Description
1978 Maserati Merak SS
Chassis number: AM122/ A* 525*
Registration number: BPF 966T
- Just two owners and 28700 miles from new.
- Current owner purchased the car from supplying dealer Bell & Colvill in 1982.
- Large history file contains original handbook, service book, dealership guide and brochure.
- One of around 140 examples of the Merak SS to be delivered new in the UK.
- Thorough body restoration by established specialist in 1991/ 1992 and just 5000 miles since.
- Engine overhaul by McGrath Maserati in 2015 (we fitted new valves in 2005).
Designed by Giugiaro at Ital Design and engineered by Giulio Alfieri at Maserati, the Merak was Maserati’s first ‘entry-level’ supercar and was one of the prettiest cars the company ever built. It was launched in 1973 and a few early versions were sold in the UK, however, the advent of the uprated SS model in 1976 boosted sales making this the most successful Maserati model in the UK to that date with over 140 examples delivered before production ceased in 1983.
Taking the four-cam all alloy V6 engine that had been originally designed by Alfieri for the Citroen SM and fitting it amidships with a Citroen derived 5-speed transaxle was an inspired decision. By enlarging the capacity to 3 litres and then uprating it with higher compression pistons and larger ports and valves for the SS version, the power output crept up to 220 bhp, giving the Merak useful performance. However, it was the accurate steering and superb handling balance that built the car its reputation. Alfieri also made use of the Citroen connection in terms of offering the Merak with high-pressure LHM brakes, headlight pod operation and also a power-assisted clutch, imbuing the car with a light and sensitive feel that made it far easier to drive than its opposition.
A letter to the current owner from Maserati S. p. A. in January 1992 states that chassis AM112/ A* 525* left the production line on December 16th 1978 with silver paint and trimmed in black Connolly leather. Despatched just before the end of the year to Modena Concessionaires in London, the car was sold through the well-known dealership Bell & Colvill of West Horsley in Surrey on March 9th 1979 to its first owner in Ham, near Richmond, Surrey.
The current owner was an existing client of Bell & Colvill as he lived relatively locally and had a Lotus Elan S4, and upon visiting the Lotus, Saab, and Alfa Romeo dealership in December 1982 to look at a Lotus Esprit, he spied the silver Merak in the showroom that Bell & Colvill had recently reacquired. A deal was agreed and the 12800 mile car was collected on Christmas Eve.
The car was pressed into regular use as by the second MOT certificate on file from February 1985 the odometer recorded 21200 miles. However, usage diminished greatly soon afterwards and just a few hundred miles a year were covered from then on, the car being driven sparingly but regularly.
By the early 1990’s the body was showing a few signs of age despite the care given to the car, and the owner decided to undertake a repaint. As is often the way with such work, things escalated and within a short time an in-depth body restoration was underway at a recognised specialist (still operating today), which included the fitting of a new windscreen. When it came to paint the car, the owner chose a dark red colour as preferable to the previous silver, and the work was finished in the Spring of 1992. However, prior to completion the rear bulkhead and centre console were retrimmed in black leather, but fortunately the seats were allowed to retain their original black leather which has since aged into patina.
The current owner has been methodical in retaining paperwork concerning the car, and the large history file contains many invoices detailing the regular maintenance undertaken, plus the original sales invoice from Bell & Colvill and many previous MOT certificates and tax discs (and the Bell & Colvill key ring). Also with the car and in superb condition are the original service book, handbook, and dealership guide, as well as a model brochure.
McGrath Maserati have known this Merak since February 1993 when we supplied an exhaust manifold for the car, but the first time it visited our workshops was in October 2007 and we have maintained the car ever since. Significant works carried out in addition to the 1990’s body restoration and the fitting of a new clutch in August 1993 (at 23300 miles), have been when we replaced the sodium filled valves in late 2008 (at 24300 miles) and carried out an engine overhaul in 2015 (at 25800 miles).
This very original Merak has covered only 28700 miles from new, with just 5000 miles of those since the body was restored. The work was clearly done to an excellent standard as after thirty years of careful storage and minimal use the car remains in very good condition.
While it was conceived as a junior level supercar, the restoration costs of a car like this are the same as for the more senior models in the range and therefore the old advice of ‘buy the best you can afford’ holds ever true. This car is being offered by us at a very competitive price for today’s market but also at a price which is a fraction of the cost of a complete restoration.
