Lot 155 1969 Matra MS640 Continuation For Sale by Auction

This car is Lot 155 to be auctioned by Bonhams|Cars at Les Grandes Marques du Monde à Paris Sale on 6 February, please see the Bonhams website for full details.

Public Viewing:
Available Tuesday 4 February from 08:00 until 18:00 and Wednesday 5 February from 9 AM - 6 PM, at The Grand Palais Historique, Paris.

Lot 155

1969 Matra MS640 Continuation
Registration no.
Chassis no. 02

• Engine and gearbox from MS640-01
• Driven by Henri Pescarolo, multiple endurance racing champion
• Presented with original period documentation
• Eligible for prestigious events
• Prototype designed exclusively for track use, offered without registration

Matra, founded by Marcel Chassagny just after the war as M. A. T. R. A. (Mécanique Aviation TRAction), initially focused on armaments. However, it was in 1964 that Matra's automotive destiny took a decisive turn, under the visionary leadership of Jean-Luc Lagardère, a former Dassault executive. He laid the foundation for an automotive journey with the creation of Matra Sports, a division that would never settle for convention. Lagardère's ambition was to take Matra to the world’s most demanding circuits.

The history of Matra Sports is defined by relentless innovation, combining state-of-the-art technology with raw passion. The result? A decade of extraordinary success: 124 wins and 104 lap records from 334 races between 1964 and 1975. In 1969, Matra reached its zenith when Jackie Stewart, driving the Matra MS 80, won the Formula 1 World Championship. This victory, accompanied by a Constructors' Championship, placed France at the pinnacle of motorsport.

Matra’s dominance extended to endurance racing, where the brand cemented its superiority. The 1970s saw Matra secure three consecutive wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (1972, 1973, and 1974), along with World Sport-Prototype titles in 1973 and 1974.

Determined to triumph at the 1969 Le Mans 24 Hours, Lagardère issued a bold challenge to engineer Robert Choulet: design a prototype in just three months. This led to the creation of the MS 640-01, a car intended to compete in the 3-litre sport-prototype category. A technical masterpiece, the MS 640-01 featured a fiberglass and epoxy laminated body mounted on a steel tubular chassis, housing the MS 09 engine—a 2999 cc V12 in a rear-mid position, paired with a ZF 5DS 25/ 1 gearbox and a limited-slip differential. The prototype embodied a pursuit of innovation like never before, with a particular emphasis on aerodynamics.

The fate of the MS 640 took a tragic turn on April 16, 1969, during private testing at Le Mans. Henri Pescarolo, was involved in a serious crash on the Hunaudières straight, almost completely destroying the car and bringing a premature end to this promising project. This moment marked a pivotal point in Robert Choulet’s career. In the aftermath, the engineer refined his technical advances, which would later influence the legendary Porsche 917, contributing to their triumph in endurance racing.

In the 1990s, an ambitious restoration project was launched, spearheaded by the former organizer of the Rétromobile show, a passionate collector of Matra prototypes. This project brought together Jean-Paul Humbert and Bernard Balzeau, both former Matra Sports engineers, specialists in Matra competition cars.

Fitted with the MS 09 engine and gearbox salvaged from the charred remains of chassis #01, the MS 640-02 we present here was born. Its design is based on the original Matra blueprints, and its bodywork was molded from the original molds.

With this remarkable technical heritage, the only thing left was a driver. Henri Pescarolo, drawing on his experience in April 1969 and with 22 World Sport-Prototype Championship victories to his name, was the obvious choice. In April 2006, the car was tested at the Brétigny airbase. With the latest

calculations by Robert Choulet, the team employed modern technology to monitor aerodynamics and performance in real-time. After a morning of adjustments, Henri Pescarolo, true to his reputation, drove the car to nearly 300 km/ h.

The MS640-02 is not merely a replica of the MS640-01—it is the realization of the original project’s full potential. Presented in its entirety, it is now ready to return to the track with its future owner.

All lots are sold 'as is/ where is' and Bidders must satisfy themselves as to the provenance, condition, age, completeness and originality prior to bidding. Visit the Bonhams|Cars website for all pertinent auction information.