Matra Bagheera History

The Bagheera, publicly launched at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June 1973, was the first car developed under Matra's new partnership with Chrysler Europe's French subsidiary (Simca). Its headline novelty was a three-abreast front bench — designer Philippe Guédon placed the driver centrally with two passengers slightly reclined alongside, eliminating the cramped rear seat of the M530 and earning the car the Style Auto Award in 1973.

Power came from transversely mounted Simca 1100-family engines: a 1,294cc unit making 84 hp or a larger 1,442cc variant producing 90 hp, both mid-mounted behind the cockpit. The lightweight fiberglass body gave a drag coefficient of 0.33, respectable for the era, and the mid-engine layout delivered balanced, predictable handling.

When Chrysler Europe was acquired by PSA Peugeot Citroën in 1978, the branding changed from Matra-Simca to Talbot-Matra for the final production years. The Bagheera sold steadily — 10,000 units within its first eighteen months — and 47,802 were built in total before production ended in April 1980, replaced by the closely related but galvanised-steel-chassised Murena.