Equipment
Triple Webers, Euro exhaust manifolds, Campagnolo wheels, Continental tires, power windows, Veglia dash clock, Blaupunkt cassette stereo, leather-wrapped steering wheel.
Condition
#3 Good
Runs and drives well. Flaws not noticeable to passersby. Most common condition.
The finish on the original paint is shiny but there is light crazing all over the front of the car and big cracks and lots of touch ups on the right front. Small chips at the back of the driver door. Dull bumper plastic. Lightly worn but presentable original upholstery. Faded, discolored dash top. Recent service on the valves and carbs as well as new fuel and oil cooler hoses. A rare Merak SS with 14,170 miles, but at any closer than 15 feet it's not easy on the eyes and it's reasonable to expect that issues pop up with regularity on this car.
Market commentary
Gooding sold another mediocre Merak SS the day before for $60,500. It had a single repaint, but a more extensive service history and was the better car. It was also a more appropriate result. Why this one brought so much more can only be explained by the fact that this is an auction, and at least two people in the room really wanted it.