1976 MASERATI MERAK SS

French registration title The company with the trident has written two great histories: the first dates from before the war, a glorious period during which, from 1926 onwards, Maserati produced some of the most beautiful and victorious racing cars; after the war, Maserati launched into road-going sports cars with the superb A6 and later with the 3500 GT until the early 1970s with the midengine. The first was the sublime Bora, from which the Merak was directly derived, followed by the Merak SS, inspired by the designer Giorgietto Giugiaro! Our model is a rare SS with the most powerful version of the 220 hp 3.0 litre four-cam V6 engine, and comes with an extensive file tracing its life up to 1987; then in the hands of a collector in the Valence region, in 1989 it moved to the Dijon region and then to the Eure region to the home of a Maserati collector who drove it for many miles Regularly maintained, as its file of invoices attests, it was sold in 2015 to its current owner, who undertook a complete overhaul of the mechanicals, running gear, suspension, etc. in June 2016 at GPSport for more than €25,000; the bodywork is in remarkable condition, as are the engine bay and underpinnings The Merak SS had the advantage of two small rear seats, and our example benefited from the second version of the dashboard, with its oval counters, less extravagant than the one that came directly from the Citroën SM, all in a cabin upholstered in light grey leather with a lovely patina Produced in just 652 examples, it was a genuine alternative to the Ferrari 308 and Porsche 911 of the period, thanks to its sleek lines, comfort and performance, especially in the SS version, which was the most sought-after by collectors