Let’s not do the whole “that will buff out” thing. It’s not funny any more. And really, there’s very little funny about what happened to this poor Maserati Merak SS that has clearly fallen on hard times. The story gets stranger as this is a U.S.-market car that now lives in Poland, a country which ostensibly got the superior versions of many of the sports cars we covet today. Regardless of what happened, be sure to bring a dust pan when attempting to move this battered exotic. The Merak is located here on eBay and listed for €15,000.
The structural collapse of this Merak is nothing short of significant. It’s not like one body panel has caved in; the Merak has literally broken in half in multiple locations. The photo seems to indicate this Merak was stored outside for years under cover, which certainly didn’t help matters. And truth be told, we don’t know how wrecked this Merak was before it showed up in Poland; for all we know, it was a wreck in the early 80s and considered a throwaway example at the time.
See any gauges you need? That’s about the only item I see of value here, aside from perhaps the weathered horn pad on the steering wheel. The U.S. model is instantly recognizable owing to the gigantic “safety” bumpers which jut out distractingly far compared to the svelte assembles fount on European market examples. That’s one of the few clues left as to what this car was; it appears in this picture that the floors are completely missing. I can’t tell if it’s riding on a buck of some kind or just has a bunch of lumber thrown inside what was once the cabin.
The removed 3.0L V6 engine is one of the few bright spots, as it appears to be in decent condition and thankfully hasn’t been cracked open at some point, leaving the internals exposed to the elements. The seller also lists the Campagnolo wheels as another salvageable spare this hulk has to offer; beyond that, I suspect it’s just useful for its VIN tag to transfer to another car that hasn’t broken apart like the Titanic.
I’d bet the engine wasn’t sealed. The water fitting is wide open, something a solid aluminum engine won’t tolerate very long. Intake and exhaust ports left open for as long as it appears this car has been out out action probably pretty much killed this engine.
I’ve seen this before, Barn finds perhaps? I know that it was an ebay auction. But where else….?
Jack i was just about to say the same thing, or look for my comment from last time this was posted.
Yep, Adam featured this one here on BF way back on Jan. 27th.
https://barnfinds.com/beyond-help-1979-maserati-merak-ss/
Here comes all of the same comments again.
Last January: https://barnfinds.com/beyond-help-1979-maserati-merak-ss/
Jim, can you also tell those drunk jerks at golf tournaments to stop yelling “Get in the hole!”?
Correct me if I am being delusional but isn’t this wreck getting almost as much sympathy as the last time it appeared on BF?
rotflmao
I agree, The ‘buff out’ joke is about thirty years old and not funny anymore. Neither is ‘drop in a big block’. Give it a break.
How about ‘I’ve seen worse’?
seems the going trend now is ls swap or coyote swap everything… and maybe a occasional hemi…
Looks like hard times fell on it, now that’s funny I don’t care who you are.
Maybe Peter Mullin needs a bookend for the Bugatti?
Author states it’s “literally broken in half in multiple locations.” It can only be broken in half once. Literally.
No, in theory the pieces can be broken in half multiple times, can’t they?
Ok, I’m thinking that it could be an art project. Create a framework to mount all the parts to and bring it to all the car shows. Everybody will want to get a look at this train wreck, fascinated by the total decomposition of this exotic. I’m looking at these pictures a lot longer than I would of pics of a restored one.
That may be the best idea that I’ve heard yet. Along the lines of James Deen’s Porsche.
Gross.
I’d still give the Buffer a try despite it being broken in half in multiple locations. I’m an eternal optimist and you won’t know until you try.
That’s so funny…not.
Set it on fire. Then it would be a flaming POS.
I’d be fascinated of someone skilled enough could say : “Anything can be rebuilt”, then take this rusting mound and 3D print, form, weld, cast, and machine a brand new car out of it. I mean hey, there’s one good window, what more do you need?
I think welding rod would cost more than the car.
Ya, ya know that old really really rusty Charger now does look better.
Plus, the scrap price is less than box it up and ship several boxes price.
I’m too old to put a big puzzle together anymore.
At least the “engine out belt service” can be performed a tad easier with this top performer.
Looks more like something fell across the car rather then the car falling on hard times.
Merak. Thats Polish for wreck.
Which Ocean did they drag that out of?
If the person who has this gives me $15K, I’ll drop it off at the nearest junkyard…. the nerve some people have trying to sell junk like this.
Not worth the ink used to type up this report about a piece of scrap for which they are asking 15,000 Euro’s. That’s $16,356 or £13,200 (GBP). 150 Euro’s maybe, 15,000, never.
How ( or why) did something so bad get shipped to Poland in the first place? It’s not something that you undertake for fun…..
Just ‘perspective’…. Remember the Ferrari that was busted up in a crash on Pacific Coast Highway? Looked much like this one. And, I have read that the factory took it on and ‘restored’ it. Just sayin….
I’m sure this car has a hell of a story attached to it.
Well, that’s about ALL it has attached to it.
This car was submerged, for a long time. There is nothing salvageable in this car, except maybe, the VIN. The car was probably stolen, and then shipped to Poland. Yes, I know the seller says they have the proper import documents, but, I wouldn’t rely on them.
I think they found this by the NordStream pipeline that still works. It was too disintegrated to work properly.
Ugh. Why would anyone want any of this?
For nostalgia purposes of what was and will never be again.
Needs work. (does this comment meet Tom Ps approval?)
sad, just sad ……
I wouldn’t hesitate to buy it but for the fact I’d first have to buy a front-end loader to scoop it up.
It´s a new poliish joke.
$15,000 Euros ???? This wreck is not worth $50 Euros. If the seller really wants to get rid of this one, they had better plan on paying someone to remove it!!!!!!!!!!
My thoughts exactly. A wreck of a POS.
Ya never know who would pay for a pile of junk. I would hope the price is negotiable but the bounds of this hobby are limitless. Anything can be fixed over time. I remember wen a used 60 Lincoln was $200 because nobody wanted a gas hog lead sled.Now they cost 5k for a junker and up to maybe 100k for a really nice convertible. Who knew?