Affordable Bankruptcy: 1979 Maserati Merak SS

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The Maserati Merak debuted at the 1972 Paris Auto Show, following the Bora’s introduction by over a year. Sharing the front bodyshell with the Bora up to the doors, the Merak diverges in design with dual chrome bumpers and different front ends, separating at the B-pillar. Commissioned to metamorphose the Bora, Giorgetto Giugiaro at Italdesign crafted the Merak with distinct features—a cabin ending abruptly with a vertical rear window and a flat, ventilated engine cover. Additional enhancements included open flying buttresses elongating the roofline to the tail — and wow, get a look at those wheels. If you think this will be bidded into silly prices…keep your bid card ready, because these are cheaper than expected. Find this 1979 Maserati Merak SS offered for $15,401 reserve-not-met located in Morristown, NJ with 4 days to go via ebay auction.

From the seller:

This 1979 Maserati Merak SS is one of 787 examples of the SS variant manufactured between 1976 and 1982 and was built in March of 1979 for the US market … There have been no modifications and it is a true survivor .. This Merak SS was purchased by the current owner in 1987, and has 38,XXX original miles .. The car is finished in red over black leather, and power comes from a mid-mounted 3.0-liter V6 paired with a five-speed manual transaxle ..

A brand new, custom built starter has been installed, along with a rebuilt Paris Rhone alternator and NOS voltage regulator .. The new clutch has less than 200 miles on it .. This Merak SS starts and drives beautifully … The black interior is beautiful, and looks nearly new .. The original paint shows some age but remains presentable .. Please refer to the photos for more detail and imperfections … There is no A/C unit .. When this Merak SS was purchased in 1987 by the current owner, the A/C unit was not present .. It is unknown whether it was previously removed or not a selected option when new ..

This is the more desirable SS version, made in the consensus best year of 1979 ..

Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, the Maserati Merak was introduced at the Genova Motor Show in 1972, and production ran until 1983 … The lightened and more powerful Merak SS was introduced at the 41st Geneva Motor Show in March 1975, although it did not enter production until the next year. It featured a 50 kg weight reduction and a 30 PS power increase to 220 PS (162 kW; 217 hp), thanks to the adoption of three larger 44 DCNF 44 carburetors and a higher 9:1 compression ratio. Only 787 units of the SS had been made by 1983, when all Merak production ceased …

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