Maserati Merak

The Maserati Merak was one of the Italian sports car manufacturer Maserati produced from 1973 to 1982 sports car with mid-engine. The Merak named after the star in the constellation of the Great Bear car represented a slightly modified variant of the Maserati Bora, however, the Merak was only available with weaker displacement engines.

Model history

At the Turin Motor Show in 1972 Maserati showed the prototype of Merak, which went into production the following year. Instead of the V8 engine of the Bora, a three-liter V6 was used in the Citroën SM which also did service in a similar shape; also the oval dash and the high-pressure hydraulic system, which was necessary for the hydropneumatic suspension of the Citroën, came from the French cars. The rear end of the Merak was not glazed, but had a flat hood and two ridges that ran from the rear edge of the roof to the rear end. The V6 was smaller than the eight-cylinder, therefore, remained behind the front seats of the Merak room for two small Notsitzmulden. This original form of Merak remained until 1976 in production.

Appeared in 1975 Merak SS with a stronger three-liter engine, visually recognizable by the black mesh grill in the front hood.

In the same year Maserati launched specially for the Italian market, where vehicles were taxed significantly more than two liters, a two-liter version of the Merak, the V6 was derived from the three-liter.

1977 received the Merak a brake with conventional hydraulic and a less avant-garde designed dashboard.

1980 was the last and fastest model variant of the Merak Merak SS Tipo 80, manufactured by Maserati. In this Merak was a generously sized, conventional braking system with the brake disc on the wheel, not as previously installed on the differential. The engine of the Tipo 80 provides as Europe version 162 kW (220 hp) at 6500 rpm, the vehicle reaches Vmax = 245 km / h Externally, this model was indistinguishable from normal SS variants, the luxurious and futuristic dashboard / console - center tunnel of the Maserati Bora, however, was in the interior installed now. From Merak SS Tipo 80 a total of 65 copies were produced in about 3 years of construction

The Merak was also exported to the United States; these versions can be recognized by the more massive bumpers, the side marker lights and a bulge in the hood, because the run-flat was not allowed in the U.S. and Maserati had to install an ordinary spare wheel, for this was not enough room under the regular cap.

Merak SS 2000 and remained in production until the year 1982.