Matra-SIMCA Bagheera
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Matra Bagheera and Matra Murena; three is a crowd

Currently, if we take a look at the market, coupes are on the way to extinction. Count the models that are in the manufacturers' catalog, and we are not talking about cars like the Audi R8 or similar, these are not coupes, they are big sports cars or, as they are called in the world, "supercars". We refer to cars such as the Alfa Romeo GTV, the Peugeot 406 Coupé, the “Macchina” from FIAT (the Coupé), the Ford Probe… now you can only access this type of car signed by “premium” brands and also, their days are numbered. 

The Audi TT, for example, will not have a replacement after the current generation, the BMW 2 Series Coupé is not guaranteed a promising future (and the M2 will be an electric car!), Mercedes, with the C-Class Coupé, presents another model big and less sporty than those mentioned, focused directly on facing the BMW 4 Series Coupé and the Audi A5 and san, it's over. Come on, there is no more and we would have to go to Porsche and its 718 Cayman, wait for the Nissan Z (this name is not yet official and will not reach Europe) or similar options. There are no coupes “for everyone”, there are not even three-door bodies, and as fans, we see it as a huge mistake and a huge loss. Although as we have said on other occasions, fans are very bad buyers and manufacturers make cars for the masses, not for us. 

Now coupes, if they deserve to be called that, are sedans with a more sporty and curvilinear profile or SUVs, which base their status as a "coupe" on the same strategy as sedans, that is, on a drop from the roof. at the very sharp rear, seeking to simulate a more sporty and dynamic body. However, although on occasion very interesting designs are obtained, the aura and spirit of a coupe are totally absent from these cars. In fact, calling these cars coupes seems like nonsense. 

Matra Murena, nonsense ... coupe?

However, although nonsense, they sell the sea of ​​good, especially the SUV Coupé. The success is so remarkable, that they have even opted to manufacture SUV coupe with an electric motor, a combination that is presented as the most successful between now and the next few years. Another nonsense? Well it depends on the eyes that look at it, but anyway, nonsense is something of the most normal in the automotive industry. It is not a new event, nor will we see it disappear in the short or long term, it is something intrinsic to the human being. We just have to look back to learn more nonsense, although in this case we like it more than an SUV or a coupe sedan. 

We are talking about the Matra-SIMCA Bagheera and Talbot-Matra Murena, two small coupes launched on the market in the 80s, which are nonsense in all their splendor, cars that despite looking like a great idea, we also thought they were not the most suitable for the company when they were put into circulation. Although Matra is not an unknown brand (it was present in Formula 1 between 1966 and 1972 with 21 podiums and 9 victories and went on to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans on two occasions), it is true that it did not have a great tradition in the manufacture of cars «Street» and from one day to the next, those responsible for the company took over the car division. In fact, it was shortly after manufacturing our protagonist, after which, they dedicated themselves to manufacturing the first generation of the Renault Espace. 

The Matra, whose name comes from “Mécanique Avión Traction”, was a French company whose activity covered quite a few plots. For example, it was closely related to aeronautics and weapons, entering the automotive sector after acquiring the René Bonnet and go on to basically manufacture competition vehicles and a production model such as the Matra Rancho, which was a kind of SIMCA 1200 transformed into what we would now call “crossover”. Matra's work is the first rear mid-engined production car, the Matra Djet, designed by Bonnet and known as the Matra-Bonnet Djet. 

During the 70s, Matra and SIMCA created a close bond and collaborated on some projects together, such as the Matra Bagheera, a coupé (or is it a sports car?) With a strange three-seat configuration on the same plane, not for nothing, they could not be assembled any other way. A car that, despite its striking design and having a certain sporty character, was a disaster that received the “Silver Lemon” award from the German Automobile Club (ADAC), a dubious award given to cars with more breakdowns and manufacturing failures. The seats (extremely soft) were also criticized, although in some tests of the time in the Spanish press they were branded as comfortable and well designed. 

Nonsense in duplicate

Thus, the Matra Bagheera was a coupe of strange configuration that, taking the thread with which we started, is nonsense. Who would want a front three-seater coupe? Does something like this really have a place in the market? The comparison with the McLaren F1, with the McLaren Speedtail or with the GMA T.50 does not serve us, they are totally different cars whose command post is placed in the center and logic invites us to take advantage of the space available to the sides with both seats . In the case of the Bagheera the driving position is the same as always in most of the world, on the left side

However, the idea of ​​the three front seats was maintained in the replacement of the Bagheera, or at least, in the launch of the car that recovered the spirit of the aforementioned coupe. It is the Talbot-Matra Murena, another coupe whose cabin had three seats in front, placed in a row. This time it is not SIMCA, but a Talbot, although it is a mere marketing exercise since at that time, Peugeot took control of SIMCA through Chrysler and renamed it Talbot, a stamp that had been dead for about two decades and that returned to adorn the front of the SIMCA manufactured by the Americans to, later, go on to manufacture models developed by the PSA itself, such as the Talbot Horizon or the Peugeot 309, which was destined to replace the Horizon in the market but in the end it did not (and it would have been quite a bomb ...). 

The Talbot-Matra Murena repeated the same concepts of the Bagherra, but using components from PSA and Chrysler. It is, almost, a meccano, a car made of scraps whose body and interior is of its own design, although the latter is inspired by the Bagherra.

It was known internally as "Project M551" and the objective was to improve all the weak points of the Bagheera, being the same designer of the aforementioned Bagheera, the one in charge of shaping the Talbot-Matra Murena, although for the rest of things he made use of the PSA warehouse. 

For example, the front suspension and steering come from SIMCA's organ bank, while the five-speed gearbox was original from the Citroën CX. Initially, Renault's Douvrin engine was considered, but the French refused to supply the propellant to avoid a confrontation with the Renault Fuego. Thus, therefore, the decision was reached to use the block with 1.592 cubic centimeters with 92 CV of the Talbot Solara, which was later accompanied by a 2.2 of the Talbot Tagora with 118 CV, which later passed to the 142 CV of the Talbot-Matra Murena S (only 480 units of this version were made)

This engine was also placed in a central rear position, allowing a cabin with three seats thanks to its width. The chassis, for its part, It had galvanized sheet metal to avoid the problems of its predecessor and particularly favorable aerodynamics (a Cx of 0,33). 

More than 10.000 units were made and then the Renault Espace arrived

The production of the Talbot-Matra Murena cannot be called a success, but neither was it a particularly great failure. 10.680 units were made, with very similar figures for the 1.6 and 2.2. Matra did not make any more of its own cars and after the Murena, focused on a car that has marked an important moment in automotive history: the Renault Espace. It should be noted that Peugeot rejected the project due to lack of funds, but Renault saw the potential and did not hesitate for a moment. 

It's quite an interesting story, since the initial design of the Espace was made on a Peugeot-Chrysler base, but Matra adapted it to the base of the Renault 18 when it was presented to the signature of the diamond. The rest we already know how it happened, although despite its importance in the industry, the Renault Espace is not widely appreciated as a historical or collector's vehicle. Unlike the Talbot-Matra Murena, which does seem to be an interesting car for those looking for an "old" car for their garage. 

What do you think?

Written by Javi Martin

If you ask me where my love for motoring comes from, I wouldn't know how to answer. It has always been there, although I am the only one in the family who likes this world. My father worked as a draftsman in a metallurgical company with a lot of auto parts production, but there was never a passion like I can have.

I really like automobile history and I am currently creating a personal library dedicated exclusively to motor history in Spain. I also have a huge collection of scanned material and have written the book "The 600, a dream on wheels" (Larousse publishing house).

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