Sold for $32,556 (€25,200) at 2012 RM Auctions at Monaco.The Orsis family, which were owners of Maserati, sold out to Citroen in 1969. Shortly thereafter, Maserati introduced the V-6 powered Merak in 1971. It shared its platform and Giorgetto Giugiaro's Italdesign styling with the V-8 engined Bora.
In 1976, Alejandro de Tomaso took over Maserati and in 1978 improved the Merak by abandoning the Citroen hydraulically-assisted brake system and adopting the Bora's ZF five-speed transaxle and larger wheel and tire package. Not only did the balance and performance improve, so did the build quality.
This Maserati Merak SS is a matching numbers example finished in red with original checkered cloth interior. The V-6 dual overhead camshaft engine offers 220 horsepower and there is a five-speed synchronized gearbox.
The car was originally delivered to Parma and has remained in Italy ever since. The car was given a restoration in the early 1990s.
In 2012, this car was offered for sale at the Monaco sale presented by RM Auctions. The car was estimated to sell for €25.000-€35.000 and offered without reserve. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for the sum of €25.200 inclusive of buyer's premium.
By Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2012 The Maserati Merak was essential a study in the art of producing a super-car on a budget. The Merak shared many design similarities to the Bora, Maserati's other super-car during this time. The engine and gearbox were supplied by Citroen, a French automobile manufacturer and major stakeholder of Maserati.
The interior of the car was also influenced by Citroen. However, in 1975 the interior dash was redesigned to eliminate some of the frustations caused by the hard-to-read gauges and too many warning lights. A new engine was introduced which increased the displacement to 3.0 liters. Weber 44DCNF were now used.
In 1977 the Bora production ceased. The Merak was now the only super-car being produced by Maserati. The interior was once again updated and a new badge, the Merak SS, adorned the car. Due to US introduction of the Merak, an electric motor was used in-place of the hydraulic system that controled the headlight raising.
By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2007
