Highlights
- A great looking example of Giugiaro’s mid-engined marvel
- One of just 1,817 Meraks built of which only 312 were equipped with the Bora dashboard like this one
- US car in nice colour scheme of black over red leather
- The practical super car, with two small rear seats
The Appeal
The Merak was part of Maserati’s assault on the high end sports car market dominated by Ferrari and Lamborghini. The firm’s modus operandi was to offer beautiful, quick and capable cars but with a level of luxury and comfort not often associated with the breed. And the Merak’s party trick was that it was a mid-engined super car with space for four.
Just 1,817 Meraks left the factory between 1972 and 1983. This is one of the later SS models originally sold into the USA and equipped with the Bora dashboard.
Finished attractively in black with contrasting red interior, this 1977 Merak looks very solid and presentable with just a very light patina adding character to the interior. These rare, pedigree cars look better and better with age and this one would surely enhance any collection.
History & Paperwork
- VIN records confirm that this is a US-market car number 2,230
- Even number chassis numbers correspond to LHD cars, as this one is
- The engine number 114.63.30 corresponds to a Merak SS
- Documents are ready for the car to be registered in Europe
- The SS was built from 1977 to replace the earlier Merak 3litre car and was said to be lighter and more powerful
Tracing the history of the Merak is not an easy task because the cars continuously changed during production as Maserati’s stocks ebbed and flowed. However, our research indicates that as a post 1977 car this one is correctly badged as a Merak SS. It does not have the ‘A’ denomination in its VIN that we would expect to see on a SS but the engine number does correspond to a Merak SS. The SS was mechanically similar to the earlier Merak but ran different carburettors.
Of the 1,817 Meraks that left the factory, 970 were post-77 SS models while only 312 were fitted with the attractive Bora dashboard of this car.
The Interior
- Stylish shaped sports seats trimmed in red leather and in excellent condition throughout
- Equipped with the evocative Bora dashboard which provides a clearly laid out array of Veglia dials
- Complete and original factory toolkit
- The interior looks very original, with light patina indicating age and adding character
- Switchgear and trim in very good, original condition
- Door cars look beautiful, just some light creases indicating use on the armrests
- The car even has its original Maserati service interval reminder in the windscreen
- The air conditioning system needs recharging
During the Merak’s development Maserati was owned by Citroen and the quirk French firm’s influence is clear to see in the beautiful interior of this 1977 Merak. It is neatly laid out but with stylish touches such as the seats and curving door cards that must have given this clever 2+2 mid engined sports car a certain edge in the showrooms of the 1970s.
The bright red interior of this example certain dials up the style. The lovely seats appear to be in very good, original condition, which lends the interior a nice sheen of patina and character. The stylish door cards are similarly red and similarly lovely and apparently original.
Just 312 Meraks got the sweeping dashboard from the car’s big brother the Bora and this is one of them. The dash trim, switchgear and plethora of Veglia dials are in very good condition and appear to be original.
Elsewhere the carpets are good and there is a complete, original factory tool roll.
The Exterior
- Squat and handsome Giugiaro-designed bodywork with neat detailing like those buttresses and shark-nosed front
- The black paintwork is in good condition, just some light marks around the car including on the B posts indicating use and suggesting that the paintwork may be original
- Hydraulic pop-up headlights working correctly
- Stylish Campagnolo alloy wheels in very good condition with Pirelli rubber
- Clever location of the steel spare wheel above the engine
The Merak was designed to sit beneath the Bora in the firm’s product range but add 2+2 practicality to the mid-engined equation. To solve this seemingly impossible riddle Maserati turned to Italy’s designer-of-choice Giugiaro. He penned a design that shares its front section with the Bora but from there backwards is very much its own car.
The design is a typical Giugiaro masterpiece, managing to be both cleverly detailed and interest and simple and arresting. The unusual buttresses, so popular at the time, cleverly disguise the sharp cut off to the cabin while pop up head lights add the drama any super car buyer surely demands.
We know little of this car’s history but there are some clues to suggest that the black bodywork on it may be original. There are a few light scuffs around the car, likely easily polished out, and there are chips in the B-post door shuts that indicate use over time.
The bodywork and the underside look very solid with no visible signs of corrosion.
The car sits on beautiful Campagnolo alloy wheels with quality Pirelli rubber.
The Mechanics
- 3litre V6 Maserati engine developing around 200bhp
- 5spd Citroen-sourced manual gearbox
- Mid-engined rear wheel drive layout
- This car’s engine has the correct SS engine code of 114.63.30 fitted to US market cars from 1977 to 1983
- Merak SS models were fitted with 44 DCNF 44 carburettors but we were unable to verify if this car is still running those
- Tubular subframe chassis
Citroen also influenced the mechanicals and running gear of the Merak with the car running a 2965cc version of the V6 engine first used to power the iconic Citroen SM. The SS was produced from 1977 and shed 50kg and gained extra power compared to the earlier 3litre-engined Merak.
The car also used Citroen’s 5spd manual gearbox. Beneath the body Meraks started life with a large array of Citroen hydropneumatics but over the production life of the cars this reduced. We know little of the history of this car and since Maserati tended to fit whatever they had in stock rather than work to fixed specification date changes, we cannot verify the exact specification of this car.
The car does have a US market, SS-specification engine based on the engine code shown in the photographs. SS models should run 44 DCNF 44 carburettors but we were unable to confirm this from the photographs.
Summary
The Merak is surely one of the cleverest supercars to emerge from Italy during the 1970s. Its combination of mid-engined, four seater practicality and Citroen innovation giving it a distinct place in the annals of motoring.
This gorgeous 1977 car appears to be a US-market SS in very original condition with a particularly arresting colour combination. Rare and unusual it promises a very rewarding experience for any new owner.
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