Not every French car comes equipped with a diesel of infinitesimal displacement. This 3.0-liter V12 powered Matra to multiple Le Mans victories in the early ‘70s.
What makes Matra especially cool and bizarre is that their primary line of business is surface-to-air missiles and satellites, yet they have also won the Formula One constructors’ championship (in 1969, with Jackie Stewart), the 24 Hours of Le Mans (three times between 1972–1974), and have built strange GT’s like the Bagheera and the Avantime.
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Above is the engine used in their Le Mans sports prototypes. And below is how you take good care of it should you find one in your possession:
Photo Credit: Lennart Sorth