Designautos: Lotus Esprit GT1 Cars Pictures

Friday, May 7, 2010

Lotus Esprit GT1 Cars Pictures

Lotus Esprit GT1

The Maserati Merak was an Italian sport car introduced in 1972, essentially a junior version of the Maserati Bora. It substituted an all new Maserati designed quad-cam V-6 motor (also shared with the Citroen SM) for the Bora's larger V-8, resulting not only in a lower cost, but room for a small backseat and better handling due to lower weight and a better front/rear weight distribution.

History

Citroën era Merak

The first Merak was designed during the Citroën ownership of Maserati (1968–1975). It featured a 3.0 L Maserati V6 (190 hp) engine, also used in the Citroën SM.

The mid-engine Merak used the Bora bodyshell, but with the extra space offered by the smaller engine used to carve out a second row of seats, suitable for children or very small adults.

Other Citroën parts used for the Merak included the SM's dramatic dashboard and the hydraulic brake system. In 1977 these parts were supplanted by more conventional units.

GEPI era Merak

In 1976 Maserati introduced the more powerful and lighter Merak SS. Only 652 were made until production of the SS stopped in 1982. Its engine produced 15% more power, raising horsepower to 220 hp (164 kW) and weight was reduced by 152 kg to 1,400 kg, resulting in a top speed of 152 mph (245 km/h). After 1977, the Merak SS was bestowed with the interior and dash of the Maserati Bora. The Merak SS also saw a return to traditional hydraulics, eliminating the last of the Citroen high pressure system.

DeTomaso era Merak

In 1977, during DeTomaso's ownership of Maserati, another version of the Merak called the Merak 2000 was introduced, which featured a 2.0 L V6 with 170 hp (127 kW). This version was built mainly for the Italian market where a newly introduced tax law penalized cars with an engine capacity of more than 2000 cc.

Aesthetically, the Merak differed from the otherwise identical Bora mainly in sporting glassless flying buttresses instead of the Bora's fully glassed rear.

The Merak went out of production in 1982.