This model really surprised me with the immense amount of tiny details IXO managed to put in it. The Matra MS670 may not be as gorgeous as the Ferrari Breadvan or the Porsche 917K, but when you hear its V12 roaring... It’s impossible not to love something so musical!
Leave this video on the background, as a soundtrack. Put your best pair of headphones and crank the volume to 11!
Story: The 24 hours of Le Mans happens in France since 1923, but it was only in 1950 the first time a French maker won the race, with the Talbot-Lago Grand Sport. The next victory came only in 1972 (and again in ‘73 and ‘74) with the Matra MS670!
Matra was founded in 1945 as Mécanique Aviation Traction, and as the french name implies, was an airplane company. In the 60’s, they began fiddling with motorsports. They first wins came in the European Formula 2 and Formula 3 championiships. They built a nice reputation, and in ‘67 when Matra told the world they would try to win the 24 Hours, everyone got excited.
Actually, they had already raced in ‘66 with the MS620, but with a Ford V8. Matra’s president, however, wasn’t pleased to use an American engine in a French car, so they asked Moteur Moderne to design a new engine for 1967, in compliance with the new rules for the WSC (FIA WEC at the time). The engine haven’t anything special or extraordinary: 3 liters, V12, 60º between cylinder banks, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder and 390 hp in endurance specs. However, the engine was designed with durability and reliability in mind.
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And it was exactly this reliability what made the blue Matras so feared. In 1968 Pescarolo & Gavin were doing great with the MS630 until the 22nd hour, when they crashed. The next years, when the Ford GT40 and the Porsche 917K won, Matra tried and learned with their mistakes. In ‘69, for example, all three Matras broke with less than 80 laps, because the pistons had too much oil. In 1970, they tried to extract 420 hp from the engine, but all three cars retired before 8 hours. In 1971 Matra registered only 1 car, the MS660, with a new, more aerodynamic body. However, again, they couldn’t finish the race. This time because Chris Amon & Jean-Pierre Beltoise ran out of fuel.
Matra MS660
For 1972 they decided to still keep trying with the same engine. The project had already almost 7 years, and it was going obsolete. However, in a stroke of luck, FIA changed the WSC rules, and for that year the engines could not displace more than 3 liters. All other teams had to project a new engine for this season, except Matra, whose engine already complied with the new rules! So, with 7 years of continuous testing and tuning, Matra’s engine was the most reliable and efficient of the bunch. How much advantage they had? Of the 3 registered Matras for the race, 2 of them came in 1st (Henri Pescarolo & Graham Hill) and 2nd (François Cevert & Howden Ganley), and the third only didn’t arrived in 3rd because it broke.
And it’s exactly the winner I’m reviewing!
Accuracy: 8/10
Everything looks absolutely great! It’s an IXO, so you know it’s going to be pretty good stuff. Almost all tampos are present, and they’re on the appropriated location. However, the two Shell tampos are missing on the back, and there’s little on the engine bay. At least it’s a bit better than the Porsche, because at least it has something moulded. For a (relatively) cheap model, it’s good.
Fit and Finish: 10/10
Yep, a 10/10. Everything is perfect here. No gaps, no plastic excess, no paint or decal smudging... What else can you ask?
Features: 7/10
Answering my own question above, interior details!!!!!!!!!! The mirror is painted silver, there are rivets inside, a painted stick shift, gauges on the dash and seat belts. I was simply baffled for this amount of detail and effort in a 1/43 model. However, no working suspension or engine details make it a 7. The interior details, however, contributed to the F&F 10/10.
Value: 7.5/10
For R$80 this is a very good price. The lack of engine details and the missing Shell tampos compensate for the interior details, so I’m analyzing only the price here. It’s a bit over the price of other IXOs on Mercado Livre, but the relative rarity (and the memories of its sweet sound) makes it a good deal.
Rarity: 5/10
Just look eBay, there are a lot of them for sale with good prices!
Total: 37.5/50
The rarity and value plunged the total down a bit, but it’s just a silly number. I really like the older racing cars, and every time I look to this Matra I think of the symphony its V12 makes. I dig the color combination too, and I’m always amazed with the interior. It is a really great model, and by the prices I saw I think everyone should have one, haha!
Story credit: FlatOut!