"A woman without curves is like a road without bends, you might get to your destination quicker but the ride is boring as hell'
Oh dear, whay did it all go wrong?
At least you have a piece of the Matra history, well, bits and pieces of it anyway.
V0R5PRU7NG DUR6CH T3CHN1K
Motion & Emotion
Renault wanted the Espace built in only one place.
Romarantin not large enough and spare capacity in Renault plant.
The Matra design Espace wasn't going to pass the new EuroNCAP tests and Renault used their saloon experience to design a steel monocoque rather than have Matra design a plastic body to conform. Matra specialise in plastics
Matra were "taking" profit from Renault on the Espace.
With the loss of the Espace, Matra designed the Avantime using their materials experience and design innovation.
BUT Renault also designed the Vel Satis. Both cars were selling to the same potential customer in compeition with each other Renault provided incentives on the Vel Satis to keep their factories busy and increase it's sales. They failed. All of this reduced sales of the Avantime till it was no longer fiable to maintain the Romarantin production line.
Matra's influential leader - Jean-Luc Lagardere - died in 2003 and his replacement had no real interest in cars, so glad to get out of it.
Sadly getting less and less each day due to rustAt least you have a piece of the Matra history, well, bits and pieces of it anyway.
Matra Automotive Engineering still lives on inside Pininfarina
Matra MS is a newly formed company focussing on short journey transport systems. ( Like the name linking back to teh race cars, shame it wasn't real )
"A woman without curves is like a road without bends, you might get to your destination quicker but the ride is boring as hell'
Aww man, that sucks, so basically it's friend Renault was more like a fiend, it basically killed off Matra..? Did Matra design the current Espace then?
Have you any pics of the Matra's & The Alpine or the bits of them? You've gotta get them sorted out!
V0R5PRU7NG DUR6CH T3CHN1K
Motion & Emotion
No, the latest, all metal Espace is a pure Renault creation.
and frankly has lost the whole point of the Espace.
Mate had one for 8 months. Heavy, slow, poor handling and awful quality.
The A610 looks wonderful Just not inside the cylindersHave you any pics of the Matra's & The Alpine or the bits of them? You've gotta get them sorted out!
After this winter it's looking like one of those pics you see in the classic mags of "discovered gems" ... The RHD Bagheera has brambles growing over it !! THe orange one is OK under a cover and the Espace looks like it was abandoned
"A woman without curves is like a road without bends, you might get to your destination quicker but the ride is boring as hell'
I'd really like to see them in their current state, lol, if that is at all possible?
V0R5PRU7NG DUR6CH T3CHN1K
Motion & Emotion
There are currently 2 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 2 guests)