Before Lamborghini or Ferrari put an engine behind the driver for the road, a small French maker got there first: the 1962 Bonnet Djet was the world's first mid-engined production car.
Lead trim: Djet I 1,108 cc Renault 8 Major four (71 hp)
Matra DjetCBR · 1962–1964
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Matra Djet yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactBefore Lamborghini or Ferrari put an engine behind the driver for the road, a small French maker got there first: the 1962 Bonnet Djet was the world's first mid-engined production car.
The Djet is a French sports car designed and sold first by René Bonnet (1962–1964) and then by Matra (1965–1967), and was the world's first rear mid-engined production road car. The car started out as the René Bonnet Djet in June 1962 (later known as the Djet I), Bonnet naming it "Djet" so that French speakers would say it like the English word "jet"; it was powered by a 1,108 cc engine from a Renault 8 (65 PS in the introduction, 72 PS in the list of types) mounted amidships and mated to a gearbox from the Renault Estafette van. A fiberglass body was chosen for lightness, ease of repair and low investment costs, made by Matra's Générale d'Applications Plastiques subsidiary in Romorantin and bonded directly to a steel chassis. There were four types of René Bonnet Djet: the Djet I (1,108 cc Renault 8 Major engine, 72 PS), the Djet II (a 1,108 cc Renault 8 Gordini engine of 80 PS per the text, but a 996 cc engine of 85 PS per the model table), and the competition-orientated Djet III and IV with a 996 cc double-overhead-camshaft engine of 80 or 100 PS. Only 198 René Bonnet Djets were built between 1962 and 1964, 179 of them the lesser Djet I. The page's top speeds for the Djet I differ between text and table (165 and 170 km/h), so none is entered. Wheelbase 2,400 mm (94.5 in), length 4,220 mm (166.1 in), width 1,500 mm (59.1 in), height 1,200 mm (47.2 in).
Collectors Spotted in the Matra Djet Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Matra Djet yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
One published trim in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Djet I 1,108 cc Renault 8 Major four (71 hp) | 1962–1964 | 1.1 L Inline-4 | 71 hp | 62 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
In 1965 the French government gave Yuri Gagarin — the first man in space — a Djet V S coupé as a state gift.
Before Lamborghini or Ferrari put an engine behind the driver for the road, a small French maker got there first: the 1962 Bonnet Djet was the world's first mid-engined production car.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
In 1965 the French government gave Yuri Gagarin — the first man in space — a Djet V S coupé as a state gift.