Talbot-Matra Murena
| Talbot - Matra | |
|---|---|
 Talbot-Matra Murena (1980-1983)
|
|
| Murena | |
| Production period: | 1980-1983 |
| Class : | Sports car |
| Body versions : | Coupe |
| Engines: |
Petrol engines : 1.6 - 2.2 liters (65.7 - 104 kW) |
| Length: | 4070 mm |
| Width: | 1752 mm |
| Height: | 1220 mm |
| Wheelbase : | 2435 mm |
| Empty weight : | 930-1030 kg |
| Previous model | Matra-Simca Bagheera |
| successor | - |
The Talbot-Matra Murena is a three-seater sports coupé and the last joint product that emerged from the long-term cooperation between the French automobile manufacturers Talbot and Matra . Between 1980 and 1983, a total of 10,860 Murena were built at the Matra plant in Romorantin-Lanthenay .
development
The Murena was developed from 1978 as the successor to the Matra-Simca Bagheera . After the integration of Simca into the PSA Group, the cooperation was initially discontinued and the vehicle was designed by Matra alone. This is why the misnomer, which often occurs only as "Matra Murena", comes from. Matra originally planned to use the PRV engine . However, these plans came to nothing after Alpine decided to continue to equip the new generation of the Renault Alpine A310 built from 1980 with this engine and Renault was not prepared to make the machine available to a direct French competitor. In the absence of alternatives, Matra started a cooperation with Simca, who have since been incorporated into Groupe PSA as Talbot, in order to be able to use the four-cylinder from Talbot. Two Murena variants were developed under the project names M551 and M552 , one with a displacement of 1.6 l and one with a displacement of 2.2 l.
Head of development was the Matra engineer and later managing director Philippe Guédon, who u. A. was also involved in the development of the previous Bagheera model . The former Formula 1 driver Jean-Pierre Beltoise was also involved , and his expertise was incorporated into the tuning of the chassis.
The vehicle has many components that have been adopted from other Groupe PSA vehicles: the engines were already used in the Talbot Solara and Talbot Tagora , the transaxle transmission in the Citroen CX , taillights, steering and front suspension in the Talbot Horizon and the door handles in the Peugeot 505 .
design
body
The designer Antonis Volanis , who had already worked several times with Matra, designed the body of the Murena, although the car still has individual elements and imperfections in the design, which stem from the uncompromising specifications of the manufacturer. Nevertheless, a considerably lower for the period was drag coefficient of 0.328 reached. Only left-hand drive vehicles were produced, although in the UK there are subsequent conversions to right-hand drive vehicles by third parties.
The Murena had a self-supporting steel body around the mid-engine, for which some design elements were adopted from the previous Bagheera model . In response to its call to rust quickly, all Murena body parts were hot-dip galvanized. The Murena was the first production vehicle in the world in which the process was used so extensively. A synthetic material with the main components resin and fiberglass was also used for some parts , e.g. B. for the characteristic pop-up headlights.
Unusually for mid-engine vehicles, the Murena has a very good all-round view due to the large glass surfaces. There is also a small trunk in the rear of the vehicle, accessible by folding up the oversized rear window. In addition to the spare wheel, parts of the brake system and the windshield cleaner are located under the front hood.
For the last and at the same time rarest model version 2.2S with the " Preparation 142 " body kit, the otherwise wingless vehicle was given a black plastic rear wing in addition to a more aerodynamic front.
inner space
Following the innovation of the Matra-Simca Bagheera , the Murena also has three front seats - this configuration had proven to be significantly more effective compared to the traditional 2 + 2 arrangement, the rear seats of which are mostly unusable due to the narrowness. The slightly narrower middle seat can also be folded forward, which forms a kind of oversized armrest for the driver and front passenger. Particular emphasis was placed on comfort. The dashboard is similar in structure to that of the Bagheera, but has a much more conventional and contemporary design than the more futuristic cockpit of the predecessor.
Models
- 1.6 : simple equipment with four-cylinder engine from Simca , 1592 cm³ and 68 kW (92 hp). Improved equipment (power windows and 14 "alloy wheels instead of 13" steel wheels) available on request. A total of 5,640 copies were built from September 1980 to June 1983.
- 2.2 : improved equipment (electric windows, central locking, 14 "alloy wheels, center console, luxury trim) with a four-cylinder engine from the Chrysler 180 , 2155 cm³ and 87 kW (118 hp). From February 1981 to June 1983 a total of 4,560 vehicles rolled off the assembly line.
- 2.2S : Murena 2.2 with power kit and 104 kW (142 PS), consisting of two double carburetors, sharp camshafts and aerodynamics package , which included side skirts and a rear spoiler. From June 1983 to July 1983 only 480 copies of the Murena 2.2S (with performance kit ex works) were produced.
Web links
- Matra Club Germany (German)
- Matra Forum (German / English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Advertising film with a focus on the test drives. In: YouTube. 1980, accessed April 28, 2020 (Dutch).
- ↑ http://www.matrasport.dk/Cars/Murena/history.html
- ↑ https://rarefrenchsportscars.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/matra-murena-final-5.pdf
- ↑ https://www.allpar.com/cars/adopted/matra/murena.html
