1983 Talbot Mantra MURENA 2.2

First registered on the 18th of February 1983 (the very date this writer was celebrating his 14th birthday…) and believed to have been owned by a doctor in Holland for all or most of its life, this wonderful Talbot Matra Murena has been with the vendor since July 2019 after being bought in the Netherlands from Carjoy, the foremost European Matra specialists for £22,000 as one of the very best.

Freshly overhauled by them it is fitted with the ‘S’ model’s twin Dellorto carburettors and so develops the Full Monty 140bhp. Now running very well, it needs nothing other than an owner keen to explore whether Setright was correct in his assessment. (Spoiler: Setright was never wrong…)

Wonderfully, the vendor, whose Fiat Panda 4x4 we are also selling, drove it to us from his home in London. A fastidious man, all his cars have to be ‘on the button’ and he simply won’t tolerate anything that isn’t capable of being used at a moment’s notice.

Now finding himself with too many cars (sound familiar?) and a wish to reduce the overheads, he has such faith in you lot that he’s offering it with no reserve, so play nicely and don’t take the mickey, eh?

The metallic blue coachwork looks excellent. Free of rust, of course, but even the quality of the panel fit ‘n’ finish and paint application is very good. It presents very well indeed, drawing a crowd wherever it goes – largely because while everyone admires it, almost no-one knows what it is…

Now fitted with the correct right-hand-drive headlamps, they rise and fall as they should. They’re upgraded Wipac Quadoptic halogen units too, for even better nighttime visibility.

The Murena also has the rare factory sunroof option. A Webasto lookalike, the fabric is in great shape and it opens and closes as it should.

Fitted with refurbished alloy wheels and new matching Toyo Proxes CF2 tyres, including the spare, just before it arrived on these shores, the car sits beautifully with a perfectly judged stance.

And, as we will never tire of explaining, our experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you an insight into their attitude towards maintenance.

The paintwork is generally fabulous, there are a few minor issues but they are very minor and restricted in nature – and, of course, they are cosmetic rather than structural given the nature of the car’s construction.

The three-abreast seating is finished in a fabulous black and white pinstripe. Wonderfully of-the-period, it’s in great shape too. The central seat folds away to form a huge armrest, and the headrest even swivels through 90-degrees to hide the mechanism. It, like so many of the details in there, are wonderfully thought-out and reek of careful engineering.

You want more examples? Well, the rear-view mirrors adjusts not by grasping and overcoming friction but by the use of two adjusting wheels, one for up-and-down movement, and one for side-to-side.

The passenger’s toe-board/footrest is adjustable for reach too, which isn’t something we’ve ever seen before. The door handles and steering wheel are also both worthy of note, so please take your time to browse through the photos to fully appreciate all this quirky car has to offer.

The pinstripe cloth extends to the door cards and dashboard, both of which look terrific. The carpets are good too, as is the headlining. The blue and black overmats are new.

It really is rather glorious in there. It’s also, in the vendor’s own words, “a very sociable car” thanks to the three seats, the presence of which was a large part of the car’s attraction as he wanted something sporty and classic that could seat him, his wife and their daughter.

If we’re being ultra-picky then the instrument cluster could do with prettifying, and some of the cloth trim is a little wrinkly but both are very firmly in the nice-to-do category.

The Murena was fitted with a new stainless-steel exhaust, rear suspension arms, and wheel bearings, as well as a front suspension and brake system overhaul, as part of its comprehensive mechanical refurbishment when the vendor bought it last year.

It starts promptly, quickly settling into an even tickover. It revs well and the Devil stainless-steel exhaust gives a wonderful pop and crackle on the overrun. Having briefly driven it, we can confirm that it drives very well.

The engine bay is neat and clean without being prissy, and the underside is solid and well protected by underseal. (Please note that the engine runs incredibly sweetly and that the camera has - again - portrayed the engine with much more ticking noises than is true in reality) 

Spares include the old left-hand-drive headlamps and vacuum units, the original front suspension struts, an instrument cluster and more. Please see the photos for details. Always handy to have on a rare continental vehicle.

The Matra’s MOT certificate, which is valid until October 2020, was gained without a single advisory point.

It has paperwork from The Netherlands plus a UK V5 registration document, some recent invoices for parts, two sets of keys, and a wiring diagram.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing to see find photos of this and other paperwork.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

And please be reassured, we’ve undertaken a full COVID-assessment and put into place strict control measure to enable us to safely facilitate a no-contact, socially distanced viewing that includes disinfection of the vehicle before and after your viewing.

You, like us, have probably fallen a little bit in love with the Murena. Beautiful to look at, it’s stuffed full of idiosyncratic little details put there for sound engineering reasons rather than simply because they look nice.

It handles beautifully too, and goes very well thanks to that upgraded 140bhp engine; it really is a very special car and every inch as good as LJK said it was all those years ago.

Quite possibly the best for sale anywhere in the world, its rarity, condition, and provenance count for almost nothing in terms of its value because the guide price of somewhere between £12,000 and £20,000 represents only a fraction of the owner’s investment in it…

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.