The Matra MS9 was an interim development car, used at the 1968 South African Grand Prix while the Matra MS10 was still in development. With the MS10 behind schedule, Ken Tyrrell persuaded Matra to modify an MS7 chassis to handle a Cosworth DFV engine in the mean time. The chassis was strengthened, and had the fuel tanks enlarged, and in less than 24 hours a new nose was added to handle a larger radiator. At the back end, the suspension from Matra's Group 6 sports car were used, as that was the only thing available to handle the size of the DFV.
Despite the rather hasty and "mix-and-match" construction, Jackie Stewart immediately described the car as far more comfortable than the BRM P115 that he had used for much of 1967. The rather unsightly qualified third, and managed to lead briefly before eventually suffering a broken engine. But Stewart, Tyrrell and Matra were very pleasantly surprised with the speed shown, and spent some time running comparison testing with the MS10 after the race.
The MS9 was used as a test mule for much of the season, but after that was consigned to the museum.
Complete Formula One Results[]
Year | Entreat | Drivers | Tires | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1968 | |||||||||||||||
Matra International | Jackie Stewart | D | Ret |
V T E | Matra Sports | |
---|---|---|
Founder Marcel Chassagny · Jean-Luc Lagardère | ||
Personnel Bernard Boyer · Robert Choulet · Gérard Ducarouge · Ken Tyrrell | ||
World Championship Jackie Stewart (1969) | ||
Drivers Jean-Pierre Beltoise · Johnny Servoz-Gavin · Henri Pescarolo · Chris Amon | ||
Cars MS5 · MS7 · MS9 · MS10 · MS11 · MS80 · MS84 · MS120 · MS120B · MS120C · MS120D | ||