The
Matra Simca Bagheera was a sports car created through a collusion
between the French engineering group Matra and car manufacturer
Simca. The Matra Simca Bagheera was manufactured from 1973 to
1980, when it was replaced with the Matra Murena - which used
many components and the same layout as the Bagheera. In total
47,802 Bagheeras were constructed.
The Bagheera name was borrowed from the panther in Rudyard Kipling's
story 'The Jungle Book'. One of the most unusual features of
the Matra Simca Bagheera is its interior layout - three seats
in a row. Behind the seats is the mid-mounted engine. Originally
the Matra Bagheera was offered with a 1.3 litre 4 cylinder,
later this was increased to a more powerful 1.5 litre unit.
The power was sent to the rear wheels via a 4 speed manual gearbox.
Throughout its 7 year life span the Bagheera underwent a few
updates. In 1976 the car underwent a major restyling, with only
the rear carried over. Further changes took place in 1978, when
the dashboard was replaced, and in 1979 the car was given conventional
door handles which replaced the previous hidden ones.
The Matra Simca Bagheera was also one of the very few vehicles
ever created to be fitted with a 'U engine'. Matra engineers
believed the car could use a more powerful engine, so they developed
a unique powerplant out of two 1.3 L Simca straight-4 engines,
joined side-by-side by a common pan unit, the two crankshafts
being linked by chain. This resulted in a 2.6 L 8-cylinder engine,
producing 168 bhp. However, Chrysler Europe (the parent company
of Simca) was unwilling to pursue the project due to the developing
fuel crises as well as its own financial problems. Therefore
the U8-powered Bagheera project was shelved and only three units
were ever built.
Similar and related vehicles:
Matra Murena
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