March 1977, Geneva Motor Show. While everyone is raving about the Ferraris and Porsches, there's this weird thing in a corner of the Matra stand. A sort of... I don't even know what to call it. It looks like a 4x4, it looks like an off-roader with its big black bumpers and tractor-like ground clearance, but something's wrong. The experts frown, the journalists don't really know what category to classify it in, and the visitors... well, the visitors, they love it.

This weird thing is the Matra Rancho . And on that day, without knowing it, Matra had just invented the concept of the modern SUV, 20 years before everyone else was on board. Except there's a small problem with this French "off-roader": it's a total fake. A fake 4x4 that would nevertheless revolutionize the automobile industry and fool its audience for years to come.

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Well, I have to admit something right off the bat: when I discovered the story of the Rancho , I felt like I understood where this French obsession with cars that do too much came from. You know, those cars that pretend to be adventurous when they mostly end up in supermarket parking lots. The Rancho is the ancestor of all that, but in a brilliant version.

The beginnings: when Matra does some genius DIY

To understand this story, we have to go back to the mid-1970s . Matra, you know: the Formula 1 champions, the Le Mans winners, in short, the kings of performance. But then, Philippe Guédon, the chief engineer, had a problem. Jean-Luc Lagardère, the boss, gave him a ridiculous budget to develop a new model: only 15 million francs . To give you an idea, today that wouldn't even represent the advertising budget of a Clio.

So Guédon had a brilliant idea. Rather than creating everything from scratch, he would create what he himself called "the recipe for French toast applied to the automobile." He took a Simca 1100 VF2 chassis - you know, the small van - stuck a Simca 1308 GT engine that developed 80 horsepower, and dressed it all up with a body that created an illusion.

And you know what? I think that's brilliant . Because ultimately, that's exactly what manufacturers do today: they take existing platforms and they adapt them endlessly. Except that at the time, no one did that, no one dared.

Philippe Guédon: the unknown visionary

Philippe Guédon, I have to tell you about him because this guy is an unsung hero of the French automobile industry. An Arts et Métiers engineer , formerly at Simca, he became technical director and then CEO of Matra Automobile. And this guy would create two revolutions: first the Rancho, then later... the Renault Espace. Yes, the two vehicles that have most marked the modern French automobile industry were designed by the same guy.

But in 1977, no one yet understood the genius of the concept . Even Lagardère didn't really believe in it. He gave the green light because it was cheap, period. "Go ahead, have fun with your 15 million, but don't expect miracles."

Except that the miracle will happen.

Antoine Volanis: when a Greek revolutionizes French design

Where the story gets even crazier is when we find out who designed this Rancho. Antoine Volanis , a Greek designer born in Thessaloniki in 1948, who moved to France in 1968. This guy has an absolutely incredible eye.

Volanis, he will sign the design of the Bagheera, the Rancho, the Murena ... and wait for it, later the Renault Espace too. But with the Rancho, he completely invents a new aesthetic language. This raised glass rear cell, these black plastic protections, this chic off-roader look ... he is creating the codes of the modern SUV , 20 years before the word SUV existed.

And when I look at photos of the Rancho today, I think this guy was a visionary . Because look at any current crossover: you'll find the same proportions, the same aesthetic approach. Volanis invented a style that still dominates the automobile 45 years later.

The genius of the "fake 4x4"

But anyway, let's get back to our Rancho and its biggest lie : it pretends to be an off-roader, but it's actually a simple front-wheel drive. Raised ground clearance, big-lugged tires, "raid" equipment... everything is done to make us believe it can go anywhere. Except that in reality, as soon as you leave the asphalt, it's guaranteed to be a nightmare.

And the best part? Matra owns it completely . They're not really lying, they're just letting people believe what they want to believe. It's genius marketing: selling the dream of adventure to people who will never leave the asphalt.

Because let's be honest: how many SUV owners today actually use their vehicle's 4x4 capabilities? 5%? 2%? The Rancho was the first to understand that you could sell image without substance, and customers would be delighted.

A success that exceeds all expectations

This is when everyone at Matra starts to hallucinate . They had planned for 25,000 units in total. A small critical success, in other words. But in 1978, the first full year of marketing, they sold 15,500. The following year, it was even better.

In the end, production will exceed 56,000 units. More than double what was planned . 22,734 under the Matra-Simca name, then 33,723 under Talbot-Matra after the acquisition of Simca by PSA.

And you know what fascinates me about this story? It's that no one anticipated this demand . Not market researchers, not analysts, not even Matra. It took them coming out with this weird thing to realize there was a need. People wanted adventure in their daily lives, even if it was fake.

The evolution of the range: from simple to complex

Building on this success, Matra expanded the concept . In 1979, they released three distinct versions. The Rancho X, a luxury version with alloy wheels that were all the rage at the time. The AS "Affaire Société," a 2-seater version for professionals who understood the marketing value of the thing. And above all, the Grand Raid.

Ah, the Grand Raid! Here, Matra takes vice to the extreme . Limited-slip differential, additional headlights, spare wheel on the roof... they add all the codes of the true off-roader. And it works! Customers love these gadgets that will never be used.

I think this approach is brilliant . Rather than making complex and expensive real 4x4s, they make fun and affordable fake 4x4s. And in the end, everyone is happy: customers get their dose of adventure, Matra makes its margins.

After a few years, there were around 1,500 references of miniature French classic cars. I've always been passionate about these models from the 1950s to the 1990s, these cars that have marked our automotive history. That's why I created my shop BernardMiniatures.fr.

I have over 1500 miniatures in stock, mostly 1/43 scale, with a focus on French cars from this golden era. Well, I'm not a big site, so I often only have one or two of each model, but that's also part of the charm. Delivery is free for orders over €75 in France, and I take care to package everything well.

Besides, I have a few Rancho miniatures that are really worth a look . Because this car has left its mark on its era and deserves its place in any self-respecting collection.

Claude Brasseur and "La Boum": when cinema gets involved

But if the Rancho really entered the French collective imagination , it's also thanks to cinema. In 1980, "La Boum" was released with Sophie Marceau. And guess what Claude Brasseur drives in the film? A beige Rancho.

The film had 4.4 million admissions in France and 15 million in Europe. It was a worldwide hit . And in all these theaters, viewers saw this bizarre car that perfectly suited the character of the Parisian father who plays the adventurer on weekends.

Then in 1982, "La Boum 2" did it again. The Rancho officially became the French family getaway car . No need for advertising, the cinema had done the job.

And I find that symbolic . Because "La Boum" is the story of a teenager growing up, discovering life. And La Rancho is the story of the French automobile industry growing up too, discovering new territories.

The real reasons for success

But beyond marketing and cinema, why did the Rancho do so well? First, because it arrived at the right time. The 1970s was the time when the French began to have leisure activities, to go away for weekends, to dream of escape.

Second, because it was practical without being complicated . A huge rear hatch, modular seats, room for a whole lot of stuff... but with the reliability and simplicity of a Simca 1100. No capricious 4x4 transmission, no sophisticated electronics.

And let's face it: it was cool . At a time when family cars were either boring (sedans) or ugly (station wagons), the Rancho offered something different. Style, personality.

Jean-Luc Lagardère: the boss who didn't believe in it

The irony of this story is that Matra's boss didn't believe it at all . Jean-Luc Lagardère, a 35-year-old engineer who became CEO in 1963, had made Matra a champion in F1 and Le Mans. For him, Matra was pure performance, cutting-edge technology.

So when Guédon proposed this project of a "leisure car" made with pieces of string, Lagardère shrugged . He agreed because it cost nothing, but he didn't expect anything from the project.

And in the end? The Rancho would become the most profitable model in the entire history of Matra Automobile . More profitable than sports cars, more profitable than racing cars. The little project cobbled together in the back of the garage made a fortune for someone who didn't believe in it.

It makes me think of many other stories in the automotive industry . How many successes were born from ideas that no one took seriously? The 2CV, the 4L, the Golf... often, the greatest successes come from where you least expect them.

The premature end of a success story

But all good stories must come to an end . In 1983, after only six years of production, production of the Rancho ended. Not because it was no longer selling - on the contrary, demand remained strong - but for political and industrial reasons.

Matra broke with PSA to partner with Renault. The collaboration with Peugeot-Talbot ended, and access to Simca components was no longer available . And since the Rancho was entirely based on this engine, it was impossible to continue.

It's a shame because one wonders what the Rancho would have become if it had continued its evolution. Would it have anticipated the shift towards SUVs even more? Would Matra have invented the family crossover 15 years before everyone else?

We will never know. But this abrupt interruption adds to the myth . The Rancho remains frozen in our memory as it was: revolutionary, original, a little crazy.

Heritage: When France Invents the Future

Today, when I look at the car market, I think the Rancho was 40 years ahead of its time . SUVs represent more than 40% of the European market. Everyone wants their "off-roader" to pick up the kids from school.

And all these vehicles follow the Rancho's exact recipe: the look of adventure with everyday comfort . Raised sedan platforms, dressed to look rugged, sold as getaway vehicles.

The difference is that today it has become industrial, standardized. The Rancho, however, kept this French madness , this ability to dare things that no one else dared.

Philippe Guédon and his team invented a concept that took the global industry 20 years to understand and adopt. Not bad for a "car French toast" cobbled together with 15 million francs , right?

A lesson in audacity

Ultimately, the story of the Rancho is a lesson in audacity . The lesson of daring to think outside the box, to offer something different even when everyone tells you it will never work.

It is also the story of a time when French industry still dared to take risks, when it was possible to develop a revolutionary model with next to nothing. A time when creative genius counted more than market research .

When I see a Rancho today - and it still happens to me from time to time on country roads - I tell myself that it's a small miracle that it existed. A small French miracle that changed the face of the global automobile industry.

And you know what? It makes me proud of our automotive industry , even though it's not what it used to be. Because this ability to surprise, to invent things that no one thinks of, is what makes the automobile so beautiful.

The Matra Rancho: the fake 4x4 that invented the future of the car . Not a bad epitaph, right?