Matra-Simca Bagheera. The instant captivating feature of this Bagheera was its three-abreast seating
Once the Matra-Chrysler link was forged in 1969, a replacement for the Matra M530 was obviously called for — that car had hardly been a great success, and although it was in the commercial hands of Simca it was powered by a Ford engine. Its successor came in the spring of 1973, and offered a novel solution to the problem of seating more than two people in a mid-engined coupe. Like other modest-production high-performance cars it incorporated mass-produced components, and it was successful — it might not have had enormous competition potential, but it lived through the decade to become a sporting Talbot, as Chrysler sold their European interests. The instant captivating feature of this Bagheera was its three-abreast seating, with the driver slightly isolated from his passengers (who had to travel in intimate proximity, as overall width was only 173cm, but they at least had adequate leg room as the floor was flat). The plastics body, with two main bonded assemblies, was Matra-designed; it was therefore aerodynamically efficient, and stiff and strong as it was carried on a substantial chassis of tubular and boxed members, with a built-in roll-over structure. Simca 1100 suspension was adopted, but after trials with prototypes designated M550, Matra redesigned the rear trailing arm/torsion bar layout. The engine came from the same fwd source, in its 1294cc TI version, installed transversely at the rear and driv-ing through an 1100 gearbox. The power unit was ahead of the rear axle line, but also ahead of a quite generous boot, so that access to it was cramped. A maximum speed of 185kph (approaching 115mph) was claimed for the Bagheera; acceleration was not out-standingly brisk, and the gearchange came in for criticism, while at well below 160kph (100mph) the car became uncomfortably noisy. Although there were some styling oddities in the cockpit, the Bagheera showed more than a touch of well-directed overall flair, with none of the idiosyncracies which characterized slightly earlier French essays in the class, and sales amply justified the initial planned production of 10 000 a year. A larger-engined version was stillborn, but in itself the Bagheera was an original, and worthwhile, addition to the Simca, Chrysler and later Talbot ranges. In 1981, it was superseded by the restyled Murena, still with three-abreast seating, but powered by a choice of 1.6- or 2.2-litre Talbot engines.
Specification Engine: Simca straight-four; 76.7 x 70mm, 1294cc; pushrod ohm; twin Weber carburettors; 84bhp at 6000rpm. Gearbox: Simca four-speed manual. Chassis: tubular; front suspension independent by wishbones, torsion bars and dampers; rear suspension independent by trailing arms, torsion bars and dampers; four-wheel disc brakes. Dimensions: wheelbase 237cm/931in; front track 138cm/544-in; rear track 143cm/561in.
