Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from April, 2020

A brief history on the Matra Djet

The Matra Djet is a French sports car originally designed by René Bonnet, he was a French engineer and race car driver who had created his own company called ‘Automobiles René Bonnet’ in 1961. The car started as a René Bonnet Djet in the year 1962, the car was named ‘Djet’ as the French could not pronounce ‘Jet’. The company Matra was well known for its presence in formula 1, 2 and 3 and they were even successful in Le Mans. Matra entered F1 in the year 1968, the same year Jackie Stewart was a serious contender, and the car’s most innovative feature was perhaps its aviation inspired fuel cell. It was unfortunately banned, they always used Cosworth and Ford engines. Coming back to the Djet, the Djet has distinction of being the first mid-engine sports car, even before the De Tomaso.   The first ever cars were called CRB1 and CRB2, for Competition René Bonnet . It even had disc brakes on all corners.     De Tomaso's Ford-powered Vallelunga was the second car to

The Bizzarrini 5300 GT

The amazing Bizzarrini Giotto Bizzarrini was born on 6 th June 1926 in Livorno province Italy and in 1953 he graduated from an engineering college in Italy. He first was working for Alfa Romeo when Ferrari noticed his skill and appointed him as the Chief engineer for Ferrari’s race team. Bizzarrini was known in Alfa Romeo for developing the Giulietta’s chassis. He left Alfa in 1957, and joined Ferrari, he played a major role in the development of the 3L V12 engine in the Testa Rossa, his master piece however was the 250 GTO and the 250 SWB (short wheel base Berlinetta). The 250 GTO was a solution to the problem that the 250 SWB had created, that being the reduced top speed due to drag. The interior of the strada version Bizzarrini was one of the important people who left Ferrari as part of the palace revolt, which saw the entire Ferrari race team leave.   This revolt lead to the formation of ATS (Automobili Turismo Sportin) 1961. Soon Bizzarrini l