The Maserati Merak was introduced at the 1972 Paris motor show, a year and a half after the Bora was unveiled. It shared the Bora’s mid-engine layout and some of its styling cues, but the big difference was under the rear hood: the Merak was powered by a 3 liter V6 which could trace its roots back to the Citroën SM-Maserati project. Maserati’s excellent reputation as a manufacturer had excited interest from Citroën, which had commissioned the design of the type C.114 2.7 liter V6 back in 1967 and the following year it took control of the company.

The engine was remarkable for its compactness, allowing a five-speed gearbox to be mounted ahead of it in the front-engined SM. It lent itself perfectly to being mounted amidships in the Merak, providing a more accessible alternative to the Bora. With cylinders bored out to 91.6 mm, the total displacement was 2,965 cc for this model and the output reached a more than respectable 190 hp at 6,000 rpm. Being 250 Kg lighter than the Bora, the Merak could achieve a top speed of 240 kph and handled superbly. Hydraulic brakes provided prodigious stopping power and were praised for their progressive response.

The name Merak did not refer to a wind, as was customary in this period, but rather to a star from the Great Bear constellation. The styling was derived from the general shape and proportions of the Bora, but the fastback shape was cut vertically right behind the seats and only 'flying buttresses' above the rear trunklid maintained a continuous silhouette. This innovative visual trick was once again the work of Giorgetto Giugiaro.