Matra MS120
Chris Amon's Matra MS120B used in the 1971 Argentine Grand Prix
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| Category | Formula One | ||||||||||
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| Constructor | Matra | ||||||||||
| Designer(s) |
Gerard Ducarouge Bernard Boyer |
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| Predecessor | MS80 / MS84 | ||||||||||
| Technical specifications | |||||||||||
| Chassis | Aluminium monocoque | ||||||||||
| Engine | Matra 3,000 cc (183.1 cu in) V12 naturally aspirated mid-engined | ||||||||||
| Transmission | Hewland DG300 5 speed | ||||||||||
| Fuel | Elf | ||||||||||
| Tyres | Goodyear | ||||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||||
| Notable entrants | Matra | ||||||||||
| Notable drivers |
 Jean-Pierre Beltoise Henri Pescarolo Chris Amon
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| Debut | 1970 South African Grand Prix | ||||||||||
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| n.b. Unless otherwise stated, all data refer to Formula One World Championship Grands Prix only. |
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The Matra MS120 was the fifth and final Formula One car produced by Matra (following the MS9, MS10, MS11, MS80 and MS84).
The MS120 was later developed to become the Matra MS120B, Matra MS120C and Matra MS120D. The car was built at Matra's Formula One base at Vélizy-Villacoublay in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, designed under the direction of Gérard Ducarouge and Bernard Boyer.
For 1970 following the agreement with Simca, Matra asked Tyrrell to use their V12 engine rather than the Cosworth. Jackie Stewart got to test the Matra V12, but since a large part of the Tyrrell budget was provided by Ford, and another significant sponsor was French state-owned petroleum company Elf, which had an agreement with Renault that precluded supporting a Simca partner, the partnership between Matra and Tyrrell ended.
Matra chose an all French line up with Jean-Pierre Beltoise and Henri Pescarolo for 1970.
The South African Grand Prix was good for Beltoise with a 4th-place finish while Pescarolo had a disappointing 7th place. The Spanish Grand Prix was a bad race both retiring with engine failures. The Monaco Grand Prix saw Pescarolo get 3rd place but Beltoise retired with differential failure. The Belgian Grand Prix saw Pescarolo finish 6th with electrical failure while Beltoise scored a third-place finish. The Dutch Grand Prix saw Beltoise 5th and Pescarolo 8th. Then the French Grand Prix which was Matra's, Beltoise's and Pescarolo's home race, saw Beltoise 5th and Pescarolo 13th out of fuel. Next was the British Grand Prix was a bad race with both retiring, Beltoise with a wheel and Pescarolo with an Accident. Then was the German Grand Prix saw Pescarolo got 6rd place but Beltoise retired with Suspension failure, Next was the Austrian Grand Prix saw Beltoise 6th and Pescarolo 14th. Then was the Italian Grand Prix saw Beltoise got 3rd place but Pescarolo retired with Engine failure, Next was the Canadian Grand Prix saw Pescarolo 7th and Beltoise 8th. Then was the United States Grand Prix saw Pescarolo 8rd place but Beltoise retired with a bad handling car, Finally, it was the Mexican Grand Prix saw Beltoise 5th and Pescarolo 9th despite the race was delayed by an hour because of crowd control. Pescarolo was not retained by Matra for 1971 and was replaced by New Zealand's Chris Amon
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