Sunday, 4 June 2017

First man in space Yuri Gagarin with a Matra Djet, a gift from the French government in 1965


First man in space Yuri Gagarin with a Matra Djet, a gift from the French government in 1965

Gagarin rode his Matra Djet only a few times. Although, Gagarin was an international celebrity, and earned many medals and titles, including Hero of the Soviet Union, the Soviet astronaut was very humble and down to earth guy. He felt awkward driving this expensive sports car, because it was so exotic to regular Soviets.

After his death, the car was displayed in Star City. In the 90’s, Gagarin’s Matra Djet was sold to a Lithuanian car collector.

#history #MatraDjet #YuriGagarin
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1 comment:

  1. Bertrand Nelson5 June 2017 at 02:13

    The Matra Djet (modified versions VS: 200 km/h for 1255 cm3!, and 6) was used by the Gendarmerie in France for high-speed interceptions on the highways ('autoroutes' with tolls), the speed limit was limited at 130 km/h only around 1974 and it still does.
    Here's a link to the cars of the BRI (Rapid Intervention Brigades):
    motards-de-la-gendarmerie.info - B.R.I.

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