One of the last Maserati Meraks is for sale
The MCPURA refreshes the 3.0-litre V6 Maserati supercar, but if your tastes are more old-school...
Perhaps overlooked a tad given the glut of Goodwood debuts, there seems a lot to like about the new Maserati MCPURA. Chiefly because, daft name aside, not very much seems to have changed from the MC20. And that’s great news; as every new supercar debut seems to usher in another huge technological leap forward, so the Maser’s resolutely old-school approach appeals even more. After all, what are you really going to do with 900hp on the road?
The introduction of the MCPURA (really not getting any better, that one) was a nice reminder that the MC20 wasn’t Maserati’s only dalliance with mid-engined sports cars boasting a 3.0-litre V6 behind the driver. Remember the Merak? Introduced more than 50 years ago, it aimed to offer Bora style for a little less than the cost associated with the flagship V8 of the time. There was a bit more practicality, too, thanks to some +2 seats added thanks to a smaller engine. For a collector these days, there’s the additional intrigue of some Citroën influence, too, as the Merak was designed under French tutelage of the Modenese company; so if you really wanted a classic car project, early cars came with some Citroën hydropneumatic systems…
Once Alejandro de Tomaso assumed control of Maserati, more conventional equipment was introduced to the Merak. It actually became quite a long-lived model, production spanning more than a decade and not far off 2,000 made; by comparison, fewer than 600 Boras were assembled in less than six years.
For those of us who are not die-hard Trident folk, the Merak probably remains best known for its role in the Top Gear cheap supercars episode. It’s hard to imagine now that such exotic cars were ever so affordable, but such was the joy of the early to mid-'00s. Trouble was, of course, keeping them on the road: supercar running costs don’t fall with the value of the car, and it’s easy to imagine many Meraks succumbing to their problems as fixes approached the total value of the car. Perhaps exceeded it, in some cases.
Fortunately, this one was rescued from such ignominy. It’s one of the more powerful, 220hp Merak SS versions, which is a good start; even more significantly, it’s one of the very last produced, registered here in 1984 (production finished the year before). Hopefully, that status contributed to the decision made a few years back to fully restore the Maserati. Finished in 2019, it comprised an engine and gearbox rebuild, a suspension overhaul, and that stunning respray. There can’t be very many better, that’s for certain.
Though mileage has been minimal since completion, the seller says this SS is driven regularly to keep everything in fine fettle. It looks an absolute stunner, even by the high standards of all Meraks. Certainly, it seems guaranteed proper classic supercar levels of attention and interest, probably more so than a modern Maserati supercar, in fact. So that POA could turn out to be great value indeed. Certainly, the days of the Merak as a bargain basement wedge of Italian junior supercar are a very long way behind it.
When you look at that episode, you do marvel at how cheap those cars back in the day even if they were all a bit 'doggy'.
In the middle of a row of modern Maseratis was a Bora. I was shocked by how sleek & exotic it looked! It really was on another level when compared with the moderns. Its roofline was the same height as their door handles.
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