Description
In the early 1970s, Maserati is of the opinion that it should produce a more affordable model under the Bora. The Bora, with V8, is pricey and the brand with the trident logo is afraid of losing market share to other brands. Since Maserati, which is owned by Citroën, had access to the engines that it also supplied for the Citroën SM, the choice in terms of motorization was quickly made. The design of the Merak is very reminiscent of that of the Bora and that is not entirely coincidental: the basis of the car is partly the same and sheet metal is also taken over from the more expensive brother in a number of cases.
And so the Merak sees the light of day in 1972, equipped with a 2. 9 liter that originates from the 2. 7 liter SM engine. Various variants appear and when the tax rules are adjusted in Italy at the end of the 1970s, a lighter version of the Merak with a 2. 0 liter V6, called the 2000 GT, is also introduced. This version can be recognized by the black stripes on the sides and the matt black bumpers. The grille between the pop-up headlights comes from the Merak SS. This version should ensure higher sales numbers, but only partially succeeds. When production of the 2000 GT ceased in 1983, only 200 units were produced, making it the rarest version of the Merak. Only 1, 830 Meraks were delivered in total.
And such a rare 2000 GT is now in Brummen, still including the black stripes on the sides. These were often skillfully eliminated to obscure the fact that it was a 2-litre, but the owner of this example fortunately left them alone. The 2000 GT was specially developed for the Italian market, so this version was not or hardly available in the Netherlands. This golden Merak, together with blue metallic incidentally the only colors available on the 2000 GT, was driven out of the factory in 1981 and came to the Netherlands in 1986. In 1995, the Merak went to the next Dutch owner, from whom the most recent owner took it over in 2021. A crystal clear past, in which the car itself also clearly shows what condition it is in.
For a change we start with the interior, because it is so bulging with character. The beautiful fabric upholstery with diamond pattern gives a huge dose of atmosphere to the interior. The upholstery is original and in an incredibly beautiful condition, if we take into account that it is over forty years old. The oval meters clearly show the cooperation between Citroën and Maserati: the Merak used the parts shelves of the SM. The entire dashboard is covered with brown leather and that also looks very good and original.
When we get out after enjoying it for a while, we see that the outside is also extremely original. The paint, as we can judge the original, is in good condition, with some patina here and there. The shine, however, fits perfectly with a car that has only driven 14, 922 kilometers, where we consider it plausible that this position is the original. Here and there you can see a minimal crack in the paint, although you need good eyes and the time to look for them.
The technique is also original and completely correct. With this mileage and the fact that the car has been used very little, it is not surprising that we advise you to first treat the Merak to major maintenance and to have it fully checked. Not because the engine is not running smoothly, on the contrary, but before we really start making kilometers, that is our advice for cars like this. We have looked at the car on the bridge and can only conclude that brakes, chassis, floor and other technical parts all look very healthy.
The car comes with the necessary documentation, especially the thick stack of the Maserati Club Quarterly Magazine from the 1970s and 1980s, as well as desirable items such as an original folder and the book ‘Maserati GT, Car of the connoisseur’ from 1977 .
This Maserati Merak 2000 GT is probably one of the last completely original copies and then also with very low mileage. A unique opportunity to buy an Italian mid-engine sports car, of which only 200 were built.
