WHAT IS IT? Back in the Seventies, if you wanted a 4x4 that was a decent steer, you pretty much had a choice of one: the Range Rover. The Matra Rancho was a brave attempt to marry the butch off-road look with modest mechanicals at a more reasonable price. But beneath the plastic cladding, chunky bumpers and swivelling driving lights, was a Simca pick-up - a car that first went on sale in 1967.

WHEN WAS IT MADE? The Rancho hit French showrooms in 1977, British drivers would have to wait a couple more years to get their hands on one. Production continued until 1984. Despite sales of 57,792, Peuegot – which had inherited the Rancho when it assimilated the Chrysler Europe operation in 1978 – decided the cost of developing a follow-up would be too much. At a stroke it gave away a precious lead in the “soft roader” market now dominated by Land Rover, Audi, BMW and Nissan.

WHAT MADE IT GREAT? Err, the looks. Take a look at the Rancho's profile and it's not hard to see where Land Rover's designers got their inspiration for the Discovery. The brilliant Skoda Yeti, reviewed in this very issue, looks remarkably similar from the front.

WHAT DID OWNERS HATE? The Rancho looked good but that was no defence against the ravages of a British winter. Owners were appalled to find rust appearing behind the big headlights. The 1,442cc Simca engine was weedy, noisy and thirsty. Worst of all, the Rancho was strictly two-wheel drive. A four-wheel drive version was canned on grounds of cost so Matra took its ideas to Renault. The result became the Espace.

IS IT WORTH GETTING ONE? Only if it's cheap, but the chances of finding one are slim. According to DVLA records only five Ranchos are still registered in the UK, down from nearly 1,000 in 1994.

HOW MUCH WILL IT COST? We found a 1981 model in silver with 65,000 miles on the clock. The A post needed work as did the suspension mounts. Despite the reasonable condition, I'd have wanted to bag it for considerably less than the £1,750 sticker price. As for the bloke selling “Britain's best example” for a laughable £4,000 – dream on.