce the word “jet” correctly!  The car first appeared in 1962 as the René Bonnet Djet; it was powered by a mid-mounted 1108 cc Renault 8 engine.  An upgraded version, the Djet II, used a Gordini engine.  Matra, who made the fiberglass body, also supplied the facility where the car was built.  Seems like a simple arrangement, but from here, things get a bit complicated…

At some point, René Bonnet got into financial trouble.  Djet production stopped shortly after Matra acquired Bonnet’s company and its debts in 1964.  Matra’s CEO Jean-Luc Lagardère saw this acquisition as a great opportunity for expansion.  So, they hired a former Simca designer named Philippe Guédon and set about modifying the Djet.  The new, slightly bigger version was called the Matra Bonnet Djet V, and production resumed.  After the 1965 Paris Motor Show, the car’s name was changed again!  It was now called the Matra Sports Djet 5.  Then, in 1966, a bigger Gordini engine was made available, and the car’s name was changed once more, dropping the “D” in Djet — thus removing almost any indication of Bonnet’s involvement (at least in terms of badging).  Such is the cold reality of the business world, both then and now.  I, for one, will continue to call it the Djet.

“Matra Djet.”  Wikipedia. 15 Apr. 2010.  Web.  22 May 2010.