Maserati Merak : 1974

The Merak was built with Citroen parts to help keep production costs down. Only 1699 were built with the 3.0 litre v6 between 1972 and 1983.

The Maserati Merak, announced at the Paris Salon of 1972, was a little brother to the mid-engined V8 Bora. It used the same Ital Design steel body, but with a smaller V6, 3-liter engine, as found in the Citroen SM coupee that liberated space for two child-sized rear seats.

The all-alloy powerplant, equipped with triple Weber carburetors, had been built by Maserati for Citroen at the Modena factory, as Citroen had a controlling interest in Maserati during the early '70s. Thus the five-speed transaxle used in the front-wheel drive SM could also be found in the Merak, adapated for rear-wheel drive.

The outright performance of the Merak was quick by most standards, with a top speed of 135 mph and 0 to 60 in 8.2 seconds. Fuel consumption worked out at a reasonable 19 miles to the gallon. Meraks were known to handle quite proficiently as the mid-engine design provided fine balance and traction. Additionally a small amount of luggage space was made available in the nose of the car.

(source: Sports Car Market)