Its preferred terrain was the 24 Hours of Le Mans and endurance races in Europe and overseas, but in 1970 two Matra 650s were entered in the Tour de France Automobile. Top drivers such as Jean-Pierre Beltoise, Patrick Depailler, Jean-Pierre Jabouille, Gérard Larrousse, Jean Todt and Henri Perscarolo were put behind the wheel and they thundered through the whole of France in nine days, in sports prototypes with V12 engines that were apparently more or less road-legal. And they promptly won in 1970 and the following year. In 1970 the winners were Beltoise, Depaillier and Todt, in 1971 Larrousse and Rives. Before and after that, it was always GT cars that won the Tour de France.
Now, almost half a year later, another Matra 650 will start at the Tour Auto Optic 2000 to drive the roads between Paris and Aix en Provence over 2125 km and show how fast it can go on the circuits of Dijon, Bresse, Lédenon and Paul Ricard, among others.
The Matra 650 was developed in 1969 as an open prototype for the World Sports Car Championship. With its tubular frame chassis and plastic bodywork, it weighed 861 kg, which was also due to the relatively heavy V12 engine, which generated 470 hp. To make it road-legal, the French had to install a passenger seat and additional lights, as well as adapt the cooling system and suspension.
The 27th Tour Optic 2000 will take place from April 23 to 28, 2018, starting as usual in Paris.
Further information can be found on the event website.
