An Ebay user from Poland is currently offering a Maserati Merak SS Tipo AM122/A for 15,000 euros. Or rather, what's left of the car.
Is there moss somewhere on the rubber seals? A greasy film in the oil cap? What squeaks, what creaks? The buyer of the Maserati Merak, which an Ebay user from Kraków, Poland is currently offering for sale for 15,000 euros, does not have to ask himself any of these questions. "Needs a full restoration," he writes in the ad, and looking at the photos, that sounds like the understatement of the millennium. Hardly any part of the 1979 sports car sits on top of the other and if it does, it is eaten away by rust or covered in dust and dirt. While the remains can still be vaguely identified as a car despite the completely broken-off front end, the Merak needs more than just a little love to get back on its wheels. ,
At least the side windows are intact
The supplier describes the latter as "Original Campagnolo wheels", with the front axle obviously having steel rims. At first glance, only the side windows appear undamaged, the buyer receives a number of loose parts as extras – including the engine, transmission and fragments of the chassis. The Maserati is "largely complete" can be read in the item description. After all: All EU customs fees have been paid, because it is a re-import from the USA. ,
Between 1972 and 1983, a total of 1,830 Maserati Meraks were built as a cheaper alternative to the V8-powered Bora. As the Merak SS, the 2+2 seater draws its power from a centrally installed three-liter V6 with 220 hp. Many components such as the manual five-speed gearbox, the cockpit or the hydraulics originally came from the Citroën SM, but under the leadership of Maserati boss Alejandro de Tomaso they were gradually replaced by in-house designs. Today, well-preserved specimens cost up to 86,000 euros; if they are in moderate condition, the hammer drops at just under 19,000 euros. Measured against that, 15,000 euros for a bunch of junk is already very ambitious. Since it is of no use if a "correct three-spoke steering wheel" and "electric windows" are sung about in the description. ,
Conclusion
Classic automobiles are a cultural asset worth protecting and preserving - we certainly agree on that. It's no wonder that fans and petrolheads sometimes go to incredible lengths and restore old cars for a lot of money. But whether the Maserati Merak SS described here can still be saved remains to be seen. One thing is certain: if you want to try it, you should be a genuine optimist. An optimist with well-filled pockets on top of that, because the stately basic price of 15,000 euros for the remains of the mid-engine athlete is obviously not going to stay.
