I figured before I go through the realms of eBay, I'd post a quick ad on the Merak. 1976 Maserati Merak SS Project Car AM122.A.1234 Matching Numbers 17,235 original KM (10,709 miles) Build Date of July, 1975. Originally purchased by King Hassan II of Morocco (gold on gold makes sense huh My friend purchased this Merak in the 1980's, he then dropped a valve in the mid-1990's, and proceeded to get new heads/valves, but never re-assembled the car. There she sat, inside of his storage shed since this past year. She has been outside on and off too when space was not available, covered by a tarp, but not immune to mice and (as you'll see) certain spots of rust. I purposely did NOT clean, shine or "pamper" up the car, so you may see her as she truly sits. The drivetrain is out, and she sits on her original (tired) XWX Michelins, and Campagnolo wheels. The interior door trim is off, though included, and as you can see, the rear mid piece has been torn up. Underneath there is rust under the under-spray. NYS Title (titled as a 1978 FYI) In the pictures, everything available for the car is photographed and included, PLEASE, if you do NOT see something, than assume it is not there. 1976 Maserati Merak SS AM122 A 1234 Photos by modenaonmymind1 | Photobucket 100 Photos on Photobucket Car is located in CT in my storage. Looking for a reasonable offer before I auction it. Thanks Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Man..that's a great looking car!!! The glass trim and body are in fantastic shape..... What is the ballpark we are playing in, here...$$$$ I truthfully have no idea, but that front end is SEXY!!!! GLWS! The royal part will read great at the shows as the completed car glistens like a bar of gold....
An early Euro-version SS. Quite a lot of rust unfortunately, but that car can and should be saved. It has the correct SS Euro engine (114.53.30). Looks like everything is there.
- I'd like it to go to an FChat member, $9,000.00 on here, elsewhere I will likely slap a higher tag on her. Saving up again
Where does the rust hide, in these cars?? Usual places? I don't see any around the glass or moldings. Flying buttress, swoopy panels, beautiful front bumper grill treatment...she's HOT!
Where does the rust hide? Where doesn't it hide is a more correct way to assess Meraks. A rusted Merak has to be one of the most difficult cars ever made to bring back. The floor panels and unibody construction makes it a nightmare. Lovely cars otherwise.
I am with you BT. Such a sexy shape for a car. At that price point it would seem that the right person could get a real return on a labor of love.
Unless this is a late model, (which judging from the steering wheel, it could be) the real issue is the Citroen hydraulics. How they are functioning and whether you can get the parts you need. The hydraulic system controls everything from a unified system and if it fails, scary things happen fast.
This is one of the interim Merak SS which had Citroen hydraulics but the SS engine, this car with this interim SS interior I believe is the rarest of the breed.
I had a '74 that same color. Beautiful car but what a nightmare! That one seems like a decent ballpark price for the right person that knows what you are doing....If you don't...run.
No issue at all, I just completely rebuilt mine and found all the parts online, it was easy and its a real cool system once you understand it. My car sat 15 years without being started, after rebuilding the carbs, and hydraulics its been a trouble free reliable car.. This car is beautiful and that color is breathtaking on a Merak.
The BIG question is............... ......what is that cassette in the tape deck? Duran Duran? Captain and Tenille? Foghat? Hall and Oates? Come on! Do tell!
Definitely a Heart cassette in there...BUT, no way in hell that's going with the car to its new owner!
My SS was restored, near perfect and signed by Giugaro..... $25k. This is a $5k car plus the needed $20 to make it right...and you would still be upside down.
You can tell from pictures? 9K is chump change...actually so is 20, in the overall scheme of fun to drive cars. Is the car as fun to drive as it looks? I love the dash and instrumentation in these.
One major reason for doing a proper resto job on this car is that it is a genuine Euro SS, which means that the car once finished would also be attractive to buyers outside the US. Merak prices seem to be substantially higher in Europe than in the US.
These cars are very nice....it's just that there are economics at play which need to be overruled by emotions. Yes, from the photos and description....easy $15 to $20 needed. You can't/shouldn't do a Maaco special on these cars. I would love to have another one...without the Citroen bits...but overall budget would have to make some sense. For someone with the emotion...could be a good project. Or, if you are a gambler....roll the dice on the higher prices in Europe.
I see a lot of typical paint peeling on the undertray and engine bay, but other than that rear quarter and the front valence I don't see a lot of perforation. I guess with Dinos at $750K I see a lot of upside to this six pack Weber engine! Looks like it's "all there"...interior work off course will be extensive, too. Looks like "El Gato Diablo" lived in the back seat for a few wild nights.....
Me too!! I would love to have this as a substitute for my Pantera itch! There has to be a way to resto mod this car into a serious keeper!
We could get it running, and then go with a tuck and roll "fur on" leather interior, down in Nuevo Laredo.... Brown/white Longhorn hides would pop some fresh gold metallic paint.... That's rather interesting the weathering of that one magnesium wheel to green, that's the natural color of that zinc chromate primer..
Here is my engine guy. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDWkx-XNpHc]Freshly Rebuilt Maserati V6 - YouTube[/ame] I want to go with a simple and tasteful full leather interior perhaps in the color of my favorite Rawlings Baseball Glove!