1980 Maserati Merak SS Offered in Vermont

A 1980 Maserati Merak SS, one of just 787 examples produced between 1976 and 1983, has been offered for sale in Vermont. Chassis 2808 is believed to have been sold new in Denver, Colorado, before spending time in the UK and Canada and returning to the United States in 2015, when it was acquired by the seller. The car carries a clean Michigan title in the name of the owner's foundation.

Finished in red over black Connolly leather, the Merak SS is powered by a mid-mounted 3.0-litre quad-cam V6 mated to a five-speed manual transaxle. The SS variant's engine was updated with triple 44mm Weber carburettors and a 9.0:1 compression ratio, giving a factory-rated output of 220 horsepower at 6,500 rpm. The aluminium-block V6 has a 90-degree angle between cylinder banks and aluminium cylinder heads with dual overhead camshafts on each bank. The cylinder head was reportedly rebuilt in June 2012, while more recent work included replacing the oil pressure sending unit and changing the engine oil. Power reaches the rear wheels through a Citroën-sourced five-speed manual transaxle.

Styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro at Italdesign, the Merak was first revealed at the 1972 Paris Motor Show as a lower-cost alternative to the contemporary Bora. It shared its styling from the doors forward with that car but featured a vertical rear window and a louvered horizontal engine cover flanked by flying buttresses. The updated Merak SS followed in 1975 with a revised front hood and a black grille. This example wears black US-market impact bumpers, pop-up headlamps and rectangular taillights, along with a power antenna, door-mounted mirrors and dual exhaust outlets.

The car rides on 15-inch Campagnolo light alloy wheels mounted with Pirelli Cinturato tyres. It has a 102.4-inch wheelbase and fully independent suspension, while stopping power comes from ventilated discs at all four corners. The left-rear brake caliper was replaced in August 2015, according to the seller.

Inside, the 2+2 cabin houses bucket front seats and individually contoured rear seats trimmed in black Connolly leather. Appointments include a lockable glovebox, a passenger-side footrest and power windows, one of whose motors was reportedly replaced in August 2015. A Blaupunkt AM/FM cassette stereo is installed to the left of the three-spoke steering wheel, which is paired with a MOMO shift knob. The wheel fronts a Bora-style dash housing Veglia Borletti instrumentation including an 85-mph speedometer, an 8k-rpm tachometer, a quartz clock and auxiliary gauges. The five-digit odometer shows 64,000 miles. The seller notes a refrigerant leak in the air conditioning system.

The Merak SS occupies a distinctive place in Maserati's history. Conceived as a more accessible companion to the Bora, it carried the same Giugiaro-penned language from the nose to the doors but adopted a different rear treatment that gave it a character of its own. The SS upgrade brought both mechanical and cosmetic changes, and fewer than 800 were built across its production run, making well-documented examples relatively scarce. This car's transatlantic history — from Colorado to the UK and Canada, and back to the US in 2015 — adds a further layer to its provenance.

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Eleanor Ellington

Staff Reporter

Eleanor Ellington covers public affairs, politics, business, culture and daily news for Nobel. The role focuses on verification, context, and clear explanations for readers.

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