De Rosa Merak Evolution Athena: First Ride review

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Whether or not Maserati’s same-named, Citroën-owned sports car of the Seventies was the inspiration for De Rosa’s marketing department when it came to conceiving of and creating the Merak is questionable, though there are certain parallels that could be drawn between the two — Latin style and a taste of the exotic at a relatively affordable price being perhaps the most obvious

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Both boldly hint at sporty performance. Both are more than a little quirky. Both are great to look at from every angle. Both were hand-built in Italy. Happily, though, the similarities end there and, after in excess of 700 testing miles, I am pleased to report that, unlike the ill-fated motor, the more recently named Merak has been utterly reliable, needing nothing more than air in the tyres and lube on the chain to keep it feeling the way De Rosa intended — totally Italian.

De Rosa Merak Evolution Athena

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