Tomorrow, April 12th, 50 years has passed since the first man ever, Yuri Gagarin, went to space.

But he was also fast on the road - here he is photographed with his Melkus 1000 RS, a DDR built race car.



Fly, Yuri Gagarin, fly!

Cheers,
Timo

Hi Timo
with full respect but this is a Matra Djet, which I saw just yesterday at this years first oldtimer meeting. here is a photo. A Melkus would have wing doors. all the best - Raindog Sr

Hi Raindog Sr,

you are absolutely right!

Two cars with very similar look from the same era. A Melkus from DDR would have suited so well for a Soviet Union hero but a Matra Djet from France it is as you corrected.

I had never heard about Matra Djet before and was really surprised how similar look it had compared to Melkus 1000 RS.

I misinterpeted the information "The only road going car the company produced was the Melkus RS 1000. It was a sleek sports car powered by a tuned mid-mounted Wartburg 3-cylinder 2-stroke engine. Most of the cars used the 992 cc version, but some of the later cars had the 1200 cc version. It had gullwing doors. 101 cars were made." given at Melkus Wikipedia site. It didn't mean that only starting from the 1200 cc version it had gullwing doors but that it always had gullwing doors and later a 1200 cc engine. It was odd that Melkus Wikipedia site did not show any picture with those special gullwing doors open.

I would really like to see someone to build up either of these great lightweight cars with small engine for GTL!

Cheers,
Timo

In 1965 Yury Gagarin has visited France where has visited firm Matra which was making the space-rocket technics and in passing engaged in release of cars. There to the first cosmonaut double coupe Matra-Bonnet Jet VS which distinguished a fiberglass body, back engine configuration, an independent suspension and clasp brakes has attracted. After returning to Moscow in a court yard of embassy of France of Gagarin the gift – Matra waited for celestial-blue color.

Thus on streets of Moscow "Frenchwoman" has passed all some times: the Soviet cosmonaut felt "not in the plate" in this smart car. After Gagarin's  destruction the car stored in Star small town, and have in the early nineties sold to the known Lithuanian collector of cars at whom the well-known sport car some times tried to steal.