Minneapolis Street Sightings: Maserati Merak

Now this is an awesome sighting! I mean, how often does one see classic exotics much less classics Maseratis. This Merak was a clean example of a prestigious marque. From far away, ie across the street it looked GREAT; the paint seemed fresh, the wheels were shiny and the tires appeared new, even. Up close, wear and tear was visible, especially in the weatherstripping and panel fit. The interior had missing odds and ends, including the steering wheel cap you see here. The great thing about this particular Merak was that the trim was intact. The owner informed me that it was indeed undergoing restoration, which is not a cheap process for any car, so restoring a Maserati requires time and money; lots of both, in fact. He's spent the past 10 years buying the trim pieces and weatherstripping and hopes to have the car finished for WOI 2009. I can't wait to see it done, and you can bet the owner can't either! Exotics are meant to be driven, and drive it he does.