The Merek was, for all intents and purposes, a Bora with a 6 cylinder engine instead of an 8. Maserati was owned by Citroen at the time and the 6 is essentially the same Maserati engine found in the Citroen SM, but with its displacement increased to just under 3 liters. Also coming from the SM was the dashboard with its funky oval gauges.
The Merek shared the Bora’s chassis, suspension, steering, Citroen sourced high-pressure hydraulic brakes and forward structure ahead of the B-pillars. From the B-pillars back there was enough of a difference to make the Merek unique looking.With the smaller engine taking up less space than the V8 did in the Bora, Maserati was able to add a second row of seats that were suitable for small pets or children you didn't like very much.
The Marek is not an especially quick car (it takes 9 seconds to get to 60), but it handles superbly.
This car has 19,000 miles on it. It is completely original. It has some minor rust below the gas tank. According to the seller, it "starts right up and is drivable, however, the tires should be replaced prior to driving".The big red flag concerning this car is the last line of the seller's ad, which reads: "Has been in storage since 1979". Maseratis (and just about all Italian cars, for that matter) hate not being used. If, over the past 31 years, this car has been started and driven occasionally, it might not be too bad. If it hasn't been, this car could turn out to be a nightmare.
This car is a gamble. On one hand it's a very nice, low mileage, original car. There are very few of those around. If it was maintained during storage and doesn't need a lot of work, the asking price is very reasonable. On the other hand, if it was ignored for most of the past 31 years, it's going to need a lot of work in the future and the asking price is just the entry fee to a very, very expensive project car.
Located in Orange, CA, click here to see the eBay listing.