Description
The Rancho occupies a significant place in the history of late 20th century car design, as it created a new market for rugged looking vehicles which had saloon car comforts but cost less than half the price of a Range Rover.
Following the good reception the Matra Simca Bagheera enjoyed from its launch in 1973, Matra and Simca were keen to produce another car. As with the Bagheera, the intention was to keep costs down by using as many existing Simca components as possible. Matra decided to develop a utility vehicle capable of off-road work, but without the expense of four wheel drive.
Chrysler, which had owned Simca since the 1960s, supported the idea. The Simca 1200 Campero may have influenced that decision, a Simca 1100-based utility vehicle produced by a Spanish dealer. Chrysler is reported to have taken one back to France, pulled it to pieces and decided that the concept bore further investigation.
Matra – already looking for something to build alongside the Bagheera and taken by the idea of a mini Range Rover – was only too happy to pick up on the idea.
Matra's engineers took as their starting point the Simca 1100 pick-up and lengthened the chassis to accept a roomy estate car body produced in glass fibre and polyester. The front bonnet, front wings, doors, and windscreen of the 1100 were all used, although the rugged appearance of the vehicle was achieved by adding heavy plastic mouldings round the wheel arches, and similar mouldings along the bodyside. A split tailgate was fitted, so designed that when the top part was open, it provided shelter from the rain when loading. The lower tailgate folded flat to facilitate loading awkward objects.
Talbot Matra Rancho from 1981, green, interior orange, Swedish registration
