Matra
(1965 - 1984)
Brand:
Matra (also known as Matra Bonnet)
Country:
France
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Car articles about Matra by year
Two additional drive wheels were expected to provide more traction, higher usable engine power and therefore faster cars in the 1969 season. In addition to Lotus, three other manufacturers also tried out the unusual new technology. However, they quickly realized that the higher weight and tendency to understeer outweighed any hoped-for advantages. Episode 25 of the series "Technology in racing cars from 1958 to 1978" tells the story of the failure of four-wheel drive in Formula 1.
At the end of the 1960s, the Grande Nation was once again longing for a home victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Matra could have ended the thirty-year drought in 1969 with the particularly streamlined MS 640, but the project ended in a short-distance flight and a fireball after not even one test lap. This article from the series "Technology in racing cars" tells of the beginnings of the Matra MS 640 and the pitfalls of aerodynamics that proved to be its undoing.
After a year of series production, the manufacturing quality of the Matra Sports M 530 had stabilized to such an extent that it was possible to draw reliable conclusions from one car to the next. What's more, over the course of this time, people had also become accustomed to the initially controversial body shape. This historical test report clarifies whether the sporty-looking mid-engined speedster lives up to its visual promise.
Around 40 years ago, Formula 1 racing cars were still comparatively simple vehicles and there were few secrets about their design principles. Most of them even used the same engine. In 1973, the magazine 'hobby' analyzed the leading Grand Prix cars. This report reproduces the original text and graphics of that article and supplements it with contemporary and current pictures of the vehicles mentioned, or rather their predecessors or successors.
Matra presented the new Matra-Simca Bagheera mid-engine sports car to the public at the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 9, 1973. With three seats in a row and classic sports car styling, it was unusual, but nevertheless affordable. The magazine 'hobby' was able to carry out an initial test in the summer and chose an open-air zoo for the photo series based on the name analogy from the Jungle Book. This article reproduces the original wording of the test at the time and shows the plastic sports car in historical pictures.
In 1973, the sports car company Matra-Simca demonstrated with the Bagheera U8 that the pretty plastic sports car could also handle more power than the 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine was capable of delivering. The engineers assembled two four-cylinder engines together with all auxiliary units, resulting in a so-called U8 engine with a displacement of 2.6 liters and over 160 hp. This report describes the unusual development and why it was not successful.
In 1974, the magazine 'hobby' compared the three affordable mid-engined sports cars Fiat X 1/9, Matra-Simca Bagheera and VW-Porsche 914 2.0 over 4,000 km. They were measured and felt, looked at and listened to. Many a flaw came to light and the qualities of the individual concepts became clear. This report edits the wording of the article at the time and supplements the illustrations with archive pictures of the three vehicles, as well as a whole series of sales documents.
In the mid-seventies, hardly any car in its price range offered more overtaking prestige. The Matra-Simca Bagheera looked almost like a Maserati, offered space for three people and had the budget and maintenance-friendly technology of the Simca 1100 on board. It wasn't expensive either, and success was almost guaranteed. However, there were also problems, such as the "Silver Lemon", which the car was awarded by the ADAC due to its unreliability. Today, well-preserved Bagheera are rare, making a test drive with the 1.3-liter flounder all the more exciting. This vehicle report tells the story of the Bagheera, which was produced for over seven years, and shows it in current and historical pictures.
The supporting role was the fate of the Talbot-Matra Rancho: in the model of all teen movies from 1980 as well as in real life, the original SUV remained a marginal phenomenon. This article tells its story and shows the Rancho in modern and historical footage.
Between 1980 and 1983, Matra produced over 10,000 Talbot Matra Murena, which were something special with three seats in a row, a plastic body and a mid-engine design. The cars were attractively priced and durable, so there would have been little standing in the way of great success if the GTI generation had not rolled in and Renault had not presented itself with the production order for the Espace. This report characterizes the sporty three-seater and shows it in current and historical pictures and in the sales brochure of the time.
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All 9 Matra models
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