What's so special?

What's so special about Murena... hmm, what isn't would result in a shorter answer I guess. Well let me tell you about some nice details in which the car definitely distinguishes itself from other (sports)cars. But where to start? Obvious would seem in the same order as the car is built but I won't do that. I'll start with the most visible difference compared to other cars, something still really unique and which actually had been taken over from the Bagheera's concept.

 

 

1) The 3-seater concept

Apart from the superb looks the Murena already has, three people in the front of this car makes it definitelyy a real eye-cather. Yep, whenever I drive with two passengers the first thing that people do is just stare, looking twice, still not believing and finally by the time they realize what is going on I'm already out of sight!
Compared with the three seats in the Bagheera some small modifications have been made. The middle seat is adjustable in case you want to use it as an armrest whenever you're driving with less than 2 passengers. This will probably be most of the time beceause although it is a great option making it possible driving with two persons next to you it's not the most comfortable way. In the rearside of this middle seat there's also a little case which can be quite handy for hiding your drivers licence or something like that. I guess nobody would look there for finding important papers, unless this person just had taken a look at my pages or also ownes a Murena... Both passenger seats can't be adjusted, this only works for the driverseat.

2)Mid-engine

By far the most cars are designed with use of a front-engine. Nothing wrong with that ofcourse but the pleasure of driving which a mid-engined car can offer is really, really great: just feel what's happening behind your back! But this isn't the main advantage of this concept. Because the weight of the car with engine is centered in the middle and equally distributed over the four wheels, much more grip and steering sensibility is possible. When driving the Murena you'll notice is the superb handling and the high speed in which corners can be taken without losing control over the car.

The enginebay containing the 1.6 or 2.2 liter engine is placed behind the passengers and in front of the rear wheels. After opening the rearglass with the handy option in the drivers doorside, the cover can easily be removed for full access. During repairs the trunk happens to be very useful as a temporary workshop, otherwise it's not the easiest job reaching all neccesary parts.

 

3) Galvanizing the Murena

The Murena is the world's first production car which is fully galvanized. After the succes of the Bagheera in the late seventies, Matra's engineers designed a sportscar on which rust couldn't get a chance. So during the productionprocess every Murena had to take a swim in a 460 degree celsius zinc-bath becoming immortal in the way of fully rust resistant. I recently checked my car and indeed the whole chassis is still intact. The only parts that weren't galvanized are the rear trailing arms. Why I really do not know.. probably because it would be very boring never having to exchange them anymore? If someone knows the real reason please tell me... I just can't imagine they simply forgot.

 

 

4) Glassfiber-polyester skinned Murena

It is easy to explain why a Murena-skin is constructed out of glassfiber-polyester; it wouldn't be obvious to use plain metal while designing a rust resistant sportscar and aluminium would make the car too expensive wouldn't it? Each panel is simply attached to the chassis with the use of blind rivets. It's even possible to drive a Murena without the polyester skin because the chassis is fully self bearing.The polyester skin of the Murena is far more durable than the ones used on Lotus and Renault Alpine. Also check out Theo's site: "Matra Murena, Kitcars and more..." on these subjects.