MatraSport Forum

Hey there, I am finally a Matra Bagheera owner. I couldn't find an official place to put up my 'introduction'. Hope it's ok here.

My love for the Bagheera started when I was about 7 when my father brought home a VW Scirocco  ??? from the garage he worked in at the time. I know, what does that have to do with a Bagheera? Well I thought the Scirocco was cool cause it was a Coupe and it was noisy. It was a Friday and he took me out for a spin. But later on that night my father said his boss was coming to take the Scirocco home  :( I was sad for about 5 minutes because when I saw what he was leaving in it's place I nearly fainted. A Series 2 Bagheera in Red! It was gorgeous! Of course I had no idea what it was. And of course I asked "is that a Ferrari?". But he explained what it was and then took his 1/24 Bburago Bagheera from the cabinet and said "it is one of these".  I took the model and sat outside with both the model and the real Bagheera for the rest of the night. I actually remember noticing the differences between the Series 1 model and the Series 2 car. I knew it had different back lights and bumpers. I kept that model till only last year when it fell out of my bedroom window one windy day and hit the ground very hard. It was twisted and most of the plastic parts were cracked and even missing. I still have the left-overs but it's not much. I have also over the years (Since I joined eBay) started a little Bagheera model collection of my own. I keep them away from my window though  ;D  But I never was able to buy a real Bagheera because there are very few in Ireland. I've seen a few, all Series 2's, and nearly bought one before too. I bid on a lovely Yellow Series 1 in France earlier this year but I was out bid after €5000. It was beautiful. Had the black and lime green interior. I wanted it so bad. The Series 1 is my favourite but I do love the Series 2 as well. I would love to own both.

Now when I tell you what Bagheera I bought recently please don't laugh. A black Series 1 from eBay in the UK. The one that had the Abarth stickers put onto it. The reason I say don't laugh is cause I've seen a lot of people say bad things about it but I know it has potential. I will be collecting it this weekend and I can't wait!  I don't like the way it looks now myself but in time I plan to change it back to an original Bagheera. I'm paying €1200 for it so it is a cheap way into Bagheera ownership, but it will need quite a lot of money spent on it in the near future. I'm sure I will probably buy myself a really nice totally original Bagheera again later on in my life but this will more than do for now. The car hasn't been driven much in over 2 years and my brother and I will be driving it 160 miles from Leeds to Holyhead to get the boat back to Dublin. Wish me luck as I won't have any tools with me. I hope it makes it  :-\  When I register it here I'm going to try and find out how many Bagheeras there are here and how many Series 1's there are. I hope it'll be the only one  ;D

Bob.

Hi
Welcome to the Matra forum, and a special welcome because you have got a Bagheera Series I.
It is a bit boring with all those Murenas around.

regards Hans

Thanks Hans  :)

Welcome aboard Bob-Irl

Congratulations with progress of fulfilling your dreams.

As far as I remember, you are not alone being a Matra Enthusiast in Ireland, - the UK Matra club have at least once had an Irish meeting, where a number of the UK members visited your beautiful island.

/Lennart

Hi Bob,

Welcome to the forum ;D

I looked at the video again and apart from the fact that it is highly non original it actually looks to be in sound condition.

A word of caution before you set off on your trip home be sure to check that the cooling system is working. The electric fan must start if it is left to idle for some time and the engine temp should stay normal. Check also that the brakes are free and not binding.

Have a good trip home and let us know when youre home.

Best regards,

Stig

Hi Bob,

I told you on the cafe that I will answer here.

Despite what is told to you, I would wait before buying any new chassis parts.
This because you need to be sure that this car can be restored and also that you are able to do it.

The most difficult is that all the panels have been glued together, which means, no way to dismantle anything.
Even if on Serie 1 cars, the rear wings cannot be removed without either ungluing the roof or cutting, I think it's important to at least remove the nose of the car and the sills covers.

What do I think ?
Honnestly, I'm wondering if the car is not a total wreck.
Sorry to give you some pain but I think that the true needs to be said.
Why do I believe this ?
- It's about the third time I saw it on ebay. I think it changed hands a lot of times. And this means that the owners have realized what they have.
- The kinda repair I saw on the front on the ebay picture is frightening
- The pictures you posted on the cafe are also not a good sign.

I would encourage you to do the following:
Remove the feet carpet and everything that is below it.
Then, you would see the feet panel.
Above the middle chassis rail, there should be a round profile. 2 of them and on the driver side, the electric cable are located in this profile.
Try to see if this is solid.
If it is, it's a good sign. Then cut a little window in it. And look at what you find below.

What do I think of the total lack of originality of the car ?
This is not a concern to me. Over time, everythings can be updated at a reasonable cost.
I would even consider some of the changes as interesting.
Allthough, I would remove the abarth signs