One-off Maserati Merak crops up on sale for cheap

A unique 1975 Maserati Merak coachbuilt by Saurer has cropped up on sale in the UK, evaluated between £30,000 and £40,000.

The Merak was introduced in 1972 as a cheaper alternative to the Maserati Bora. It rode on the same technical underpinnings and had a similar exterior design, but packed a simpler powertrain than the Bora. It had stayed in production until 1983.

A 3.0-liter Citroen SM V6 installed in a transverse fashion behind the cockpit produced 190 PS (187 hp / 140 kW). This was enough for the car to go 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in eight seconds flat and ultimately reach 225 km/h (140 mph). A higher spec called the SS debuted in 1975 with 220 PS ((217 hp / 162 kW) at its disposal.

In 1984, this particular car was rebodied by Paul Saurer in his Switzerland-based company Carrosserie Saurer. While the original had a body mostly made of stainless-steel panels, this example was retrofitted with aluminum bodywork. Saurer never built another vehicle like this.

The listing doesn’t make it clear who ordered the conversion and fails to disclose the full ownership history, so proceed with discretion.