Three seats in width
Like its predecessor, the Matra Bagheera, the Murena also had 3 seats in width. Fortunately, it was much better protected against rust than its predecessor. The Murena was built with a fiberglass body on a hot-galvanized "space frame". A total of 10.500 copies were produced, approximately 5.000 with the 2.2 liter 118 HP or the 2.2 S with 142 HP. The rest had the 1.6 liter 92 HP engine, which also ran in the Simca 1307/Talbot 1510. Just under 100 cars were sold in Norway and several are still drivable.
Talbot-Matra
The Matra car brand has been part of the French automotive industry for several decades. They have developed and built sports cars and, among other things, Formula 1 cars. The Murena was developed as a collaboration between Matra and Talbot (formerly Simca) – and was produced from the model years 1981 to 1984. The model is also referred to as Talbot-Matra. Matra Automobiles has also developed and produced the Renault Espace MPV. It is said that production of the Matra Murena ceased earlier than expected to start production of the Matra-Renault Espace.
About the pictures
The main image – the red car – was photographed at a car meet in Perpignan. The two following pictures are of a car that was auctioned off via Interencheres in France. The last photo of a car in profile was taken at Hadeland Glassverk. The car belongs to a member of Rootes Car Club Norway. The other photos of the gold-coloured car were taken at various car meets around Perpignan in France. One of the occasions is an annual celebration of American culture in Argeles-sur-Mer in the South of France. Well, the Murena is not an American car, - but it fit in well among Corvettes and Mustangs. Perhaps the car could have been successful in the USA - although it is uncertain whether there would be room for 3 average Americans in the width.
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Matra.com – yesterday's and today's Matra
