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If you thought bankruptcy would keep the industrious folks at Psystar from making any more Mac clones, you were sorely mistaken. Like a zombie rising from the dead with an insatiable thirst for lawsuits, the little clone-maker that couldn’t is advertising a brand new model of its “Open” line of computers on its web site today.

Not only that, but it’s also claiming that its bankruptcy filing was an unfortunate, but necessary, step toward ensuring its continued viability as a company. Maybe so, but how many of you out there are eager to order a new computer of questionable build quality from a bankrupt company engaged in an ongoing legal battle with Apple, especially with notebook price drops in place, and similar desktop discounts rumored to be on the horizon?

If you’re willing to look past these minor superficial details, you can now order an Open(7) starting at $1,499. For as much as you’d spend on a real iMac, you’ll get a tower desktop PC with a 2.66GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon Nehalem processor, 6GB of DDR3 RAM, a 1TB 7,200RPM SATA2 HDD, and an NVIDIA 9500GT graphics card with 512MB of onboard memory. As is standard on Psystar computers, niceties like wireless Internet and Bluetooth will cost you extra. And they’re apparently in stock right now, if you’re feeling brave.

The company’s re-emergence comes hot on the heels of news that Apple has been given the “OK” to proceed with its legal action against Psystar, which was granted last week by a Florida bankruptcy court judge. In the interim, Psystar’s Chapter 11 filing means that it has probably been able to temporarily escape its previous debts and acquired new ones through a different funding source, whose identity remains a mystery. Many hardware manufacturers would obviously benefit were OS X to be made available for any platform, so there’s probably no shortage of people interested in having a stake in Psystar’s legal case, though none would likely be very comfortable with that position being made public.

News of the new Open(7) came via Pystar’s online mailing list, in a PDF newsletter (check it out at SlashGear) sent out to subscribers detailing it, its new DUBL (Darwin Universal Boot Loader), and, in a bright red box at the bottom of the document, a rather flippant take on its recent financial and legal turmoil. Also according to the newsletter, for a limited time only, you can get free shipping on the Open(7) within the continental U.S. using a special coupon code to “Celebrate Independence.” Cheeky, Psystar. Very cheeky.

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Psystar, the company that drew attention to itself first by offering Apple clones for sale with OS X pre-installed, and then by facing off against the Cupertino, Calif.-based computer maker in court, is officially filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, according to The Mac Observer. For those keen on the subtle distinctions of having no money, Chapter 11 is the one where you still have to pay off some of your debt, whereas Chapter 13 is the really, really bankrupt, clean slate kind of broke.

The clone maker claims that its financial troubles aren’t due to the Apple legal battle, which is still unresolved, but instead the weak economy and supplier prices. Even if that’s true, it doesn’t really paint the Mac cloning game as a very appealing one for others watching the space. Some think the bankruptcy is related to financial backers finally pulling their support out from under the beleaguered company, which doesn’t look to be in a position to become profitable anytime in the near future, even if demand was higher for its products.

Others, however, are claiming that the move by Psystar is actually a calculated legal maneuver designed to buy time for the company, since all legal actions it is involved in are automatically put on hold as a result of the bankruptcy filing. Still, it doesn’t put the company in a strong position once proceedings are resumed, which is likely to occur in a couple of months when the judge in the case ends the temporary stay.

Maybe the most interesting thing to come out of this declaration of bankruptcy will be the revelation of Psystar’s creditors. Deep pockets have been funding its ongoing court and legal costs, and so far, the identities of those involved have remained a mystery. Who knows — maybe we’ll see a certain Mr. Ballmer or Mr. Gates listed among those who’ve helped out the clone maker. Kidding.

If you’re interested in the juicy (read: dry) details contained in legal documents pertaining to the bankruptcy declaration, ZDNet.com has a veritable banquet at which you may feast.