Hommage 550

On June 17, 2023, Espera Sbarro students presented the Hommage 550, a neo-retro reinterpretation of the Matra-Simca Bagheera, on the occasion of its 50th anniversary this year.

At the origin

The Bagheera is a sports coupé presented in April 1973, born of Chrysler-Simca's association with Matra. Compact, the car was equipped with mass-produced Simca engines to keep costs down. However, these were placed in a central rear position to enhance the car's agility. The coupe's most striking feature was its three front seats, a first for a production car. Its career ended in 1980, with just under 50,000 units produced. Despite its polyester bodywork, the Bagheera's chassis suffered from corrosion. Few of them remain in good condition today, especially as this coupé quickly faded from memory.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the first Bagheera (code name M550, hence the name Hommage 550), the Club Matra d'Alsace asked the Espera school in Montbéliard to create an evocation of the car. 16 students designed and built the prototype in just four and a half months.

The general lines of the Bagheera are echoed in the Hommage 550, although the dimensions have been slightly increased. The color is a reminder of the yellow of the first 500 models built in 1973. Of course, the three front seats are present, but only the driver is entitled to a bucket seat.

A technical specification like no other

The Hommage 550 is based on a multi-tubular steel chassis. It is powered by a Peugeot 1.6 THP four-cylinder (previously fitted to the RCZ, 208 and 308 GTI, DS4...). Coupled to a six-speed manual gearbox, the mid-rear engine has been slightly reworked to develop 220 hp. The 1973 Bagheera offered just 84 hp! Given that both cars weigh in at under a ton, the Espera prototype's performance should logically be much better.
The windows come from a Porsche 718. The rear lights, invisible by day, feature indirect lighting. The wheels are 20 inches in diameter, compared with 13 inches for the Bagheera.

What's next?

The Hommage 550, like all Espera prototypes, is not intended to be marketed. So don't expect to see it on the road - it's not homologated. It was presented in public at Le Mans Classic 2023 and at the Époqu'auto show in Lyon in November 2023.
In January 2024, L'Argus magazine selected the Espera Hommage 550 for the Trophées de l'Argus. The car took 3rd place in the Prix spécial du Jury category.