Bless your ears this morning with a Matra V12, “it sounded like power” as it’s famously known, running on a test bench and probably blowing out every mic within a half-mile radius. It sounds like a buzzsaw. It sounds like God’s fury manifest as exhaust noise.
The Matra V12 is an interesting one. It was a product of the French military-industrial complex, when a rocket manufacturer was funded by the state to take on international sports car racing and formula racing in the 1960s and 1970s.
Amazingly, Matra did the deed, getting into a fantastic rivalry with Ferrari at Le Mans after the rule change for 1972 booted out Porsche. And that was after a Matra won the F1 constructor and driver’s titles in 1969, though it was the Tyrell team running an improved Matra chassis. I feel like that’s worth counting.
In any case, this clip from a few years ago started making the rounds on Twitter, and it’s excuse enough to listen to it more. The Matra V12 is one of the best sounding ever, so do enjoy this one.