Ciao Maseratisti,

I noticed a very nice Maserati Merak SS coming under the hammer at Brightwells Classic Vehicles sale of "Classic & Vintage Cars & Motorcycles" on Wednesday, 15th May at 11:00 am at Easters Court, Leominster, Herefordshire, HR6 0DE.

The sale of motorcycles begins at 11am with cars to follow commencing at 12 noon.

Lot number 184
Estimate £22,000 - £25,000
Description: Maserati Merak SS

Registration: XUY 433V
Year: 1980
Colour: Oro Longchamp Metallizzato (Gold metallic)
Engine size: 2,965 cc
Chassis No: ZAMCA2102AA222776
Engine No: AM114-63-30

Launched in 1972 to compete with the Ferrari Dino 246 and the Lamborghini Urraco, the wonderful Maserati Merak was a compact mid-engined supercar in the finest Italian tradition.

Essentially a lighter version of the gorgeous Giugiaro-styled Bora, it looked virtually identical but had open flying buttresses instead of the Bora’s fully glassed rear for superior all-round vision. It also used a more compact quad-cam 3-litre V6 engine in place of the Bora’s 4.7-litre V8 which not only liberated sufficient room in the cabin for +2 seating but also improved the handling thanks to lower weight and better front/rear balance.

The first cars had Citroen-derived hydraulic systems for the brakes, clutch, windows and seats, but when Alejandro de Tomaso took over Maserati in 1976 he soon ditched these complex and troublesome systems in favour of a conventional servo-assisted set up. He also made the cars lighter and more powerful, the new model being called the Merak SS which now produced 220bhp instead of 190bhp.

Driving through a new ZF 5-speed manual gearbox, this gave the car a top speed of 153mph with the 0-60 dash taking just 7 seconds. Like any true thoroughbred, the Merak possessed handling commensurate with its supercar pace. “Performance and handling are the raison d'etre of a mid-engined sportscar, and the Merak's astounding cornering power is a match for its straight-line punch,” observed Motor magazine. The most successful Maserati of its day, the Merak ceased production in 1982 after 1,832 had been built, only 928 of which were to SS specification.

This particular left-hand drive SS was supplied new to Flickinger Associates of Denver, Colorado, in January 1982. It then moved to an owner in Arizona before being acquired by Edgar van Veen of Aurora, California, who was to keep it from 1996 until 2011 when the current owner acquired it, attracted by its total originality and low mileage.

On arrival in the UK he treated the car to a thorough engine overhaul at Quick Motorsport of Hereford which cost over £4,000 (bill on file). The triple Weber carbs have also been rebuilt and the whole car treated to a bare metal respray in the original Longchamp Gold as the existing paint had faded somewhat in the hot California sunshine. All the bodywork was revealed to be in excellent rust-free condition (photos on file), hence the factory-correct shutlines and panel gaps.

The Apricot interior is also totally original and in excellent condition as you might expect from such a low mileage car – the 58,000km (36,000 miles) on the clock is said to be genuine. Being a later model it is also spared the complex Citroen hydraulics.

The car comes with some history from its time in America, invoices for the recent work, the original owner’s handbook and service book, three detailed Merak parts books, spare wheel and wheel-changing kit plus three sets of keys. Taxed until July and MOTd to November, this lovely car is said to drive beautifully with exhilarating performance on the open road yet remaining completely untemperamental in town traffic.

The vendor believes that you would be hard pressed to find a better preserved, more unmolested example, and we have to agree with him. These fabulous mid-engined sportscars seem huge value compared to a Dino or a Bora and we can’t help feeling that the market has yet to appreciate what great and useable machines they are. Another one to buy now while you can still afford to ?

Text and photos courtesy of Brightwells