The first 530 (badged "Matra Sports M530A") was shown to the public on March 7, 1967 at the Geneva Motor Show. It had a 70 DIN hp Ford 1699 cc V4 engine, which gave the car a top speed of . It entered production a month later, incorporating modifications that included the addition of a chrome bumper bar to provide much-needed protection from parking shunts for the front grill, a modest reshaping of the dashboard to give the passenger a little more knee room, and the repositioning of the ignition key to facilitate access. In its first two production years, the chassis was built by Carrier in Alençon and assembly was undertaken by French coachbuilder Brissonneau et Lotz at Creil. The engine bay of the early model 530 was accessible by removing the acrylic glass rear window.