20k: Panterak: 1975 Maserati Merak, Chevy V8
The Maserati Merak was a V6 powered version of the Maserati Bora, sort of Maserati’s version of the Ferrari Dino…built with sports car handling and super car looks, just a smaller/cheaper engine than its big brother. The Merak dates from when Maserati was run by Citroën and was powered by V6 also used in the strange looking and kooky Citroën SM. The Merak doesn’t have the panache or following of the Dino so you could pick one up for cheap and swap a Chevy V8 into it without raising too many eyebrows. Find this 1975 Maserati Merak with Chevy V8
currently bidding for $18,000 on ebay (reserve-not-met) in Tempe, AZ with 2 days to go.
The Merak is oddly equipped with a number of bits from the Citroën parts bin, including brake parts, clutch and even some interior parts. This beauty with Franco-Italian roots may not have had the impact of someone like Napoleone Buonaparte, but it sold in much greater numbers than the Bora and is fairly reasonable on the market today.
The original V6 has been replaced with a Chevy 350 cubic inch (5.7 liter) V8 from an undisclosed donor – it may even be a crate engine specifically built for aftermarket consumption. The seller claims to not know much of the history of the car or the components in the build, but 300 horsepower is peanuts for a SBC and anything above 400 horsepower will start to become un-streetable.
Recognize the dash? Yeah, it is taken straight from the Citroën SM and doesn’t look out of place in a 70s sports car. It is a relief to not see some kind of Chevy 700R automatic shifter sticking up from the console as this Merak retains its original 5-speed transaxle, complete with spindly shifter intact.
See a better way to cruise the in mid-engine V8 style? tips@dailyturismo.com
Well done but the truck wheels have to go. Even a plain steel dish would be better. The original wheels are beautiful and maybe they sold them off, but something else has to replace these pronto…
Completely agree
I'd go as far as changing the grills (front & back) to stock units. The hot-rod rear bumper also has to go in favor of a stock one.
Also, while I'm working back there, I'll probbaly do something to re-route the exhaust closer to it's original look.
As you can tell, I like the car's stock look.
The fact that it has a V8 doesn't bother me, I'm a big fan of sleepers 🙂
Other than those few aesthetics, cool car!
Best of luck to both buyer & seller
Rear Bumper? I thought that was a towel rack that they installed for shop rags!
The rear bumper looks like a safety shower grab bar for the elderly. Look- I found one on e-bay! tinyurl.com/k5n3f46
I think Juan may be angry cause he has to sell his Maserati…
Good luck to both the seller and buyer..
Yes those wheels are ugly makes it look like a cheap kit car,not a fan of the dash and steering wheel but overall should be fun to drive and price is not that bad….. thumbs up.
Quite possibly the un-sexiest interior to ever wear the trident. Seriously, between the Italian and French roots, I really would've expected more passion inside the workspace of this very visceral machine, n'est pas?
Swap the wheels with…well, anything. Put the rear bumper back in the post-op bathroom. Fab something less similar to off-the-shelf Pep Boys grill inserts (and paint whatever you create black, for chrissakes) and call it a freaking day. In fact, call it the best day of 2014 because you just added a Mas to the stable for the price of a mid-option civic. And your Mas is seven times more badass than any 4porte or spyder tooling around. It were me, that's what I'd do. Then flip it in a year or two for the current ask or maybe a grand more.