The Maserati Merak, announced at the Paris Salon of 1972, was a little brother to the mid-engined V8 Bora. It used the same Ital Design steel body, but with a smaller V6, 3-liter engine—as found in the Citroën SM coupe—that liberated space for two child-sized rear seats.
The all-alloy powerplant, equipped with triple Weber carburetors, had been built by Maserati for Citroën at the Modena factory, as Citroën had a controlling interest in Maserati during the early ’70s. Thus the five-speed transaxle used in the front-wheel drive SM could also be found in the Merak, adapated for rear-wheel drive.
The outright performance of the Merak was quick by most standards, with a top speed of 135 mph and 0 to 60 in 8.2 seconds. Fuel consumption worked out at a reasonable 19 miles to the gallon. Meraks were known to handle quite
proficiently as the mid-engine design provided fine balance and traction. Additionally a small amount of luggage space was made available in the nose of the car.
The Merak pictured here is a nicely presented example in respectable overall condition. The powder blue paint is in very good condition and shows only minor wear along the door sills and panel fit areas. The cream interior is in similar condition, as expected of a 75,000-mile car, and features sheepskin covers on the front seats. The Merak is equipped with air conditioning, a Sony cassette deck and all gauges and instruments appear to be in good condition. These cars can offer exhilarating performance for a very affordable price.