1977 Matra-Simca Rancho – Driven To Write

Book of the Dead – Matra

To become a Henokien⁽¹⁾ is granted to few.

Now an exposition centre and museum, the factory in Romorantin-Lanthenay where once Matras were made started out as a spinning mill and weavery. Designed by the architect François Hennebique, it saw one of the earliest applications in France of reinforced concrete in its construction.

Owned by the Normant brothers, the business went very well for decades but saw a sharp decline after the end of World War Two. One of the main customers of the Normant factory had always been the military⁽²⁾ so, when hostilities ceased, so did demand for uniforms. Forced by the arduous economical situation, in 1961 the Normants decided to Continue reading “Book of the Dead – Matra”

Driven To Write is a collective of writers, fuelled by a passion for the motor car, its culture, its people and their stories. Our aim is to provide a distinctive voice and a diversity of automotive writing you may not find elsewhere. We hope you will join us on the journey.

DTW is non-commercial, self-funded, and contains no advertising.

All original content (words and images) hosted on this site remain the sole copyright of the authors and may not be reproduced or re-purposed in whole or in part without their written permission.