Matra · 1973–1980

Matra Bagheera

The Matra Bagheera is a sports car built by the automotive division of the French engineering group Matra from 1973 to 1980, in cooperation with automaker Simca. It was marketed as the Matra-Simca Bagheera until its final year of production, when its designation was changed to the Talbot-Matra Bagheera following Chrysler Europe's demise and subsequent takeover by PSA.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Matra 530 · Successor: Matra Murena

All Matra Bagheera data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

Conception and development

In December 1969 Matra and Simca entered into an agreement that rebranded Matra's racing cars as Matra-Simcas and give Matra access to the Simca dealer network in France and the Common Market. The first joint project of the new liaison was development of a replacement for the Matra 530, which had not reached either its targeted market or its projected sales volumes. Work on the new car began in 1970 under project code M550. Development was led by Matra's head of engineering and design Philippe Guédon and Chrysler-Simca product planner Jacques Rousseau. Additional direction for the design was provided by Chrysler-Simca planner Marc Honoré. Honoré identified Simca's strongest market as being cars displacing between 1.3 and 1.5 litres and suggested the team focus on building a car of that class, which would constrain the size of the car if performance was to be acceptable. As many as possible of the major components were sourced from the Chrysler-Simca parts inventory. Although the engine, gearbox and many suspension elements came directly from the Simca 1100, this new Matra was to be a mid-engined car rather than front-wheel drive like the donor car. Chrysler-Simca's planners also wanted a car with more than just two seats. Guédon agreed, but he was also not satisfied with the 2+2 arrangement used in the M530, feeling that the rear seats were too small to be really useful. The solution came to him on a lengthy trip he took in a Ford Taunus station wagon with two colleagues. The back of the car was so full that the travelers sat three across in the front of the car. The M550 sat three abreast. Eleven prototypes were built and used for road-testing in environments ranging from Saharan Mauritania to Lapland, as well as for crash-testing. Development was complete by the end o

Bodywork

The initial shape of the car was drawn by Jean Toprieux and later refined by Jacques Nochet. Greek designer Antonis Volanis joined the project and contributed to the interior, handling the instrument panel and steering wheel shapes. The body's shape was that of a sleek hatchback with hidden headlights. The rear hatch opened to access the engine mounted behind the passenger compartment and a rear luggage space. The unusual three-abreast seating dictated by Guédon was implemented as a 2+1 arrangement. The driver had a regular seat while on the passenger side was a single two-place bench with two individual seatbacks inspired by a lounge chair Guédon had found in a Paris shop. Seen in plan view it is apparent that the body sides are slightly convex to accommodate the seating. The 19 panels that made up the Bagheera's body were made of fiberglass-reinforced polyester, which were then attached to the chassis. The process used to make the panels was called `LP', and it used a low-pressure high-temperature pressing method to produce panels using relatively inexpensive tooling. The advantages of using LP for Matra were its ability to produce large, high quality panels with precision and economy. The LP process had only been in use for twelve month prior to the beginning of production, which means that Matra had introduced this new technology at the car's early development stage. Problems with the car's finish served to hamper sales when new, and in 1975 the Bagheera received German ADAC's "Silver Lemon" award for being the new car with the most problems. The Bagheera won the 1973 Style Auto Award, beating out competition that included the Lancia Stratos, Lancia Beta coupé and Ferrari Dino 308 GT4. The Bagheera was also very aerodynamic, with a drag coefficient ( C

Chassis and suspension

The chassis was fabricated of pressed steel. While it has been called a space-frame it more closely resembled a unitary body. The shapes of some pieces were simplified to accommodate the low production numbers that the car was built in. The front suspension was from the Simca 1100. It consisted of upper and lower A-arms with telescopic hydraulic dampers and longitudinal torsion bars running back along the chassis for springing. An anti-roll bar was fitted at the front as well. The rear of the M550 prototype used the same type of suspension as the front, moved rearward along with the engine and transaxle. This proved unsatisfactory and so the final production cars received a new system that comprised new trailing arms designed by Matra with transverse torsion bars and telescopic shock-absorbers. An anti-roll bar was also fitted at the rear. No right-hand-drive Bagheeras were ever built by the factory, but a number were converted to RHD by Wooler-Hodec in England.

Engine and transaxle

The only engine offered at first was the 1,294 cc (79.0 cu in) "Poissy engine" from Simca's 1100 Ti model. In the Bagheera this ohv straight-4 engine developed 62.6 kW (84 hp) at 6000 rpm, two more horsepower than in the 1100 Ti. The transversely mounted engine was paired with the 4-speed manual transaxle from the 1100. In 1976 a larger version of the same engine became available when the 1,442 cc (88.0 cu in) engine from the Simca 1308 GT was added to the lineup. The first Bagheera to use this engine was the newly introduced `S' version. Changes were also made to the carburation. A 4-speed manual was still the only transmission offered.

Model variations

1973 - The Bagheera was released as a 1974 model-year car. This version had the original bodywork and 1294 cc engine with two two-barrel Weber carburetors. Although not an official designation, this model was often called the type I. 1974 - `Courrèges' model was launched. While mechanically identical to the Mark I this version, styled by fashion designer André Courrèges, had an all-white exterior and interior and dash trimmed in imitation gold. Apart from the colour it was distinguished by custom exterior badging and custom interior trim. 1975 - `Bagheera S' model was launched. This car got the larger 1,442 cc (88.0 cu in) engine from the Simca 1308 GT, as did the Courrèges the same year. With two two-barrel carburetors the engine produced 67.1 kW (90 hp). The `S' was also distinguished by special exterior trim and badging. 1976 - The Bagheera received a major restyling. All body panels with the exception of the rear hatch were modified at least slightly. Most obvious were the new wrap-around bumpers, the new rear-quarter glass and the larger tail lamps. The changes raised the drag coefficient to 0.35. Inside there was a new dashboard. This model was now referred to by some as the type II. The base engine remained at 1294 cc, while both the `S' and the Courrèges continued with the 1442 cc engine as standard. 1977 - The Courrèges model was dropped, and a new, fully optioned "Bagheera X" model took its place. 1978 - All models received a new dashboard and seats. In April a new "Jubilé" series was launched to commemorate Simca's second "Car of the Year" win for the Horizon in 1978. Since PSA took control of Simca in the previous year (after the demise of Chrysler Europe), all Matra-Simcas became Talbot-Matras. 1979 - The 1294 engine was dropped and all Bagheeras got the 1

Road tests and impressions

Early in 1974 the German Magazine Auto, Motor und Sport tested a 1294 cc Bagheera and compared it to its closest competitors in the market. The car's light weight served it well in the performance comparisons: a top speed of 186.5 km/h (116 mph) was recorded against 176.5 km/h (110 mph) for an Alfa Romeo GT 1300 Junior, despite the Alfa's claim of an extra 3 bhp. The French car's acceleration also bettered the Italian's, taking 12.2 seconds to reach 100 km/h (62 mph) against the Alfa's 13.5 seconds. The Matra-Simca's DM 14,198 price tag was somewhat lower than the DM 14,490 listed for the Alfa Romeo, although both were undercut on price by models from mass market producers such as the 1900 cc Opel Manta SR at DM 13,990.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name: Matra Bagheera
aka: Matra-Simca Bagheera, Talbot-Matra Bagheera
Manufacturer: Matra Automobiles
Production: 1973–1980
Assembly: France: Romorantin-Lanthenay
Predecessor: Matra 530
Successor: Matra Murena
Class: Sports car
Layout: MR layout
Body style: 3-door hatchback
Engine: 1294 cc Poissy engine ohv I4, 1442 cc Poissy engine ohv I4
Transmission: 4-speed manual, all-synchromesh
Length: 3974 mm
Wheelbase: 2370 mm
Width: 1734 mm
Height: 1175 mm
Kerb weight: 965 kg
Related: Simca 1100 Ti
Designer: Jean Toprieux, Jacques Nochet, Antonis Volanis

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

Sources

Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1757770CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matra_BagheeraCC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1357141270 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Talbot_matra_bagheera.jpgPublic domain · Photo: Scooper · retrieved 2026-10-01
Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.