“Of course, then kids came along and the sports car had to go.” We’ve all met a car guy with a story like that. Some of us are that guy, and will be until the kids clear off and we have the time, money and space to start again.
True, some sports cars, like the Porsche 911 and 944, have tiny rear seats, but that’s the problem, they’re tiny. Adults don’t fit properly and neither do child seats. And once you’ve wrestled with those problems in real life, Matra’s bizarre three-seat Murena starts to seem less crazy.
Actually it’s not only couples with growing families that would find the Murena useful. Polygamists, people dating someone with a super-strict mom who insists on coming along too (and sitting in the middle), and celebrities who need personal protection but still want a mid-engined sports car could all have found the freaky, fiberglass-bodied French sports car useful.
Plus you’re in good company even when you haven’t got any company in the two remaining seats: the other best known triple-chair, mid-engined sports cars, the McLaren F1 and Ferrari 365 P Berlinetta Speciale from the 1960s, will set you back millions.
Related: This Toyota MR2 Has A Supercharged Audi V8 Under The Hood
Unlike those cars, the 1980-83 Murena and its similar Bagheera predecessor, located their driver on the left, not the in the center. And there’s no V12, either. Instead, power for the Murena came from a choice of two naturally-aspirated four-cylinder Simca/Talbot engines. The entry-level 1.6 made 91 hp (92 PS), and the top-spec 2.2 delivered a marginally more impressive 116 hp (118 PS) in single-carb form, and 140 hp (142 PS) in twin-carb ’S’ guise.
The 1982 Murena 2.2 we’re looking at, currently up for grabs on the Bring-a-Trailer auction site now resides in Missouri, having previously spent time at the Museum of Automobiles in Morrilton, Arkansas. That, and the solid, unrestored condition, might lend some credibility to the 3,097 miles (4,984 km) shown on the odometer, though the listing doesn’t mention any paperwork that would back it up.
The crisp, wedgy styling has aged fairly well, but the buttoned-velour interior looks like something from 1972, not 1982, and that two-spoke steering wheel is seriously lacking in performance appeal. The cabin does mostly appear to be in fantastic condition, however.
Sadly, my family of four is now too large for the Murena, but if you’ve only just outgrown your pristine, low-mileage Toyota MR2, get your bids in by January 26.
