Matra Murena | Spotted

Matra's race cars were famous for their wild designs and screaming V12s. Its road cars, on the other hand...

By Cam Tait / Thursday, 20 November 2025 / Loading comments

Don’t you just love a car company whose racing endeavours are completely at odds with the stuff it flogs to the general public? You could argue that Peugeot’s in that very position now, as it competes at the very top of the sports car ladder with the 9X8 Le Mans prototype but, aside from the impending E-208 GTI, doesn’t have a proper road-going performance product to its name. And you could potentially lump Honda in there given the Civic Type R is no longer available in Europe, but most manufactures competing in motorsport today have a clear line running between their racing efforts and their road cars.

Matra, the French industrial firm behind some of the greatest-sound racing cars ever made, was no exception. As with many car makers, it began life as an aerospace firm before diversifying into every conceivable industry as seemed to be the norm in France at the time. Naturally, that led the company into the world of automobiles, where its road car sales were fuelled by huge successes in Formula 1 and sports car racing, netting championships in both disciplines and a trio of 24 Hours of Le Mans wins in the 1970s.

However, while Matra’s racing cars were wild-looking prototypes powered by screaming V12s, the company’s road offerings weren’t quite as vocal. True, it knew how to cobble a sports car together, with its first model, the Djet, technically being the world’s first mid-engined production car (though it was built by René Bonnet before Matra acquired it), a layout the company stuck with right up until the Rancho 4x4. And while none of them were especially quick, their tiny footprint and fibreglass bodies made them nice and light… ish.

But what Matra’s lacked in grunt they more than made up for in charm. Take this Murena, for example. This was the company’s last attempt a building a sports car before it turned its attention to building the aforementioned Rancho and, later, the Renault Espace and Aventime. The basic ingredients are there: the engine’s in the middle, the nose sits nice and low, which would have been considered aerodynamic back in 1981, and it weighed less than a tonne (if only just). This being the 1.6-litre model means it’s the least powerful Murena produced with just 92hp on tap, but it more than made up for its lack of grunt with a superb chassis, which was lauded by journalists at the time for its agility.

Poke your head inside and the Murena’s left-fieldness begins to reveal itself. Here we have a car with a three-seat layout a decade before the McLaren F1 made it cool, and while the steering wheel isn’t in the middle, that does at least make it easier to get in and out of. Elsewhere, the two-spoke steering wheel looks wonderfully retro and sits in front of a delightfully blocky dash with big, chunky switchgear either side of it. This particular car has been treated to a seat re-trim, with the front bench now decked in ‘expensive Italian leather’, says the ad, which goes nicely with the ‘Lamborghini metallic green’ exterior colour.

It does appear to have been cherished, which can’t be said for all French oddities of this era. Just 88,000 miles have been covered and there’s said to be a good history file documenting its 44 years on the road. The seller’s looking to get £9,950 for it, which does make you wonder whether you could find anything as quirky with genuine sports pedigree for similar money. Perhaps a Fiat X1/9 if you can find one, but even they look normal next to the Murena. This one's said to come from ‘a very good home’, so here’s hoping it can find another one.

SPECIFICATION |MATRA MURENA

Engine: 1,592 four-cylinder
Transmission: five-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 92@5,600rpm
Torque (lb ft): 97@5,600rpm
MPG: N/A
CO2: N/A
Year registered: 1981
Recorded mileage: 88,000
Price new: N/A
Yours for: £9,950