Maserati Merak: The Story

[@kevgermany]

Thanks Matteo. I didn't realise how many Citroen parts were in these cars. Interesting.

[@Matteo_Licata]

Thank you!

[@BloggsyMalone]

As a kid growing up in ‘80s South Africa, I yearned to visit ItalDesign. It was where good souls went when they died, I thought. I didn’t know there was a a connection to the Merak and the Bora. Both had such clean, beautiful lines.

[@marcbrasse747]

I had a similar feelings towards Bertone. Such firms seemed to be circling around the very heart of the (car) design universe. Style Central!

[@BloggsyMalone]

@@marcbrasse747 Very much so! And to later grow up and own a car designed by Pininfarina was a thing of majesty for me.

[@marcbrasse747]

@@BloggsyMalone I've mentioend it before on this channel. I've literally owned 4 cars in my whole life, consisting of 2 types of 1 single brand. Both where styled by Bertone. So I know the feeling! (The answer to the riddle is 1 Citroën BX and 3 Citroën XM's) :-)

[@BanjoLuke1]

What a terrible, terrible marriage it was between Citroën and Maserati.... But what wonderful children were born out of it.

[@Matteo_Licata]

It wasn't a bad marriage in itself... It was a marriage of convenience that served Maserati much better than it served Citroen itself... Until divorce came along. That was traumatic, and Maserati was nearly killed in the process.

[@johnphaceas7434]

Had a Matchbox Bora as a kid. As close as I've ever come to either a Bora or a Merak in real life.

[@Matteo_Licata]

Same here. Not sure I'd actually want to own one though, as I'm not especially attracted by mid-engined "supercars."

[@gerhard6105]

I still have such a Matchbox car. And a real 4.24 😊

[@johnmeeks2604]

I had a 77 Metal. Super car!

[@Matteo_Licata]

Cool! How was your experience with it?

[@simonhodgetts6530]

Lovely! Classic Giugiaro styling, a lovely V6, and Citroen interior and brakes - it nearly finished both car manufacturers though!! It’s a pity that the Bora nameplate is possibly better associated with a rather plain VW saloon.......

[@siemprerosso]

Word Merak is actually Turkish and it means joy. So, I believe this car got it's name after this noun. Great car, and great review. Cheers!

[@gorkab8461]

It's a great sounding name indeed, good to know that it also has a great meaning!

[@MrEmrebugra]

I am Turkish and Merak doesn't mean joy. It means curiosity.

[@domtoni4567]

Matteo, a friend had a Merak (don't remember the engine size), lived in MIlan, and during a visit to my cousin's house in Novara, he came with the car, let me drive it. Was not impressed with its acceleration. But of the three, the Lambo, Ferrari and the Merak, the Merak is the most attractive. One last point, I thought the V6 engine was designed by the Polish engine guru, Tadek Marek, and where name was a tribute to him,

[@otomobilmece]

This is a very original car. I think I had this car in majorette on 1978 when I was 7 years old. It was a blue color.🙂👍

[@Matteo_Licata]

Indeed, a very well kept and original survivor!

[@fv1291]

It would look like a mini pickup truck without those bolted struts attached! :)

[@Matteo_Licata]

Indeed!

[@through_changes]

You were right, very orange indeed! It was a very beautiful car, built in a very harsh period of time. Personally I wouldn't have one since I would rather track down, an all time love of ours, the uncompromising Citroën SM for my imagenary dream garage. See you next Friday!

[@Matteo_Licata]

Me too, I'd have an SM over the Merak all day! Thank you!

[@robertcox5469]

Another truly gorgeous 1970’s Italian car. One day you’ll run out of them... (but not for a while I hope...) 😄 I didn’t realise the Merak interior had so many XM parts. I don’t think they match with the exterior design of the car, especially the steering wheel... Thank you for another great video.

[@Matteo_Licata]

Yes, the SM interior bits did not match the Merak... But were nevertheless miles better than the awful hodgepodge of an interior that replaced the SM dash on later LHD Meraks. Thankfully, Italian motoring history is so rich and varied that I'm not afraid of ever running out of video topics :) Thank you for watching!

[@oliverlondon5246]

One of my favourite cars of all times

[@justinbrown6558]

Italian wedges have always been my favourite dream cars. Too bad I’ve only ever seen them on screens and not in real life. I’ve seen plenty of Countachs, but only the QV, not the original design, which I much prefer. There are many photographs of the exterior of the Merak and Bora, but much less so of the interior, so your channel is a great insight into these beautiful cars. Interesting details, too. I didn’t realise the Merak was a “cheaper” version of the Bora, and your comments on the design are very interesting! Your comments make sense, though, when one stands back and looks at the design more objectively.

[@Matteo_Licata]

Thank you very much for your appreciation! I hope I'll get to film more Maseratis from the Citroen era, as they are very interesting yet kind of underappreciated cars.

[@reheller]

Great design & nice technology package! Thanks for featuring it in your series!

[@paulmarkel6233]

Excellent, informative video. Thank you.

[@Matteo_Licata]

Glad you enjoyed it, thank you!

[@hugobloemers4425]

A very nice car, I love the looks.

[@Matteo_Licata]

We agree!

[@blxtothis]

Lovely!

[@Matteo_Licata]

Thank you!!!

[@reitsmaassociates]

Excellent work ! Cheers from Brisbane

[@Matteo_Licata]

Thank you! Cheers from Torino!

[@TheoKoulouris]

Probably my favourite design of its era. I d love to own one and restore it.

[@Matteo_Licata]

I'd love to have one perfectly restored from an aesthetic point of view, and park it in my living room just to look at it :)

[@raufsahin334]

I had a Merak Toy Car ..its just Unque ..but Sadly i Lost it ..Many thanks for bringing Back the memories ..and Thank U For the Video ..

[@Matteo_Licata]

Glad you enjoyed it, thank you!

[@raufsahin334]

@@Matteo_Licata your most welcome matteo ..

[@kidoctane]

One of my favourite Maseratis

[@danielemeytre4010]

Roadster life! Maserati's supercars of the 70s are the coolest ones, along with Lamborghini. About this Maserati, I still remember your Citroen SM video. If I would have to choose between this one and an SM... Well. You know my choice.

[@chrtsi6912]

I have the notion that '70s oil crisis must have played a role in such a low volume production...what an era to be involved in car industry nevertheless!

[@Matteo_Licata]

Yes indeed. The oil crisis triggered Citroen's collapse and, at the same time, killed off Maserati's business. The whole house of cards went down.

[@38thsignal]

@@Matteo_Licata IIRC, even Porsche had some trouble? That's why they designed the 928, because the 911 was considered aged. (I'll have a 928 over an 911 any day myself. Well, "I'll have" when I'm rich, which should happen sometime between "never" and "in my dreams".)

[@sean131sm]

Another great wee video, a quite forgotten but still lovely car. Now Maserati and Citroen are back together in Stellantis.

[@Matteo_Licata]

Yes they are! I wonder where things will go

[@sean131sm]

@@Matteo_Licata Well it looks like Tevares is pushing Maserati and Alfa Romeo to become the global premium brands. So heres hoping the might of the merger will be good for all our beloved Italian marques.

[@Matteo_Licata]

I think so, yes. I’m very positive about the group’s future, but we’ll need to be patient, as new cars take years to develop

[@seancain7305]

Fantastic .... as always. Great channel, thank you for your content :-)

[@Matteo_Licata]

My pleasure! Thank you very much for your appreciation!

[@markbennett2170]

Thank you Matteo for another fasinating video. Always had a soft spot for the Merak.

[@Matteo_Licata]

Glad you enjoyed it, thank you!

[@gaetanoflorio6277]

Grazie Matteo, thanks for your knowledge of wondefully flawed Italian marques explained in detail. Amazing how Italian car companies struggled with finished product like Lancia, Alfa and Maserati....only to fall in the hands of Fiat that may have been either good or bad for the repsective brands..lets hope the future holds well with the Stellantis group as Maserati have been given a lifeline and possibly be back in the mix with the best of them. Keep.up the great content and videos 👍

[@mikakstienhaara3478]

wonderful story worth telling!

[@Matteo_Licata]

Glad you think so, thank you very much!

[@garygriffiths2911]

Well I now know a hell of a lot more about the Merak than I did ten minutes ago. Unfortunately I'm of a age when the first thing that comes to mind when 'Ital Design' is mentioned is a facelift of the awful Morris Marina into the equally terrible "Ital' - which I understand the well regarded Ital' Design studio had little or nothing to do with! This channel is excellent by the way.

[@Matteo_Licata]

Thank you very much! As far as I've understood, Ital Design did some minor body engineering for BL, and that was exploited way beyond measure for marketing the awful Ital :) Thank you very much for your appreciation, I'll keep doing my best to keep improving my content in the future :)

[@robertos4172]

Un video affascinante come sempre, ma il più grande era Giorgetto Giugiaro? Dai, dico Gandini. In ogni caso, grazie per il video!

[@Matteo_Licata]

Eh, difficile scegliere! Per me sarà sempre Giorgetto, è sempre stato uno dei miei eroi fin da quando ero piccolo :)

[@robertos4172]

@@Matteo_Licata Anche per me Giorgetto è un grande senza dubbio. Ma ormai sogno per

[@perplex3296]

Thankyou for your effort. I Love the Design of the Merak. Its soo good

[@Matteo_Licata]

Thank you! I consider this one of my best videos, yet it hasn't gotten many views yet. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@perplex3296]

@@Matteo_Licata i think this is Sometimes crazy some ppl Put in effort and the Product is amazing but Not so many ppl realize it. But iam Sure the time will come and ppl will recognize it.

[@gearhead9828]

What a beautiful car, I would prefer the RHD version, though. Was that an ANSA exhaust at 4:14? Just bought one for my Giulietta. Thanks for this cool video! Ciao 🙋‍♂️

[@Matteo_Licata]

Yes it indeed was an ansa exhaust. Eagle eye ;)

[@Zsoltipapa]

Grazie Matteo, thanks for all the info,where would we get all these without you? Please keep up!

[@Matteo_Licata]

Thank you! My mission is exactly that: provide the automotive trivia nobody else does here on KZbin :) Rest assured I'll continue!

[@SferaChannel]

Exciting and educational video! Congratulations Matteo!

[@Matteo_Licata]

Thank you! I look forward to a new upload from you!

[@SferaChannel]

@@Matteo_Licata soon... 😉

[@paulkazzer]

The Bora’s stainless steel roof seems to have been inspired by the Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz of 1958. Odd.

[@Brisbane2024]

Thanks Matteo, I was aware about this Liaison between Maserati and Citroën but not the technically twins SM and the Merak! Many thanks for this lesson. I always wonder how you are finding all these old documents. Great 👍

[@Matteo_Licata]

Thank you! When I write these videos, I reference the (admittedly quite extensive) personal library I've built over the years, plus some personal experience :)

[@Brisbane2024]

@@Matteo_Licata Appreciate!

[@adamv242]

Why are European cars from the 60s-80s the most interesting in the entire history of the industry?

[@studiocalder818]

👍🏽

[@dennis_nl7587]

My dad owns a 3.0L Merak, but I never knew the history behind it

[@Matteo_Licata]

Cool! Glad you enjoyed this story then!

[@reneblanche3573]

Love your great videos!

[@Matteo_Licata]

Thanks so much! Glad you enjoy my content!

[@dough740]

Stunning silhouette, with a gorgeous nose - a gran turismo rather than a Porsche killer. I know which I would rather look at on my driveway (and it wouldn't be German). How would it have sounded with a Busso?

[@pklimbic]

If they all wanted to complete with the 911, why did they all make such complicated and heavy, expensive to build cars? Why not simple, basic, fast?

[@Matteo_Licata]

That's a very valid point indeed. :)

[@fabiandimaspratamathesecond]

Yeah. Kinda defeats the purpose. They should make it as simple, reliable, and not too expensive as Porsche 911. The mid engine, wedge body style is sensational, but everything else seems fail.

[@martian9999]

simple, basic, fast was the concept behind the De Tomasso Pantera. Didn't work either. I'd say you need big bucks to make a car reliable enough for Germany and USA, and especially for the required service network. The norm was for a sports car to be a hardly-profitable prestige model from a major corporation (Nissan 240Z or Toyota Celica). Porsche was quite the exception; I suppose Germany's generous company-car taxation regime had something to do with it. But don't forget that Porsche struggled for many years with finding a successor to the 911, and was often not very far from bankruptcy.

[@pklimbic]

@@martian9999 it's nice to have insightful comments, thank you!

[@hanspeeters3246]

Hi Matteo thanks for another well resourced video! Just a few comments on the production data: The Merak SS started production in 1974. Merak production ended in 1983, not 1982. Total Merak production was 1817. Where did you get your production data from? Cheers

[@Matteo_Licata]

Thanks for the info! I referenced Martin Buckley's book about Maserati, edited by Haynes.

[@peterlafrenz5220]

In the early 70ties ANYTHING was possible.

[@craigrogers3864]

Subscribed! ❤

[@Matteo_Licata]

Thank you!!!

[@craigrogers3864]

@RoadsterLifeVideo Even though it's not a classic, you can't help but feel the emotions behind the wheel. I love my yellow Mito 💛

[@lynnhooley7608]

grazie mille

[@Matteo_Licata]

Prego!

[@ruicosta1898]

Great Again! ✌️😊

[@Matteo_Licata]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@rabit818]

Does the rear seat makes Merck a little cheaper to insure abroad? Another fine example of the wedge design.

[@Matteo_Licata]

I don't know whether having two seats more made a difference in that sense. Anyway, I wouldn't let anyone ride on those torture devices at the back! No legroom and a vertical backrest... They look painful!

[@Tonewheeldude]

Grazie Mille e Forza Maserati 🔱

[@peterlafrenz5220]

The only Porsche killer would be another Porsche.

[@Matteo_Licata]

Very much true, yes :)

[@Curva_West]

Grand’ video. Hai guidato una Merak, Matteo?

[@Matteo_Licata]

Grazie! No, non guido quasi mai le auto che vedi nei miei video.

[@andynixon2820]

My dad owned one in the 80s , he lost the brakes and it sprayed the whole car in the Citroën green fluid - he just missed hitting a wall . This was the exact same car that Jeremy Clarkson had on Top Gear that ate it's engine . They're beautiful cars but that example was trouble.

[@neutronalchemist3241]

Clarkson destroyed a fine car by pushing it, just after having bought it, without having done even the basic maintenance EVERYONE would have done to a second-hand car. To seal the cooling system would have been an easy fix, but he chose to run it without coolant.

[@Matteo_Licata]

Well, Meraks do have a reputation for being maintenance hogs, but yes, anything that went on Top Gear was exaggerated for comedic effect, so I wouldn't take seriously anything they showed :)

[@wickiezulu]

Regarding Maserati's planned V6-based compact 260-280 hp 4-litre V8 for the Quattroporte II (along with a stillborn 3.2-litre V6), would it have made sense for the 4-litre V8 to have likely been used in the 310-330 hp Bora or in the 170-220 hp Merak (provided the 4-litre V8 would have fitted)? Was the original intention for a hypothetical 4-litre Merak V8 by virtue of its more compact V6-derived V8 engine to eventually replace the older V8s used in the Bora?

[@Matteo_Licata]

I don't know. What I'm pretty sure about is that, after '75, that new V8 was well and truly dead, as De Tomaso wasn't interested in developing the Citroen-era cars much further. His "baby" was the Biturbo, and that's where he concentrated the company's limited resources.

[@wickiezulu]

​@@Matteo_Licata The limited impression one gets from Maserati's time under Citroen ownership, would be the latter's plans to integrate the former with the latter based on the commonalities at the time until Citroen's bankruptcy. The larger Maserati V8 (reputedly capable of theoretically growing up to around 5.2-litres*) was originally introduced in the late 1950s and with the Quattroporte II's unfortunate switch to a FWD layout, would assumed the larger V8 would have eventually been discontinued in the Bora in favour of the compact 4-litre V8 being developed prior to Maserati's takeover by De Tomaso. A tax 2-litre Merak V8 does sound like an interesting what-if and would not be too out of place against its rivals at Ferrari and Lamborghini compared to the 2-litre Merak V6. It is a shame the Biturbo carried over the Deauville / Longchamp platform and other hardware as kindly confirmed by the De Tomaso Owners UK Drivers Club. OTOH would a Biturbo analogue under Fiat ownership carrying over say a 130-based Quattroporte platform and other hardware on a roughly Argenta sized car have been a better alternative? Interesting they also said the Quattroporte IV was a completely different car with no link to the Biturbo, whereas was previously under the impression both the Quattroporte IV and 3200 GT had links to the Biturbo era. * - From page 1 of following link. - norskmaseratiklubb.no/onewebmedia/Maserati%205000Trident_.pdf

[@fv1291]

G.G. Ital Design also designed the DeLorean!

[@Matteo_Licata]

I know :) Giugiaro is one of my personal heroes. It's largely because of him that I decided to pursue a career as a car designer, when I was much younger

[@marcosmata8233]

Back to the Future What if a maserati merak ss would look like Time Machine?

[@glennlindamood]

Wow! Italy had a 38% VAT for cars with engines larger than 2.0 liters? Ouch! Is that law still in effect? I noticed Alfa Romeo's latest Giulia & Stelvio both have 2.0 liter petrol engines!

[@Matteo_Licata]

Thankfully not. Nowadays Italy applies a "luxury tax," to be paid yearly, on engines that produce more than 185Kw of power. 20 Euro for each Kw over that limit. It gradually diminishes over a period of 10 years though, after which it's no longer due.

[@glennlindamood]

@@Matteo_Licata Thank you! Wow, I just did some quick arithmetic and a Giulia Quadrifoglio with the 380kw engine means an extra yearly tax of around €3900!😳

[@Matteo_Licata]

@@glennlindamood Yes indeed. Upon its introduction about a decade ago, this super tax pretty much killed off the market for powerful cars in the country. Some still own them, of course, but many have been registered abroad or are leased rather than bought.

[@marcbrasse747]

Those rear butresses could also have turned the Triumph TR7 into a beauty. I once advised it to a friend but he did not listen, the Philistine! :-) And what about De Tomaso? I know he is reviled by many but I personally think that both Moto Guzzi and Benelli would not have survived without him. Does the same apply to his involvement with Maserati?

[@Matteo_Licata]

De Tomaso did not endear himself to many journalists, and that's why he used to get bad press. Maserati wouldn't have survived without him (and the taxpayers' money), and the Biturbo was a brilliant idea. The problem with De Tomaso is that he rushed things into production, leading to troublesome cars that alienated customers.

[@marcbrasse747]

@@Matteo_Licata That indeed seems to ba a central theme. The Guzzi V35 and V50 where equaly brilliant concepts and designs which then suffered from lacking quality control. De Tomaso quickly loosing interest in projects was probably a big factor in this. Paolo Martin has described the man as impossible to work with. Still that crazy South American often got things moving again and I gues we should thank him for that. :-)

[@Matteo_Licata]

@@marcbrasse747 Yes indeed. De Tomaso, in one way or another, has left quite a mark in Italian motoring history, and his contribution is all too often forgotten

[@johnphaceas7434]

A tow truck driver I called to take one of my cars to the workshop told me he owned a Diahatsu Charade DeTomaso (3 cylinder turbo) imported from Japan in full track spec that he raced on the weekends. Bit of digging turned out that it was De Tomaso who came up with the the original Charade Turbo.

[@Matteo_Licata]

@@johnphaceas7434 Kinda :) Daihatsu in the 1980s sold the engines that equipped the Innocenti cars (De Tomaso ran Innocenti at the time) and put his name on the sportiest of the company's little hatches, equipped with a turbocharged three cylinders engine from Daihatsu. The Japanese manufacturer saw then the opportunity to use the De Tomaso name to sprinkle some exotic flavor on the sportiest Charade.

[@bonvi2896]

in Bulgarian Merak means "powerfull will to do something"

[@Matteo_Licata]

Thank you! I didn't know that :)

[@Mekushikurih]

i thought the names were coming from names of the desert winds in Arabic

[@hanspeeters3246]

Maserati model names typically come from winds, however the Merak is an exception on this

[@RapideWombaticus]

The Merak Clarkson bought went a lil wrong lol

[@hugobloemers4425]

Top Gear was the most scripted "unscripted show" in the history of the lame stream media.

[@simonhodgetts6530]

Shrapnel all over the road if I remember rightly?

[@arthuralford]

@@simonhodgetts6530 The engine self-destructed quite painfully

[@RapideWombaticus]

@@hugobloemers4425 not a fan of old Top Gear I take it?

[@neutronalchemist3241]

@@arthuralford 1) EVERYTHING that happened in Clarkson's "Top Gear" was scripted. 2) Even assuming the writers didn't provide the failure (and it's a far stretch) Clarkson destroyed a fine car by pushing it, just after having bought it, without having done even the basic maintenance EVERYONE would have done to a second-hand car. To seal the cooling system would have been an easy fix, but he chose to run it without coolant.

[@cancracker]

The one spoke steering wheel didn’t fit a Maserati at all.

[@Matteo_Licata]

Agree!

[@ohnothisguyagain69]

coolest design but wrong engine