1977 Maserati Merak

During the early Seventies, any company claiming to be a supercar manufacturer was in need of a mid-engine design and Maserati was no exception. To that end, they employed the services of Giorgetto Giugiaro resulting in the Bora and the Merak which virtually shared the same body design and underpinnings. By 1975, Maserati had shed the restraints of ownership by Citroen and was revitalized with De Tomaso as a partner. Under this union, the Merak would see an increase in power from the three-liter Maserati unit and further weight saving - the Merak SS being the ultimate evolution. The Merak - like the Bora - was refined and comfortable and really only differed by engine displacement size and the treatment of the engine cover. The 2+2 configuration allowed for occasional seating in the rear, albeit best suited for a small child. By the time production came to a close in 1983, Maserati had built 1,830 examples including nearly 1,000 of the Merak SS.

Design
The Maserati Merak (Tipo AM122) was introduced at the Paris Auto Show in 1972, over a year after the Bora. Both had a similar design, a 102.4-inch wheelbase and a length of 170.7 inches. The Merak employed a 2.7-liter V6 engine while the Bora had a larger and more powerful 4.7-liter V8. Both wore similar designs by Giorgetto Giugiaro at Italdesign, sharing the front part of their bodyshell up to the doors. The Merak had dual chrome bumpers while the Bora had twin trapezoidal grilles. Beyond the B-pillars, the designs differed greatly, with only the Bora having a full glass fastback design. The Merak had a vertical rear window and a flat, horizontal engine cover with four series of ventilation slats. The open flying buttresses on either side visually extended the roofline to the tail, giving it a similar slope to the Bora.

The pop-up headlights were hydraulically actuated and a benefit of the hydropneumatic system sourced from Citroen during their ownership of Maserati from 1968 through 1975. After the French manufacturer gave up control of Maserati, the Citroën-derived parts were gradually replaced by more conventional systems. Other hydraulically assisted and operated components were the braking system and the clutch. Disc brakes were placed in front and rear with the front ones being ventilated. With the Citroen hydraulic system in place, the rear brakes were inboard to reduce the unsprung weight.

Powertrain
Giulio Alfieri had designed a small and lightweight V6 engine for use in the Citroen SM and capable of being assembled using the V8 tooling that existed at the time. It was given an unusual 90-degree angle between the cylinder banks and due to its compact design, it used just one pattern for the cylinder heads and an intermediate shaft extended out to drive the auxiliaries. It was given a 2.7-liter displacement size due to the limitations imposed by French puissance fiscale taxation, which made large displacement vehicles too expensive to sell in any quantity in France. The 2.7-liter Tipo C.114 engine was later used for the Merak, but with a larger bore of 91.6mm, the same stroke, and a displacement of 2,965cc (3 liters) It had 12 valves, the unusual 90-degree angle between the cylinder banks, wet-sump lubrication system, an oil cooler, and chain-driven double overhead camshafts. There were three twin-choke Weber carburetors and a compression ratio of 8.75:1. It produced 187 horsepower at 6,000 RPM and 188 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 RPM. This engine, in a twin-turbocharged guise, was later used on the Biturbo and the 1990s Ghibli.

The engine was installed in a steel monocoque chassis, positioned longitudinally behind the passenger compartment, and joined through a single-plate dry clutch to a 5-speed, all-synchromesh Citroën transaxle gearbox and a limited-slip differential. The chassis had a rear tubular subframe to support the weight of the powertrain and rear suspension. Unequal-length A-arms were at the front and rear, with coaxial coil springs and telescopic shock absorbers. Michelin XWX tires measuring 185/70 at the front and 205/70 at the rear were wrapped with cast light alloy Campagnolo 7½J x 15 wheels. A compact spare tire was placed in the engine compartment, above the transmission. Most of the United States specification models had a full-size spare tire, which required a humpback on the engine cover and the muffler to be lowered.

Merak SS
In 1976, shortly after the arrival of new management in the form of Alejandro DeTomaso, the Merak SS Tipo AM122/A was born. It was introduced in March of 1975 at the 41st Geneva Motor Show but would not enter production until the next year. Three larger 44 DCNF 44 carburetors and a higher 9:1 compression ratio resulted in an increase in power to 217 bhp, and a weight reduction of 110 pounds helped improve performance. The styling remained similar but wore a black grille between the pop-up headlights to help distinguish it from its less-potent sibling. Inside, the previous SM-derived steering wheel was replaced by a four-spoke steering wheel, and there was a new Maserati-designed upper fascia with round instrumentation. Merak SS models built to U.S.-specifications were given traditional hydraulics in place of the Citroen high-pressure system.

Merak 2000 GT
The Merak 2000 GT came equipped with a two-liter engine and was built for the Italian market where a newly introduced law subjected cars to a 38% Value Added Tax (VAT) penalty for engine capacity larger than 2,000cc. The Merak 2000 GT was introduced in November of 1977 at the Turin Auto Show and its 1,999cc engine was rated at 168 horsepower at 7,000 RPM. It had the same V6 engine powering the other versions of the Merak, but with a smaller bore and stroke 66.3mmx80mm. Ferrari had done the same with its Dino, introducing the 208 GT4 and Lamborghini with the Urraco P200.

The de-tuned Merak 2000 GT wore a black tape striping along its mid-body, and the usual chrome bumpers were replaced by matte black units. The front spoiler, which was typically standard equipment, was now optional. Color choices were limited to either gold or metallic light blue.

Production of the Merak 2000 GT ended in 1983 with 200 examples built.

by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2021