Another Bagheera for me (56k beware: photo heavy!)

[Fred]

I just got this car over from England last week, which, of course cost nearly as much as the car but still value I hope.

The car comes with a small leaflet of 'rules' for the Matra Enthusiasts Club - so perhaps this Bagheera is known to the UK cogniscenti - and more importantly to me, a handbook.  Joy!  No handbook with my previous Bagheera.  

The car is LHD, without sunroof, was registered in Great Britain in 1982 and manufactured in 1978.  I have no other information about it's history whatsoever - either servicing or ownership, or what country it was originally purchased in.  I know that some of you keep a record of existing Bagheeras, so the chassis identification plate is included amongst the photographs below.  Perhaps someone may know the car's country of origin of some other information?  (Fingers crossed).

I haven't removed the nosecone so I do not know the full details of what may lurk below but there are some shots with the front bonnet open.  The car may have a clutch problem according to the seller and needs her battery charged (which I haven't gotten around to yet, mainly because I just bought a '94 Saab shortly after!) but she will run.  She came with five keys and so far I know what four of these are for.    

[Fred]

Some views of the rear.  The rear lights seem good:

[Fred]

Engine compartment:







home of a large spider:

[Fred]

I'll put these various photos in separate posts so that quoting will be easier for anyone who wishes to.  Also, they are quite large, so as to give some reasonable idea of the condition of the Bagheera.    

[Fred]

Chassis ID plate (slightly clean since I gave it a wipe to read it  ):

[Fred]

Driver's side A-pillar and door hinge panel:

[Fred]

.. and the passenger's side:

[Fred]

Fuel filler cap and hatch:



Tatty looking vents behind the fuel filler neck:

[Fred]

Luggage compartment / boot:




Rusty boot floor:





.. floor is patched just below the tailgate catch:

[Fred]

Passenger's side sill (rear, then front).  I forgot to photograph the driver's side sill at the time.  Oops.

[Fred]

I rotated those photographs of the door hinge panels so they would be vertical but they are still displaying the wrong way (ie. horizontally) for me.  Sorry. 

[Fred]

The instrument panel, switches and err ... crumbling rubber of the steering wheel.  Also, my large left foot and note how my denim jeans perfectly compliment the Bagheera's blue interior trim.  

[Fred]

The Original (??) radio/cassette player.  It seems to have a single Phillips speaker directly below.

[Fred]

There's something about vertically mounted car radios that I find quite entertaining.  

They usually seem to feature in quite interesting cars.  

[Fred]

29000 miles in 22 years!*  This Bagheera hasn't seen too much tarmac action in it's time.  Surely those round yellow stickers are below the legal requirements for a current UK mph conversion?  

* unless the odometer is broken.  Let's hope not!