1977 Maserati Merak SS "One Hit Wonder/Feelings Car" to Bonhams Auction in January 2018...

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Hello fellow Maserati enthusiasts! It's my pleasure to introduce you to my 1977 Maserati Merak SS, which has been in my family since 1978. It has 11,000 miles, and is almost completely original. My uncle, who was born in Italy (my family has a long history with Maseratis and other Italian sportscars), bought it in 1978, from Newport Imports, in Newport Beach, California, and it has been here ever since. It was his pride and joy; always garaged and babied. I took this photo of it a couple days ago, after treating the car to its very first professional detail.

The first owner of the car, who owned it for a year, was named Albert Morris Kaisermann. He was better known by his stage name "Morris Albert," and is most recognized for his "one hit wonder" hit song "Feelings" in the early 1970's. He traded the car in after owning it for a year, and clocking 3,000 miles in it. This is why I refer to the car as the "One Hit Wonder/Feelings Car."

We have recently made the decision that it's time to pass this car onto its next caretaker. It will cross the auction block at Bonham's in Scottsdale this upcoming January 18th. Although we are sad to be parting ways with this wonderful car, we are excited to find a new owner who will love and care for it as we have. If anyone here is in the market for a very original Merak, or knows someone who is, then they should take interest in this meticulously-preserved, very original "time capsule" survivor car. Most importantly, because Meraks have not yet achieved the market prominence and values that their contemporary competitors such as the Dino enjoy, but the Meraks deserve as well. This has already happened to this Ghiblis.

Here are some details:

-Original paint and interior (silver on black), in excellent condition. No accident, no body work, rust-free car with all original glass, brightwork (in great condition) and parts.
-Complete original tool and jack kit, owner's manual, spare tire (with original Pirelli tire) and vehicle registration records dating back to 1977.
-Fitted with original Blaupunkt Berlin "gooseneck" radio, with microphone, that singer Morris Albert insisted on having.
-New OEM specification Michelin XWX tires. New clutch and resurfaced flywheel. New water pump. New belts, hoses and battery. Brake and clutch systems recently rebuilt. Cooling and air conditioning systems flushed, cleaned and sorted.
-All electrical systems fully operational. Although most on this thread will already know this, the 1977 Merak SS was fitted with the Bora dash and was not fitted with the sometimes-problematic Citroen hydraulic brake system.
-Engine recently rebuilt by Bobileff Motors, after one of the original, brittle, sodium-filled valves broke upon startup. The engine was upgraded with stainless steel valves, new pistons, stainless exhaust system, electronic ignition and alternator, at the cost of over $20,000.00. These are the only changes that have been made to the stock vehicle, for a purpose. The original ignition systems on these vehicles were notoriously underpowered and with the new system it runs very well.
-This car has been completely sorted, road tested and is ready to move to its new home.

This car has never been to a car show. Never been to a "cars and coffee" event. Never been to a track or cruise. It was stored in a climate-controlled garage, maintained and driven sparingly for 40 years. It is, quite possibly, one of the most well-preserved Maserati Meraks extant.

I will post more photos to this new thread in the coming days. Thanks for checking out this post, and feel free to post questions!

 

Original badging. Image Unavailable, Please Login

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Original carpets with unworn Maserati logo!
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I forgot to include the serial number (autotelaio) which is 2210. Check out the original blue plates! I recently located the Newport Imports license plate frame and will be re-installing it on the car.
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Original Campagnolo wheels with new Michelin XWX rubber.

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Original plate frame affixed. Not sure about this one...love the patina and originality, but the car may look better without it. I may take it off and just include it with the tools and documents for the next owner. I will have to sleep on this one. Check out the large stack of registration stickers!

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If anyone here is doing a restoration and needs photos taken and posted of a particular area of this benchmark car, I would be more than happy to.

 

Thanks for the kind words. I would not classify a broken valve (very common with 40-year-old sodium-filled valves, in fact) an "engine failure" though. As with any 40-year-old classic, these types of things happen. What's more important is how they are addressed (or not). Now that it's been treated to a complete rebuild by the renowned experts at Bobileff Motorcars, I can assure you it's better, and runs stronger, than when it rolled off the factory floor. The benefits of modern pistons, bearings, seals, stainless valves cannot be ignored.

 

Many do no know that the Maserati Merak was actually homologated by the Federation Internationale De L'Automobile in 1974. I have attached an image of the first page of the homologation documents below, and a full copy of the homologation document to this post. It's quite a read!

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