Talbot Matra Rancho test! Dream moment for me.

Yes! A Talbot Matra Rancho finally road tested on this channel. I've waited a long time for this. Was it everything I've hoped for? Well, put it this way. I wish there were more than two on the road in the UK.

#French #matra #classiccars

[stephenjcuk]

That is the nicest most sorted Rancho I have ever seen. A credit to the owner.

[darrenmeears]

Were the heck did you find this one I would think you've got more chance of winning the lottery than stumbling across this rear beast SO CONGRATULATIONS TO MR NUT FOR BRINGING THIS TO THE CHANNEL👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[Blueblur]

I absolutely love the styling of these - I remember seeing them in a book when I was a kid, and being extremely fascinated by it. It's incredible how much more modern it looks than the late 70s given what Matra was working with to develop it.

[philllev]

My Dad worked at a Peugeot /Talbot main dealer and had the branch keys, Talbot's were great cars for pretend driving because the indicators worked without the keys in the ignition 😂 Thanks for bringing some great memories back Ian.

[BigYouDog]

In the early 1990's I owned 2, both second hand. The first one was totalled on the M25 by being rear ended. The second was eventually traded in. I remember being stranded when the electrics failed. The RAC guy showed me what caused it. Under the engin at the front is a spade conneter that can come away and the car won't start. A couple of years later this knowledge came in handy. I was motorcycling home after my night shift, and as I neared home I came accross a Q of traffic at the Robin Hood roundabout. At the head the Q was a stranded Rancho with a perplexed driver with a " WTF do I do" expression. I stopped the bike, took my helmet off and ducked down under the front of the car. Yes, the wire had come off. I refitted it, stood up and indicated to the driver to turn the key. It fired up, the look on his face was priceless.

[persevere]

If there were ever an example of the direction that land rover should be going today, it is this vehicle right here😊

[djanil]

I was always fascinated by these cars as a kid too!!

[drewstewart]

Brings back memories of 1978 when my dad had an emerald green one. We towed the caravan with it and did loads of long trips. FAB !

[alansimpson]

I love these. When i saw the video notification pop up i was already thinking that so many 80s kids will have grown up with the matchbox and Corgi models of these without probably having the chance to see a real one. Im very much in that camp. So happy you produced a model.

There's something I love about a car with loads of roofspace and natural light too.

[Imagewalk]

I've always liked this car and it's part of my imagination when I was young. I would like to have one.

[jdtseventyfour]

A friend of mine had a Rancho in the mid 1980’s and was very impressed with its practicality. He said the only real issue he had with it was one of the scuttle mounted lights escaped and was bouncing along behind the car still attached to its unfeasibly long wire. He later had a Murena 1.6 as well. I had two Espaces myself (a mk 2 and a Mk4 both Matra built). As always, its great to see you driving cars that many people have never seen or heard of. Thanks for sharing a very detailed video about a very interesting and extremely rare car.

[davidhays]

The love I have for these cars knows no bounds. I've actively been looking for one over the last three years at home and abroad. One

[FuzzWoof]

I think every child of a certain age in the UK had a Rancho toy at some point. I have no idea why, it just seemed to be the law. Only one I ever saw in person was one belonging to a someone local, I remember seeing it and thinking "Wow, they actually exist!" haha. EDIT - Just recognised the area you're driving through and wondering if it's the same car, given how uncommon they are!

[eviephillipson]

My uncle had one of these had loads of fun in it when I was a young boy

[RossHall-UK]

Pleased to say my Matra Rancho is in absolute mint condition. No rust, no scratches, everything works.

It is, however, a Corgi.

[paulrandomview]

Fab review, thanks. I remember these cars from childhood - they were literally 30 years ahead of their time.

[merciasafetyservices]

I have always loved the Rancho - they’re just off the scale - and the one in the video is simply amazing- still looks modern in a retro kind of way . I would love to buy the design and tooling and restart production of these iconic motors - perhaps with 4x4 and of course a more modern powerful engine and switchgear - the amount of people I’ve heard saying they wish they could have one ! You can certainly see where Landrover got the Discovery design cues from - even the rear lights look similar to the Rancho
Great vid Mr Hubnut as always 👏⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[JoeBlowUK]

I bought one of these in around 1986 second hand. They were known as the poor man's Range Rover. I got it at a reduced price, as it kept randomly jumping out of gear. On inspection, I discovered there were several rod linkages which had a nylon ball and socket joints, which were used to connect the gear shift to the gear box. They were well worn, so I replaced them at a massive cost of about 75p each. I toured around Wales in it with my family and our Doberman dog. After owning it for a year, I sold it on. It was the only vehicle that I ever sold for more than I bought it for.
Thanks for the video, brought back lots of good memories!

[alcorfield]

So excited Ian! ... I learnt to drive in my parents 1978 Matra Simca Rancho as it was badged then. I was the bees knees or at least thought I was.... loved it 😊

[timoplants]

Wow! Great to see; memories of 5 of us going camping in the Lakes in the early ‘80’s!