One of the hallmarks of gearhead culture is restoring cars that are, how do we put it, past their prime. Restoring cars is more often than not an act of love and patience, rather than a lucrative endeavor. However, there are times when people stumble upon beat-up legends, restore them to prime condition, and make out like a bandit. In a true one man’s trash is another man’s treasure scenario, we’ve stumbled upon a long-in-the-tooth iconic car that’s up for auction: a 1981 Maserati Merak SS.
Yes, this particular Merak has seen better days. Its interior is a mess, and the exterior’s not looking so hot either. It was in the process of being restored, but the project was abandoned, and now someone — maybe you — will be able to take over the reins for a steal. The Maserati Merak was designed by the legendary Giorgetto Giugiaro and was first introduced at the 1972 Paris Auto Show. Due to its smaller engine and more practical seating, it dwarfed its V8 counterpart, the Bora, in sales during the 1973 Oil Crisis. Then, in 1975, Maserati increased the Merak’s performance capabilities and upped its horsepower, which earned it an “SS” upgrade. Due to its superior performance, power, and handling, the 220-HP, 3L V6 Merak SS became the go-to choice for fans of the car. The Merak SS would dazzle people until it was discontinued in 1983; all in all, only 1,000 Merak SS units were produced, making them as rare as they are cool.
This particular Merak SS is a 1981 model, and from what we’ve read, it has all of the necessary parts to make a functioning car. They simply need to be refurbished, replaced, and reassembled. The real opportunity here is that this Merak SS is expected to sell for around 15,000-20,000 euros (~$16,940-$22,500). To put that figure into perspective, a well-functioning Merak SS will fetch you around $65,000-$67,000 and it isn’t rare to come across examples that exceed $100,000. Sure, restoring this classic is a massive undertaking that will undoubtedly take a good amount of money to fix. However, if restored well, this classic car could fetch you a pretty penny — if you could bring yourself to part with it. You can find this Maserati Merak SS up for auction on DROUOT’s website.
