Matra

Matra (an acronym for Mecanique Aviation Traction) was a major French industrial conglomerate whose business activities covered aerospace, defence, automotive, motorsports, transport and telecommunications. Following its acquisition of vehicle manufacturer Automobiles Rene Bonnet, the company founded Matra Automobiles during the 1960s, producing racing and sports cars. In 1999 Matra Hautes Technologies, the conglomerate's aerospace, defence and telecommunications arm, was merged with Aerospatiale to form Aerospatiale-Matra, now part of Airbus. Matra went bankrupt in 2003.