Built to use up Chrysler-Simca's parts bin, it took its engine and gearbox straight from the front-wheel-drive Simca 1100 but mounted them amidships instead.
Lead trim: Bagheera 1,294 cc Poissy ohv four (84 hp) · up to 90 hp
Matra BagheeraM550 · 1973–1980
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Matra Bagheera yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactBuilt to use up Chrysler-Simca's parts bin, it took its engine and gearbox straight from the front-wheel-drive Simca 1100 but mounted them amidships instead.
The Matra Bagheera is a sports car built by Matra from 1973 to 1980 in cooperation with Simca, sold as the Matra-Simca Bagheera until its final year, when it became the Talbot-Matra Bagheera after Chrysler Europe's demise and PSA's takeover. It grew out of a December 1969 Matra-Simca agreement and a 1970 project (code M550) to replace the Matra 530, taking as many major components as possible from Chrysler-Simca's parts inventory: engine, gearbox and many suspension elements came from the Simca 1100 but the Bagheera was mid-engined rather than front-wheel drive, seating three abreast (a 2+1 arrangement) with a fibreglass body bonded to a steel space-frame. The only engine at first was the 1,294 cc "Poissy engine" from the Simca 1100 Ti, developing 84 hp (two more than in the 1100 Ti) with a 4-speed manual transaxle; in 1976 the 1,442 cc engine from the Simca 1308 GT was added, first in the new 'S' version, its two two-barrel carburetors giving 90 hp. Model variations: the 1974-model original (the "type I") had two two-barrel Webers; the white-and-gold Courrèges edition was launched in 1974 (styled by André Courrèges); the Bagheera S in 1975; a 1976 major restyling with wrap-around bumpers, new rear-quarter glass and larger tail lamps raised the drag coefficient to 0.35 (the "type II") while the base engine stayed at 1294 cc; the fully optioned Bagheera X replaced the Courrèges in 1977; and the 1978 "Jubilé" series celebrated Simca's Horizon Car of the Year win. Top speed was 185 km/h (115.0 mph) with the 1,294 cc engine and 190 km/h (118.1 mph) with the 1,442 cc. Wheelbase 2,370 mm (93 in), length 3,974 mm (156.5 in), width 1,734 mm (68.3 in), height 1,175 mm (46.3 in), curb weight 965 kg (2,127 lb).
Collectors Spotted in the Matra Bagheera Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Matra Bagheera yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
2 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bagheera 1,294 cc Poissy ohv four (84 hp) | 1973–1980 | 1.3 L Inline-4 | 84 hp | 80 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| Bagheera S 1,442 cc Poissy ohv four (90 hp) | 1975–1980 | 1.4 L Inline-4 | 90 hp | 90 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
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Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
Rivals
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