Saw this and thought of you . . .

I had a diecast model of one of these when I was a kid - I thought it was the coolest car ever and dreamt of owning one one day haha

It's quite incredible how they managed to modernize the lines of a car that was really showing its age :



I like it a lot too, they're rare even in France so in the UK it's a collector!

Weren`t these made of`glass ?
I remember seeing a trader stand at a motor show when these first came out and I really wanted one. Probably still do !

82 Rancho on ebay at the moment........



www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1982-TALBOT-MATRA-RANCHO-RARE-ONLY-11-KNOWN-TO-DVLA-/280881016556?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item4165d02eec

We had one as a family car back in the early 80s. It took us camping pulling a trailer tent behind it which was remarkable considering the 1400cc engine, weight of the tent and four of us with luggage!

A true 7 seater too. We loved it. Dad bought it new after being heavily persuaded by my Corgi one, but we didn't get the twin race bike trailer and bikes with the real thing though.....

This is on Wkipedia.

"Designed by Antonis Volanis, the Rancho was based on the pick-up version of Simca's popular supermini, the Simca 1100, using its front structure and a stretched chassis. The rest of the body was made by Matra from fibreglass and polyester, including the mouldings adorning the body, which made it look more "sturdy". This technology would later be used on the Renault Espace, Europe's first MPV, which was manufactured by Matra. The ground clearance was also increased. Unlike most off-roaders, it was not fitted with all-wheel drive, retaining the 1100s front-wheel drive layout. Other elements retained from the 1100 included the dashboard and front seats (identical with the ones found in the Simca 1100 GLS). The Rancho was powered by the 1442 cc, 80 bhp version of the Simca Type 315 straight-4 engine.[2]

During its life, the Rancho was offered in several versions. Apart from the basic Rancho, there was the Grand Raid, fitted with such "off-road" extras as an electric winch on the front bumper and the spare wheel mounted on the roof - as well as a limited-slip differential. The Rancho X was the upscale model, with additional standard items such as alloy wheels and metallic paint. The Découvrable model's rear cabin consisted of an open frame with roll-down fabric covers, which could serve as an "open" car during good weather. Finally, the Rancho AS was the commercial version, with no rear seat, making it exempt from the French tax on passenger cars.[2]

The Rancho spawned an unlikely successor: the Renault Espace. Matra wanted to replace the Rancho with their prototype of the Espace known as the “dessin orange”, which translates to “the orange drawing” in English – both the prototype and the background it was drawn on were orange. It predicted the basic shape of the first Espace but only had three doors instead of five. Peugeot (who controlled Matra at the time) deemed the project too expensive and not promising enough. Determined to take its design to production Matra knocked on Renault’s door and they quickly adopted the project, one that upon its launch in 1984 arguably became the first European minivan"

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matra_Rancho

That Ebay one with knackered mechanicals and dodgy floors is crying out for dropping on a 4x4 chassis, 99" wheelbase sounds familiar? Vitara or Fourtrack? 100" landy chassis?

I've got a whole collection of die-cast models of these somewhere. My favourite car when I was a kid. Never owned a real one, although I've got a Peugeot Partner which I reckon is sort of the spiritual successor to it, in a kind of upright, utilitarian way (if not so rugged ).

/averts gaze from ebay link

See - I knew you'd all like it! Think it was ahead of its time concept wise.