Presented in 1972 at the Paris Motor Show, the #Maserati #Merak much like the Lamborghini Urraco and the Dino 308 GT4, was an attempt from the Italian manufacturer to make more affordable and usable cars to steal some sales from the ubiquitous Porsche 911. None of these cars succeeded in that goal, but it can be argued the Maserati was the most refined of the trio, if not exactly the fastest.
It's impossible to talk about the Merak, named about a star in the Plough constellation, without mentioning its bigger sister, the Bora. The two cars were designed alongside one another, and the cheaper, simpler Merak shared the suspensions, steering, and much of its body structure with the Bora. Both cars looked stunning and were penned by the greatest car designer of all, Giorgetto #Giugiaro
The last four Meraks were made in 1982, a far cry from the 430 made in 1972, which remained the model's best year. With a grand total of 1820 cars made, the Merak never became the Porsche-killer Maserati hoped it would be but, to be fair, neither the cars Lamborghini and Ferrari made achieved that goal.
The footage used in this video came courtesy of Enzo Mansueto e Dario Mella: thank you very much for your help!
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My automotive books:
Six Appeal - The Story Of The Alfa 6
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1793931046

Alfa Romeo Giulietta - The Story 1977 - 1985 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1983393746

Alfa Romeo Arna - The Full Story 1980 - 1987 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1656632500