Maserati Merak

Maserati Merak at a glance

The Merak sits below the V8 Bora in Maserati's range of the 1970s. All Maserati models are in the Maserati catalogue.

History: a smaller car under Citroën

Citroën owned Maserati from 1968 to 1975. In that period Maserati designed a compact V6 for the Citroën SM: the 2.7-litre Tipo C.114, created by Giulio Alfieri in 1967. A larger version of this engine later powered the Merak.

The Bora came first. It was built from 1971 with a 4.7-litre V8 that produced 228 kW (310 PS) at 6,000 rpm and 461 Nm. From 1973 a 4.9-litre V8 followed, first for the United States; from 1976 it was offered in other markets with 243 kW (330 PS) and 481 Nm. The Merak followed more than a year later, at the Paris motor show in 1972. It was intended as a more affordable alternative with a smaller engine and two extra seats.

Design: Giugiaro's 2+2 from the Bora

Giorgetto Giugiaro of Italdesign, who had designed the Bora, was asked to turn it into the Merak. The two cars share the front bodyshell up to the doors and some body panels. Behind the doors the Merak is different. It has a 2+2 cabin with a small second row of seats and a vertical rear window. Two "flying buttresses" continue the roof line to the tail, and the engine cover is open instead of the Bora's heavier glass cover.

The Bora itself had a steel monocoque with a tubular steel rear subframe for the engine and transaxle. The subframe is fixed to the floor pan on four flexible mounts. The Bora was the first Maserati passenger car with independent suspension on all four wheels.

Engine: the Citroën SM V6

For the Merak, the SM's 90° V6 was bored out to 91.6 mm. With a stroke of 75 mm this gives 2,965 cc. The engine has chain-driven double overhead camshafts, 12 valves and three twin-choke Weber carburettors, with a compression ratio of 8.75:1. It produces 140 kW (190 PS) at 6,000 rpm and 255 Nm at 4,000 rpm.

The gearbox is a five-speed all-synchromesh transaxle from Citroën, listed as the C35. Maserati claimed a top speed of over 240 km/h.

Citroën hydraulics and the SM dashboard

Many systems of the early Merak came from Citroën. The brakes were assisted and operated by high-pressure hydraulics, and the pop-up headlights were raised hydraulically. On some cars the clutch also used the hydropneumatic system. Early cars with Citroën hydraulics had inboard rear brakes.

The early left-hand-drive cars, built from 1972 to 1975, also used the dashboard of the Citroën SM. It had oval gauges and a single-spoke steering wheel. Maserati built 630 cars with this dashboard up to 1974.

Merak SS and the De Tomaso years

The Merak SS was introduced at the Geneva motor show in 1975, and production began in 1976. The Wikipedia article on the Bora gives 1981 as the debut of the improved SS, so the sources do not fully agree on its dates. Its engine had a higher compression ratio of 9:1 and larger Weber 44 DCNF carburettors. Output rose by 22 kW (30 PS) to 162 kW (220 PS), and the car was 50 kg lighter than the original Merak. The SS brought a new dashboard designed by Maserati, with round instruments and a four-spoke wheel. Later cars used the dashboard and three-spoke wheel of the Bora.

In 1975 Citroën's ownership of Maserati ended, and in 1977 Alejandro de Tomaso bought the company. After 1976 the Citroën parts were gradually replaced, and the US-specification SS returned to conventional hydraulics. The Bora was dropped after fewer than 600 cars, but the Merak stayed in production for six more years.

Merak and Bora compared

The two cars were built side by side, but they were aimed at different buyers. The Bora was a two-seat V8 car, the Merak a lighter and cheaper 2+2 with six cylinders.

The Bora used Citroën's LHM high-pressure hydraulics in two circuits. One worked the ventilated disc brakes. The other moved the pedal box, adjusted the height of the driver's seat and raised the headlights. The early Merak used the same kind of Citroën technology for its brakes and headlights. The Bora's body had a drag coefficient of 0.30, and its steel panels were made by Officine Padane in Modena. Its four-wheel independent suspension used coil springs, telescopic dampers and anti-roll bars; prototype MacPherson struts at the front were replaced by wishbones for production because of steering kickback.

Merak 2000 GT for Italy

In Italy, cars with engines over 2,000 cc were taxed at 38 per cent VAT instead of the usual 19 per cent. For this market Maserati presented the Merak 2000 GT at the Turin motor show in November 1977. Its V6 has 1,999 cc, with a bore of 80 mm and a stroke of 66.3 mm. It produces 125 kW (170 PS) at 7,000 rpm and 186 Nm at 4,000 rpm. About 200 were built.

Legacy and collectors

The Merak lasted much longer than the Bora on which it was based. Production ended in 1983 after 1,830 cars, about 1,000 of them SS models. It was built in far larger numbers than the Bora, of which only 564 were made.

For collectors, the main differences are the version and the period. Early cars have more Citroën hydraulics and the SM dashboard. The SS has more power, less weight and Maserati's own dashboard. The rare 2000 GT was built mainly for Italy. More about the company's history is in our history of Maserati.

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