The Matra Murena’s story begins with another car, called the Bagheera. Engineered by Matra and co-produced with Simca for the model year 1974, the Bagheera offered odd solutions to ordinary manufacturing and ergonomic problems. To keep costs low, its body was pressed fiberglass bonded to a chassis. Since its mid-engine layout made the interior cramped, it offered three seats abreast. Its flattened two-spoke steering wheel provided more legroom. During a production run that extended to 1980, about 47,700 Bagheeras were sold. Unfortunately, the cars suffered from chassis rust, an underpowered engine, and poor fit and finish. The Murena was conceived to fix these problems. Like the Bagheera, it was crafted by Antonis Volanis, a Greek industrial designer working for Matra. It retained the quirkiness of the earlier car but its chassis was galvanized to defend against rust, and its engine was a few cc’s larger. The Murena was very expensive when new, and the competition from faster hot hatches like the Renault Fuego, VW Golf, and Ford Escort wrecked the Murena’s chances. Only about 10,600 were sold, none in the US. But thanks to someone’s efforts at importation, here at Motoexotica is a 1983 Talbot Matra Murena that you, too, could own. No price is listed, but Hagerty indicates a “good” car is valued at $11,000; other sources say top-notch cars are worth about $25,000. We owe thanks to R the T for this unusual tip!
The motor is a Talbot-based 2.2-liter in-line four-cylinder mounted mid-ship, with a single Solex carburetor. You might be wondering what Talbot has to do with Matra. The Talbot name derived from the French division of a British maker, which went defunct in the late 1930s. Eventually, Peugeot came to own the name. Peugeot purchased Chrysler Europe in 1978 for one dollar, acquiring Matra with it. The Matra Murena is sometimes appended with “Talbot”; either way is correct. The parts-bin approach didn’t stop with the motor: its transaxle was from Citroen, the rear tail lights were Talbot again, and the door handles were Peugeot. With 116 bhp and a zero to sixty time in the 10-second area, the car was still pilloried as slow against the swarm of fierce hatchbacks coming to market in this era. At least the car got a five-speed manual transmission, unlike the unlucky Bagheera. This car is said to be a solid driver, having received a tune-up and complete brake service.
The interior reeks of 1970s style combined with French eccentricity. Velvet fabrics, fantastical colors, two-spoke flattened steering wheel, dash plastic – it’s a feast for connoisseurs of the weird. That said, it’s also in fine condition.
The underside couldn’t be much tidier. Interior climate control is a forte of most museums, so the storage quality enjoyed by this Murena was a notch above the barn finds we see. No doubt the Murena is rare, and weird. The question is, how weird is too weird, and what do you pay for it?
This is fun.
Right? I like the Bagheera too.
Buy it & take it to Cars&Coffee – you’ll have
the only Gold one there.
mr3
The middle seat must be for a chaperon when on your first date OR when you need to take wife and girlfriend out on the town.
Or young families with one small child.
Always wanted one! Missed out on a blue one with a custom painted hood a few years ago.
Luv love the color of the seats!!!! Early Bordello my fav
I often wonder how readily a Mopar 2.2L Turbo powertrain might swap into one of these, given the early Murena (like the Bagheera before it) came with a Simca “Poissy” engine that was also used in the US Omni/Horizon twins for their first few years.
The crooked Motoexotica tag on the aft numberplate location is not a good omen.
huh ?????? a front end of the Pontiac Fiero……the side of an early 240-Z….the dashboard of an Isuzu Impulse (early 1980s, not the later ones)….the seats of a bordello type Chrysler Cordoba…..the “2.2” decal from an old Dodge GLH……tailights from an old “Z”…….WTF ????? This car is truly a vehicle of many minds collabarating into one lame statement !
Curiosity killed this cat. They are asking $32,000 for it!
“Call for price” = It’s so high no one will call if we post it.
Interior reminds me of a movie character in Total Recall.
Great car but the “S” is the one to have. The standard car is waaaaaay to slow.
I was digging it …until I saw those seats. That car didn’t leave the factory with those!
Oh yes, it certainly did.
A lot of the French sports cars of the day didn’t have proper sport seats-they were equipped with the sofa from your grandma’s parlor.
I guess it’s just another automotive “quirk” the French were known for. The interior would be at home in a customized shag wagon.
It has an MPH speedo. Was this built for NA export originally?
An interesting automotive curiosity. A three seat sports car, barely wide enough for two adults. I’ll be keeping my 1964 Studebaker Daytona Convertible with its spongy old bench seat.
Now we know from where the McClaren F1 and Speedtail got their 3 seat layouts.