In the early 1970s, Maserati believes it should produce a more affordable model under the Bora. The Bora, with V8, is pricey and the brand with the trident as its logo is afraid of losing market share to other brands. Since the Citroën-owned Maserati had access to the engines it also supplied for the Citroën SM, the choice in terms of engine selection was quickly made. The design of the Merak is strongly reminiscent of that of the Bora and that is not entirely coincidental: the base of the car is partly the same and even sheet metal in a number of cases is copied from the more expensive brother.And so the Merak sees the light of day in 1972, equipped with a 2.9 liter that comes from the 2.7 liter SM engine. Several variants appear and when the tax rules are changed in Italy in the late 1970s,a lighter version of the Merak with 2.0 liter V6, called 2000 GT, also appears. This version can be recognized by the black stripes on the flanks and the matte black bumpers. The grille between the folding headlights comes from the Merak SS. This version should go for higher sales numbers but only partially succeeds. When production of the 2000 GT ceased in 1983, only 200 units were produced, making it the rarest version of the Merak. In total only 1,830 Meraks were delivered.And such a rare 2000 GT is now in Brummen, still including the black stripes on the sides. These were often skillfully rëlimed to cover up the fact that it was a 2-liter but the owner of this example thankfully left them on. The 2000 GT was specially developed for the Italian market so in the Netherlands this version was hardly available. This golden Merak, together with blue metallic by the way the only available colors on the 2000 GT, was driven out of the factory in 1981 and came to the Netherlands in 1986. In 1995, the Merak went to its next Dutch owner, from whom the most recent owner took it over in 2021. So a crisp past, with the car itself also clearly showing what kind of condition it is in.We'll start with the interior for a change, because it is so bursting with character. The gorgeous cloth upholstery with checkered pattern adds a huge dose of atmosphere to the interior. The upholstery is original and in unprecedented condition, considering that it is over forty years old. The oval gauges show well the collaboration between Citroën and Maserati: the Merak drew on the underpinnings of the SM. The entire dashboard is covered with brown leather and that too looks particularly good and original.If we get out of the car after a while anyway, we see that the exterior is also extremely original. The paint, as we can judge still the original, is in fine condition, with some patina present here and there. However, the shine is entirely appropriate for a car that has driven only 14,922 kilometers, where we consider it plausible that this state is the original. Here and there a minimal crack in the paint can be observed, although you must have good eyes and the time to look for them.The technology is also original and completely correct. With this mileage and the fact that the car has been used as little, it is not surprising that we advise you to treat the Merak to major maintenance first and have it completely looked over. Not because the engine does not run nicely, on the contrary, but before we would really start putting on miles that is our advice with cars like this. We looked at the car on the bridge and can't help but conclude that brakes, suspension, bottom and other technical parts all look very healthy.The car comes with the necessary documentation, in which especially the thick stack of the Maserati Club Quarterly Magazine from the 70s and 80s stands out and further desirable items such as an original leaflet and the book "Maserati GT, Car of the connoisseur" from 1977.This Maserati Merak 2000 GT is probably ééone of the last completely original copies and then also with very low mileage. A unique opportunity to buy an Italian mid-engine sports car of which only 200 were built.