Yep,true to form Ford" watered it down " from the Cosworth Sierra and did stupid things like run the Air Conditioner compressor off the WATER PUMP pulley, yet you could get a three slotted crank pulley from a junkyard Mustang to make it all better and it ligned up PERFECTLY with the Air Conditioner compressor. WHY couldn't Ford do that ?
I worked through university as an accounting clerk at a Mercury dealer. Great training as I was studying accounting. So when I had enough money saved up I bought an end of year 1986 XR4ti - it was fun, but I wished that it had rear discs and ABS (flat spotted my Pirellis one day) and I will never forgive Jackie Stewart for telling Ford that Americans could not handle the car so they put a suspension in that started soft and then stiffened up. The result was massive body roll. The only positive was that I learned to heel and toe to compensate. When I sold it in 1991 I bought a BMW E30 318i. Every car since has had the roundel.
I could have bought one for $500 that was in excellent condition and a stick shift. Just like when I see a 68 Camaro which I could have got for $1500, I kick myself in the ass for not buying them.
I had one of these I bought it new in 1987. I LOVED the car. I wish I had kept it, but I needed an SUV, and traded it in. I had it modified with an intercooler turbo, and it was probably the car that was the most fun to drive out of all the cars I owned.
South Africa had a unique, specail version called the Sierra XR8, in the good old days of South Africa still being a prosperous country. It was fitted with a Mustang Windsor 302 (5L) V8, with a T5 gearbox and Granada rear axle. (SA's petrol didn't have a high enough octane rating at the time, so the Cosworth 2.0L turbo wouln'd work, so another plan had to be made - hence the V8 idea was born) It was one of the fastest cars in 1985 in SA! Only 250 units were made, and all in white. They were homologation specials that had to be sold to the SA public, in order to compete in the Groun N racing series. Sierra XR8's are worth crazy money now!
I lusted after this car as a teenager. I feel it was way ahead of its time though. If they'd only changed it name to FORD instead of MERKUR I think it would have sold better. NOBODY I talked to knew wth kind of car it was...
+Patrick Simmons You and I had the same experience. When i was a teenager I was fascinated with this car. I also thought it was ahead of its time. I wished I was old enough to buy one, and no one I talked to had even heard of Merkur
Marchant2 You had to get one through the Mercury dealers. The only people back then that even walked onto a Mercury lot were retirees lol. Poor marketing killed this car. This car was critical in the still new aero styling along with the 1st gen Taurus. Sadly unappreciated...
Bought one at auction for 100 bucks. Sold it for 700. Perfect car nobody was interested in at auction. My buyer loved it and said it had a new motor. This was around 2001 and the car was maybe an 1989.
I always liked these. Took in an old one on trade at a dealership I worked for in the 90s. While driving it to the back (junk) lot to await going to auction, I did an absolutely perfect double doughnut in the dirt! A perfect circle! I was so proud.
Not bad. That's seriously like 300 in today's terms. I mean 170 hp is still 170 hp, but back then very few cars had that much power outside of exotics. I remember the first car I drove on a regular basis was my dad's '89 Taurus, which had 130 hp, which was actually descent for the day. Most run of the mill cars had about 120 in those days. Even "sporty" models were 140-150 tops.
Mine was an 89, all black with matching lower black plastic, and single rear spoiler. Great chassis, fantastic interior, coarse cob of an engine although it made fine power. Also being German it fit really large people quite well. ...and then my wife decided it was hers. So I bought an Alfa Romeo GTV6. Kept the XR4ti for 12 years but then bought a Audi A6 due to having a kid. Still have the GTV6. It's rare anymore to see a Merkur XR4Ti on the street these days but when I do I have to be careful on the double-take sighting not to snap my neck too hard with the shock of seeing one ;-)
+Snarge22 I like your car selections- I still have my Alfa GTV-6 as well, had to part with my wife's Audi Cabriolet (replaced by a Saab) but still want another Audi. Have wanted a Merkur since the first time I saw one at a Shopping Mall right after it first came to the States. I know good ones are now hard to find but I still may make the plunge one day for a Merkur. I already mentioned in another post how I like the biplane spoiler which along with engine, is just like my '84 SVO Mustang.
Carlito1988 Yeah Carlito1988, you have a fine eclectic taste in cars, and all fun ones (leave the minivans and compact SUV's to the mommyshopers) ;-) Best of luck in finding a fine XR4!
And Motoreeek did normal acceleration tests while the magazines typically destroyed cars trying to get the best numbers (because it might get used in ads).
@@BReal-10EC nowadays the only magazine i flip through is hagerty. i pretty much read all my automotive articles online these days. MotorWeek was TV magazine before MotorTrend entered cable.
It's a notchback, and while Saabs, Merkurs, and fox body Mustangs all had that bodystyle, the 900 *was* Saab at the time and by far the most iconic notchback. So it's easy to see how someone who knows very little about cars would think every 80s coupe with an aerodynamic front end and a short decklid is a Saab. is a Saab. Saab also regularly did wild factory bodykits for special editions they only made 100-500 each of back when they were still under the wing of Saab AB, which was concerned with increasing publicity for their aircraft and truck businesses rather than actually making money on the cars, and I wouldn't be surprised if there's one somewhere that resembles the Merkur.
I mean, I can see a vague resemblance, especially in silhouette. It's like how some people will mistake a 90s Mitsubishi Galant for a BMW from a distance.
I had a neighbor who bought one of these things used in 1993. I believe it was a 1986 model. I went back recently to visit some friends that still live in that neighborhood. He still has it. He also told me it still runs just like it always has. It has nearly 300,000 miles on it, and other than the obvious minor cosmetic wear that a car that old will get, no matter how well you take care of it, it still runs great. He also told me that he had to "semi-retire" it, as in he'll only drive it every now and again, only because his wife forced him to buy a new-ish car a few years back. That Merkur XR4Ti really is something else!
I owned one of these cars. No one knew how to pronounce the name and rarely knew what it was. So I would say it’s an XR4ti and then the confusion only continued. Fun car to own and drive.
Rented an '85 XR4Ti in South Beach. That car rocked! Great highway cruising, excellent handling and good acceleration. In fact, if you just stayed in the car, you would'nt mind its weird exterior.
I remember in high school my dad had the same exact car. Same color and style with turbo. Automatic. I loved driving that car. Had overheating issues though. Looking back I wish my dad had kept it. I would have swapped out the motor. I miss that car
I bought one of these new in 85 right out of college. God, did I love that car!!!! I was obsessed. But, God, was it unreliable!!!!! I know I drove it hard but it was in the shop literally once a month. It was putting me in the poor house. I don't think I got 60k miles out of it. I don't know how ANY of these are still running. Ultimately, it developed an engine problem no mechanic knew how to fix. I sold it broken for $300. I still miss it.
Yours is a story many have replicated. You used to not be able to give them away, now they've made a comeback and your $300 car would have sold for over $5000 easily today. I had an '86 that I sold for around the same price, and I kick myself hard every day for doing that. That was WAY back in the day when nobody really knew anything about them and didn't know you could swap in a Mustang T5 to do away with that horribly weak T9 they came with. Mine had a bad transmission and I couldn't find a new one to save my life, so I had to get rid of it. That car was flawless otherwise. Blue with grey cladding. I still cry into my pillow as it's the one that got away.
I had an all black '86. I loved it, but like Jim Rome said, I was under the hood EVERY weekend fixing something. When I'd go to get parts I'd ask for the part for an 86 Merkur XR4Ti. They never had it. Then I'd ask for the same part for an 85 Mustang SVO. They had it stock almost every time.
@Charlie Hein I owned a '73 Capri V6 and also had a lot of problems. I figured this car would be RELIABLE because it was German built. But, I think the "problem" with the Capri was that it was BORN in England, but was built in Germany, something got lost in the translation (lol). Also, the Lincoln-Mercury dealers treated the cars like a side product. Parts were hard to get, therefore expensive! They were fun to drive and MUCH quicker than the competing Opel Manta, the Opel being more reliable.
These were great driving cars, but they were known for electrical issues. This Merkur drove better than the Mustang, and it looked better, too. I drove one (it had a manual transmission) that looked like the blue car in this video, and it was a great road car to drive; I didn’t realize I was going 70 MPH in a 55 zone! If I were to own one, an automatic transmission is required. Short lived car, but what a fun car to drive!
My brother had this car, really enjoyed it when you felt the turbo "kick in".... unfortunately his was a money pit. I am glad to see other people on here had better reliability with theirs.
Will never forget my big brother picking me up in a blue'funny looking' escort from high school. Everybody laughed... until he hit the gas. Damn that car was fun. I took it for a run myself when he went to prison. Just knew I was going to inherit it. Instead I get a Sterling and he sells the merkur for appeal money.
this was one of my dream cars back in the day! I would have updated to the body-colored cladding on the later models but kept the bi-plane rear wing. Anyway, since Merkur didn't happen overnight, and I'm sure it was no big secret what Ford was doing, I wonder if this didn't serve as some of the inspiration for Acura, Lexus, and Infiniti? Again, thanks for uploading these =)
In Australia we raced these at Bathurst. They were the sierra cosworth turbos. With the turbo disconnected on a dyno they put out 80-90 hp. With the turbo connected they had 600+hp.
I had an '86. 3sp. Electric blue. Loved that car. Great handling great in the snow too. Had an '85 Mustang GT prior and the Merkur was a different and better. Should have never sold it, but I was young and curious. Bought a '62 T-Bird.
I had one of these, and it was a blast to drive. When going to a salvage yard to pick up parts for a project I was working on, I noticed a tow truck bring in an '86 Ford SVO Mustang. I managed to get the MAF unit and computer, and swapped it into my Merkur. The difference in power was amazing, I had no trouble playing with the 5.0 Mustang guys in our car club. The only odd thing about the Merkur was that it smelled like an old VW Beetle.
We had a Capri in that same color. It could have been a nice car but dad bought it with a 4 banger and an automatic transmission. My brother said a cement truck beat him from a light when he had the pedal to the floor. It did 0-60 in the 18-19 second range.
I had a 1986 5 speed as my company car. Superb vehicle. Rock solid at triple digit speeds, excellent handling and ride comfort and very quick. Had a top speed of 137 mph (which I saw many times) and still got over 30 mpg on the highway (when driven at more sane speeds).
Those alloy wheels look so cool! Used to have similar style wheels in my '89 Ford Fiesta. 80's Fords were great! Nice blue interior on this one. If only they used better rust proofing in the 80's.
This brings back memories. I had a ’85 metallic Silver one with leather interior. I only kept it for about a little over a year. I remember that it is quite roomy compared to the Alfa Romeo Alfetta GT that it replaced. The engine while is quite strong but it had some turbo lag. The ride is quite good, the damping is much better than the BMW in the same era. I was never too comfortable in pushing it hard on corners as it leaned a lot. This is the only car that I kept for so short a time. I thought I was getting an American version of a Ford Cosworth Rally car but it was more of a family sedan. I replaced the Merkur with a ’87 MBZ 190 2.3-16 which was head and shoulders better than the Merkur.
I had '86 xr4ti blue/gray leather. liked the futuristic style but reliability was shit. crapped out at 90k w/ blown turbo wastegate. ps, I used the wings as a food tray.
Just cant get a cooky, cool, odd, fun looking car like that today. That 'bi plane wing', and the pop out side windows are SO 1980's! But a 'pinto engine' with a turbo? Bummer. Might have been fun to own.
The Ford Sierra is in my view the most beautiful design ever inside and out. Unfortunately they seem to have vanished from the roads pretty quickly in spite of the fact that it was a best seller in Europe. Apparently they were not very durable.
No they were not and had rust issues too but a lot of the higher end ones were crashed a friend of mine had a 93 4×4 saloon cosworth it was gorgeous he sold it cheap at the time and now good ones are crazy money a a lot of them were modified also and tracked and abused by younger drivers Ireland was full of them at one point but I've not seen a good one in years
I've actually got one of these currently. It's in a sad state, largely due to neglect from the previous owner, but it is driveable. I can see why they complain about the body roll. Make a sudden move left or right and you get good feedback through the wheel, but it takes about half a second for the body to catch up. It's very unnerving. That said, its still the coolest car I've ever owned. I love taking it places and seeing peoples reaction to it. Oh, and blasting Motley Crue out of the rattly dash on my way to work just feels so right in this thing.
Only cost $50 to cure that back 25 yrs ago. Biggest handling problems was people put shit cheap tires on them. Perelli P600s were THE BEST. Tires make a massive difference in handling.
I was in middle school when this car came to the states. I still remember the day when we first seen one in person. ....a friend of mine said "Hey look, there is one of those *Zerratis'* "
I loved this car when I was a kid. Loved the alphanumeric name (sounded high tech and futuristic back then) but disliked the Merkur marque. They should've called it Mercury or Ford.
One of my favorite cars of the 80’s! The XR4ti and the Scorpio seemed SO exotic back in the day. The gorgeous Scorpio still looks fresh and contemporary even in 2023!
These were a real oddity here in the states. In the 90s when I worked for GoodYear, we had trouble getting parts for the few that trickled into our shop. We even had trouble mounting tires on it, as the cars we saw had the Euro spec tire #s on it, and we had the P metric spec #s. 1 of our customers was from England and imported the car here. We had a devil of a time getting parts for it, and it seemed to break down once a month.That 1 had the V6. Believe it or not, she traded it in on a new Cavalier coupe. ( a 92)
In Argentina this car was named Sierra and the XR4 was equipped to 2.3 litres engine of the argentinian Ford Taunus (with some modifications). The Sierra was the competitor of the Renault Fuego (GTX and GTA) in the argentinian market and TC2000 category racing.
They are rippers. Put a DOHC Volvo head on it, bigger turbo and get an intercooler and they make some good power. Parts are more scarce but can be found. BAT (British American Transfer) can get alot of stuff if they still around and there's a few other places that specialize in Fords. Problem is finding a decent example of an XR4Ti to start with. In Ontario Canada where I live, rust due to the winter salt they use on the roads has all but made finding a clean one impossible.
Owned one of these. Bought it from a guy who collected them and convinced him to part with it. Long story short, if I could ever find a 1985 in good condition I would buy it. Loved that car
I once asked a mechanic i went to exclusively at the time what the most troublesome or annoying cars he ever had to work on were. He said the Ford Contour/Mercury Mystique was pretty spectacularly bad but that the Merkurs took the cake... He said they would often be stuck with the cars
MRT did you actually own one of these? Surprises me because I owned a Sierra Cosworth and no expense was spared on those. I'd be surprised if they were cheaply made.
Geez mine was great!! I cant think of one problem I ever had. Except I wanted 250 hp. Looking for one now Feb 2019 to put a '90 pushrod 5.0 fuelie into it.
I had a Contour with the V6 5sp combo and it was absolutely a fantastic car. Put 186k on the car with the only problem being a cracked alternator which the dealer said was probably a casting defect. Sat on the dealers lot because they said it was equipped with a manual and nobody wanted a new car with a stick! Still don't get that??
These Ford sierras were literally street furniture in England. They were everywhere. Shame you didn’t ever get the Ford Sierra cosworth or Lotus Carlton.
Who didn't love the commercials for this car back then.... MERKUR.....XR ....4 TI. Thank you MotorWeek for putting out all these Retro Reviews! Any Chance of 80's Dodge Daytona, Toyota MR2, Pontiac Fiero???
I had an '86, biggest mistake I ever made getting rid of it, however, now I'm in in a position to buy a Sierra Cosworth, and I will be adding it to my collection of european Fords.
I owned both the XR4Ti manual with 175 HP turbo and the Scorpio with a V6. I got rid of the XR4tI because around 30K miles the A/C was having many issues and often the car would just not want to run. You would be going down the interstate at 70 or 80 than the car would just pull down and all you could do was 45-50, after 15 to 20 miles it would start to run again. It never stranded me but got rid of it. So traded for the Scorpio which was a much better car, had it for about 120K miles, never any problems and comfy comfy comfy, even the rear reclining back seats.
Hard to believe this was 35 years ago. Watching these retro videos, I feel Mfrs put a lot more into their cars back then. Cars are so mundane now everyone wants a screen and nav system versus performa performance at a good price and electrics are going to be the norm. I buy used cars though and wonder, how that’s going to work out with degraded charge capability for used electric cars?
If I remember right, Ford didn't call it a Ford cause they were afraid it would outsell the Mustang. My first car was a basic Sierra, but my god it was such a nice car. Very modern looking for a 90.
I had an 89. My Mom got it for me after someone hit my 93 Celica gt in front of my house and drive off. I loved this car. It was red, with grey leather. Power everything and I loved the fun sound of that turbo when I was accelerating. I had a lot of fun with that car my
They had huge plans for the Merkur division and it’s ashamed they didn’t give it more time to do things. Their next vehicle was to be the Sierra Sapphire abs then the Scorpio with the trunk instead of the hatchback but alas…it never happened. Many times I’ve wished I lived in Europe so I could enjoy these forbidden fruits. I owned 2 Scorpios abs still reminisce about driving that car every DAY!
Had a white one in ‘85. Fun car, decent performance, weird (to me then) whooshing/moaning noises from the turbo, and, yes, easily provoked oversteer from the rear semi-trailing arm suspension. Dealer (in Cali) didn’t really know how to work on it. Karmann build quality was so so. Driver’s door moved in its cavity and also created a wind whistle. Dealer mechanic put his knee to the door panel, grabbed the window frame and gave it a big tug afterwards declaring the problem fixed. I gasped and no the door problem didn’t go away. 😆
@@rxtuninginc8444Interesting. Where are you from? Must be regional port of entry related? I had an 86' used, and an 87' brand new while living in the South East. No heated seats. BTW, Only local delivery colors I remember were black, white, silver and Red. When ever I would spot the other colors, browns and blues, they had North East state license plates. Looked at a number of other local XR4s and no heated seats. I do remember looking at an 89' that had cruise control option. I really liked my Merkurs.
@@draftwood I live in the Northeast. Toronto, Ontario Canada to be exact. Maybe because of the winter weather we get they all came with heated seats. Just like some cars sold in the south don't have rear window defrosters. My brother bought a foxbody mustang a few years ago and the seller said that it was a southern car it's whole life since bought new and it didn't have a rear window defroster in it.
Azduffman, insurance companies required a maximum speedo reading of 85. This is also why most cars have speed limiters around 112mph in the united states.
It's a damn shame these never got the Cosworth treatment like the European models.
Yep,true to form Ford" watered it down " from the Cosworth Sierra and did stupid things like run the Air Conditioner compressor off the WATER PUMP pulley, yet you could get a three slotted crank pulley from a junkyard Mustang to make it all better and it ligned up PERFECTLY with the Air Conditioner compressor. WHY couldn't Ford do that ?
Even without the Cosworth package, it was light years better than anything at the time. The only issue is that it was pretty unreliable.
For the 80s i'll rather go for this than the mustang or t bird....or go for the sierra xr4i v6 or the cosworth now being 25+ yrs....
I worked through university as an accounting clerk at a Mercury dealer. Great training as I was studying accounting. So when I had enough money saved up I bought an end of year 1986 XR4ti - it was fun, but I wished that it had rear discs and ABS (flat spotted my Pirellis one day) and I will never forgive Jackie Stewart for telling Ford that Americans could not handle the car so they put a suspension in that started soft and then stiffened up. The result was massive body roll. The only positive was that I learned to heel and toe to compensate.
When I sold it in 1991 I bought a BMW E30 318i. Every car since has had the roundel.
We got the cosworth here and the rs500 but they go for big money now
This was my first car back in the 90's (very used) and it was great for a couple years before it flat out died. RIP you weird little car.
😂👍
I could have bought one for $500 that was in excellent condition and a stick shift. Just like when I see a 68 Camaro which I could have got for $1500, I kick myself in the ass for not buying them.
I had one of these I bought it new in 1987. I LOVED the car. I wish I had kept it, but I needed an SUV, and traded it in. I had it modified with an intercooler turbo, and it was probably the car that was the most fun to drive out of all the cars I owned.
I always thought the car was very cool and almost bought one.
Very nice and beautifull this Mercur XR4
@@tomhertz1614 vice beautifull this car
South Africa had a unique, specail version called the Sierra XR8, in the good old days of South Africa still being a prosperous country. It was fitted with a Mustang Windsor 302 (5L) V8, with a T5 gearbox and Granada rear axle. (SA's petrol didn't have a high enough octane rating at the time, so the Cosworth 2.0L turbo wouln'd work, so another plan had to be made - hence the V8 idea was born) It was one of the fastest cars in 1985 in SA!
Only 250 units were made, and all in white. They were homologation specials that had to be sold to the SA public, in order to compete in the Groun N racing series. Sierra XR8's are worth crazy money now!
I lusted after this car as a teenager. I feel it was way ahead of its time though. If they'd only changed it name to FORD instead of MERKUR I think it would have sold better. NOBODY I talked to knew wth kind of car it was...
+Patrick Simmons You and I had the same experience. When i was a teenager I was fascinated with this car. I also thought it was ahead of its time. I wished I was old enough to buy one, and no one I talked to had even heard of Merkur
Marchant2 You had to get one through the Mercury dealers. The only people back then that even walked onto a Mercury lot were retirees lol. Poor marketing killed this car. This car was critical in the still new aero styling along with the 1st gen Taurus. Sadly unappreciated...
Patrick Simmons. Ford should build a car styled like the mini cooper
Looks like a budget Foxbody mustang to me. Idk
Titled as Ford XR4Ti ....not Mercury.
Bought one at auction for 100 bucks. Sold it for 700. Perfect car nobody was interested in at auction. My buyer loved it and said it had a new motor. This was around 2001 and the car was maybe an 1989.
I always liked these. Took in an old one on trade at a dealership I worked for in the 90s. While driving it to the back (junk) lot to await going to auction, I did an absolutely perfect double doughnut in the dirt! A perfect circle! I was so proud.
170 bhp in the 80s. i loved these. i didnt know they were so powerful
Not bad. That's seriously like 300 in today's terms. I mean 170 hp is still 170 hp, but back then very few cars had that much power outside of exotics. I remember the first car I drove on a regular basis was my dad's '89 Taurus, which had 130 hp, which was actually descent for the day. Most run of the mill cars had about 120 in those days. Even "sporty" models were 140-150 tops.
The later ones had 175
Mine was an 89, all black with matching lower black plastic, and single rear spoiler. Great chassis, fantastic interior, coarse cob of an engine although it made fine power. Also being German it fit really large people quite well. ...and then my wife decided it was hers. So I bought an Alfa Romeo GTV6. Kept the XR4ti for 12 years but then bought a Audi A6 due to having a kid. Still have the GTV6. It's rare anymore to see a Merkur XR4Ti on the street these days but when I do I have to be careful on the double-take sighting not to snap my neck too hard with the shock of seeing one ;-)
+Snarge22 I like your car selections- I still have my Alfa GTV-6 as well, had to part with my wife's Audi Cabriolet (replaced by a Saab) but still want another Audi. Have wanted a Merkur since the first time I saw one at a Shopping Mall right after it first came to the States. I know good ones are now hard to find but I still may make the plunge one day for a Merkur. I already mentioned in another post how I like the biplane spoiler which along with engine, is just like my '84 SVO Mustang.
Carlito1988 Yeah Carlito1988, you have a fine eclectic taste in cars, and all fun ones (leave the minivans and compact SUV's to the mommyshopers) ;-) Best of luck in finding a fine XR4!
+Snarge22 i have this car now for 30 years 310000km no rust and drive it every day bought new in 1986
Snarge22 2.3 liter engine, correct? Same as in svo mustang?
Yeah. I like sierras esp the cosworth....
I love this video. MotorWeek was the go to authority back on those days.
And Motoreeek did normal acceleration tests while the magazines typically destroyed cars trying to get the best numbers (because it might get used in ads).
@@BReal-10EC nowadays the only magazine i flip through is hagerty. i pretty much read all my automotive articles online these days. MotorWeek was TV magazine before MotorTrend entered cable.
Still is my go to authority. They give the goods with no fluff, just solid facts.
@@fredaydaybae8450 no clickbait or false thumbnails, just the goods 👍
Most fun I ever had.
Everyone thought mine was a Saab!! Never could quite get it across that it wasn't!!
How the hell could anyone mistake it for a saab? Looks nothing like it
It's a notchback, and while Saabs, Merkurs, and fox body Mustangs all had that bodystyle, the 900 *was* Saab at the time and by far the most iconic notchback. So it's easy to see how someone who knows very little about cars would think every 80s coupe with an aerodynamic front end and a short decklid is a Saab. is a Saab. Saab also regularly did wild factory bodykits for special editions they only made 100-500 each of back when they were still under the wing of Saab AB, which was concerned with increasing publicity for their aircraft and truck businesses rather than actually making money on the cars, and I wouldn't be surprised if there's one somewhere that resembles the Merkur.
I had 2 of these at different times in the 90s. Everyone thought it was a saab , especially at night. Mostly non car people haha
I just saw one today and thought it was a Saab until I got closer up
I mean, I can see a vague resemblance, especially in silhouette. It's like how some people will mistake a 90s Mitsubishi Galant for a BMW from a distance.
I had a neighbor who bought one of these things used in 1993. I believe it was a 1986 model. I went back recently to visit some friends that still live in that neighborhood.
He still has it.
He also told me it still runs just like it always has. It has nearly 300,000 miles on it, and other than the obvious minor cosmetic wear that a car that old will get, no matter how well you take care of it, it still runs great. He also told me that he had to "semi-retire" it, as in he'll only drive it every now and again, only because his wife forced him to buy a new-ish car a few years back. That Merkur XR4Ti really is something else!
my cousin had a 88 blue gray one! never ran right either lol
Steven Manning those cars were junk
Victoria Louden pure junk. I was a mechanic and refused to work on these cars.
You say they're junk, go look on ebay for a sierra rs500, basically a tuned version of this same car. Good examples going for near 100k...
What an amazing story!
I love Jim Rome’s stories about his
xr4ti crew! lol
I owned one of these cars. No one knew how to pronounce the name and rarely knew what it was. So I would say it’s an XR4ti and then the confusion only continued. Fun car to own and drive.
Rented an '85 XR4Ti in South Beach. That car rocked! Great highway cruising, excellent handling and good acceleration. In fact, if you just stayed in the car, you would'nt mind its weird exterior.
I need this in my life.
I remember in high school my dad had the same exact car. Same color and style with turbo. Automatic. I loved driving that car. Had overheating issues though. Looking back I wish my dad had kept it. I would have swapped out the motor. I miss that car
This was on my Most Wanted List as a young guy!! My parents never bought European and I wanted one bad!!
I drove mine agressively up Pikes Peak's gravel in 95. Love the turbo.
I had an 87 model...FANTASTIC driving machine!
I bought one of these new in 85 right out of college. God, did I love that car!!!! I was obsessed. But, God, was it unreliable!!!!! I know I drove it hard but it was in the shop literally once a month. It was putting me in the poor house. I don't think I got 60k miles out of it. I don't know how ANY of these are still running. Ultimately, it developed an engine problem no mechanic knew how to fix. I sold it broken for $300. I still miss it.
Yours is a story many have replicated. You used to not be able to give them away, now they've made a comeback and your $300 car would have sold for over $5000 easily today. I had an '86 that I sold for around the same price, and I kick myself hard every day for doing that. That was WAY back in the day when nobody really knew anything about them and didn't know you could swap in a Mustang T5 to do away with that horribly weak T9 they came with. Mine had a bad transmission and I couldn't find a new one to save my life, so I had to get rid of it. That car was flawless otherwise. Blue with grey cladding. I still cry into my pillow as it's the one that got away.
I had an all black '86. I loved it, but like Jim Rome said, I was under the hood EVERY weekend fixing something. When I'd go to get parts I'd ask for the part for an 86 Merkur XR4Ti. They never had it. Then I'd ask for the same part for an 85 Mustang SVO. They had it stock almost every time.
@Charlie Hein I owned a '73 Capri V6 and also had a lot of problems. I figured this car would be RELIABLE because it was German built. But, I think the "problem" with the Capri was that it was BORN in England, but was built in Germany, something got lost in the translation (lol). Also, the Lincoln-Mercury dealers treated the cars like a side product. Parts were hard to get, therefore expensive! They were fun to drive and MUCH quicker than the competing Opel Manta, the Opel being more reliable.
These were great driving cars, but they were known for electrical issues. This Merkur drove better than the Mustang, and it looked better, too. I drove one (it had a manual transmission) that looked like the blue car in this video, and it was a great road car to drive; I didn’t realize I was going 70 MPH in a 55 zone! If I were to own one, an automatic transmission is required. Short lived car, but what a fun car to drive!
I thought this car was so cool when I was a kid.
Beautiful original!
My brother had this car, really enjoyed it when you felt the turbo "kick in".... unfortunately his was a money pit. I am glad to see other people on here had better reliability with theirs.
My friend had a Mercury Capri from the mid 70s. It was a really cool looking little car.
The XR4iis hugely collectible now. Great cars on both sides of The Pond 😍👌🏼
Will never forget my big brother picking me up in a blue'funny looking' escort from high school. Everybody laughed... until he hit the gas. Damn that car was fun. I took it for a run myself when he went to prison. Just knew I was going to inherit it. Instead I get a Sterling and he sells the merkur for appeal money.
this was one of my dream cars back in the day! I would have updated to the body-colored cladding on the later models but kept the bi-plane rear wing. Anyway, since Merkur didn't happen overnight, and I'm sure it was no big secret what Ford was doing, I wonder if this didn't serve as some of the inspiration for Acura, Lexus, and Infiniti?
Again, thanks for uploading these =)
Me, too. I always had a soft spot in my heart for this car. Loved the look. Very cool and unique.
Agree. This was the FIRST luxury import ala Acura abs Lexus.
officer, I couldn't have been going faster than 85mph!
In Australia we raced these at Bathurst. They were the sierra cosworth turbos. With the turbo disconnected on a dyno they put out 80-90 hp. With the turbo connected they had 600+hp.
I had an '86. 3sp. Electric blue. Loved that car. Great handling great in the snow too. Had an '85 Mustang GT prior and the Merkur was a different and better.
Should have never sold it, but I was young and curious. Bought a '62 T-Bird.
I'd kill to have another one. I'll take a completely stock 5-speed and re-live some great teenyear drives.
I had one of these, and it was a blast to drive. When going to a salvage yard to pick up parts for a project I was working on, I noticed a tow truck bring in an '86 Ford SVO Mustang. I managed to get the MAF unit and computer, and swapped it into my Merkur. The difference in power was amazing, I had no trouble playing with the 5.0 Mustang guys in our car club. The only odd thing about the Merkur was that it smelled like an old VW Beetle.
We had a Capri in that same color. It could have been a nice car but dad bought it with a 4 banger and an automatic transmission. My brother said a cement truck beat him from a light when he had the pedal to the floor. It did 0-60 in the 18-19 second range.
I love my xr4ti !
I had a 1986 5 speed as my company car. Superb vehicle. Rock solid at triple digit speeds, excellent handling and ride comfort and very quick. Had a top speed of 137 mph (which I saw many times) and still got over 30 mpg on the highway (when driven at more sane speeds).
I love the old capris...
A Capri was shown at the beginning.
I would love to find one of these in mint condition. I would totally drive it. These are so cool.
I almost bought one of these . Loved the name and so different looking
I remember the print ads for this titled "Bavarian scream"
Those alloy wheels look so cool! Used to have similar style wheels in my '89 Ford Fiesta. 80's Fords were great! Nice blue interior on this one. If only they used better rust proofing in the 80's.
This brings back memories. I had a ’85 metallic Silver one with leather interior. I only kept it for about a little over a year. I remember that it is quite roomy compared to the Alfa Romeo Alfetta GT that it replaced. The engine while is quite strong but it had some turbo lag. The ride is quite good, the damping is much better than the BMW in the same era. I was never too comfortable in pushing it hard on corners as it leaned a lot. This is the only car that I kept for so short a time. I thought I was getting an American version of a Ford Cosworth Rally car but it was more of a family sedan. I replaced the Merkur with a ’87 MBZ 190 2.3-16 which was head and shoulders better than the Merkur.
I had '86 xr4ti blue/gray leather. liked the futuristic style but reliability was shit. crapped out at 90k w/ blown turbo wastegate. ps, I used the wings as a food tray.
Drove one and it was fun. Looking for one in Craigslist. another motorweek retro gem!
Just cant get a cooky, cool, odd, fun looking car like that today. That 'bi plane wing', and the pop out side windows are SO 1980's! But a 'pinto engine' with a turbo? Bummer. Might have been fun to own.
The Ford Sierra is in my view the most beautiful design ever inside and out. Unfortunately they seem to have vanished from the roads pretty quickly in spite of the fact that it was a best seller in Europe. Apparently they were not very durable.
it won european championship
No they were not and had rust issues too but a lot of the higher end ones were crashed a friend of mine had a 93 4×4 saloon cosworth it was gorgeous he sold it cheap at the time and now good ones are crazy money a a lot of them were modified also and tracked and abused by younger drivers Ireland was full of them at one point but I've not seen a good one in years
It's a wonderful car. I often drove the european version with the 2.3 diesel engine. I think one of the best cars I ever used.
That Ford V-6 was like a small block V-8 in Europe. They did not have American-style emissions yet! Imagine driving that V-6 in this smooth car.
It must've been something else back in those times to be a part of a time when aero cars started to get introduced.
I've actually got one of these currently. It's in a sad state, largely due to neglect from the previous owner, but it is driveable. I can see why they complain about the body roll. Make a sudden move left or right and you get good feedback through the wheel, but it takes about half a second for the body to catch up. It's very unnerving. That said, its still the coolest car I've ever owned. I love taking it places and seeing peoples reaction to it. Oh, and blasting Motley Crue out of the rattly dash on my way to work just feels so right in this thing.
Only cost $50 to cure that back 25 yrs ago.
Biggest handling problems was people put shit cheap tires on them. Perelli P600s were THE BEST.
Tires make a massive difference in handling.
I always liked the XR4TI. I would've loved to have owned one.
I was in middle school when this car came to the states. I still remember the day when we first seen one in person.
....a friend of mine said "Hey look, there is one of those *Zerratis'* "
Must've been basic English class you weren't paying attention in, since you "seen" the car.
Idiot.
@@gavinvalentino6002 lol roasted.
@@gavinvalentino6002 Somebody’s way too proud of their A in JH English
My dad had a Ford Sierra XR8 during the 90's in South Africa, we didn't get the Cosworth but we dropped a 5.0 V8 in there.
I wish I get a time machine,then I will travel to the 80s
Hell yeah me too I’m down 😎
I loved this car when I was a kid. Loved the alphanumeric name (sounded high tech and futuristic back then) but disliked the Merkur marque. They should've called it Mercury or Ford.
One of my favorite cars of the 80’s! The XR4ti and the Scorpio seemed SO exotic back in the day. The gorgeous Scorpio still looks fresh and contemporary even in 2023!
I hope MW uploads a Retro Review of the Scorpio someday.
My mom had this car when i was a kid and we thought it was the coolest thing ever!! Haha
I loved the body style and of course, has the same biplane spoiler as my SVO Mustang.
I once rode in one of these back in 1987 and it was comfortable in the back.
These were a real oddity here in the states. In the 90s when I worked for GoodYear, we had trouble getting parts for the few that trickled into our shop. We even had trouble mounting tires on it, as the cars we saw had the Euro spec tire #s on it, and we had the P metric spec #s. 1 of our customers was from England and imported the car here. We had a devil of a time getting parts for it, and it seemed to break down once a month.That 1 had the V6. Believe it or not, she traded it in on a new Cavalier coupe. ( a 92)
In Argentina this car was named Sierra and the XR4 was equipped to 2.3 litres engine of the argentinian Ford Taunus (with some modifications). The Sierra was the competitor of the Renault Fuego (GTX and GTA) in the argentinian market and TC2000 category racing.
Looks like a RWD ripper with the right mods.. I'd love to have one
Except for that 2.3 engine, the supply of Merkur-only parts dried up really fast in America.
They are rippers. Put a DOHC Volvo head on it, bigger turbo and get an intercooler and they make some good power. Parts are more scarce but can be found. BAT (British American Transfer) can get alot of stuff if they still around and there's a few other places that specialize in Fords. Problem is finding a decent example of an XR4Ti to start with. In Ontario Canada where I live, rust due to the winter salt they use on the roads has all but made finding a clean one impossible.
I had a1986 XR4TI and loved it. Put 65,000 on mine the first year. No maintenance issues at all.
Owned one of these. Bought it from a guy who collected them and convinced him to part with it. Long story short, if I could ever find a 1985 in good condition I would buy it. Loved that car
I have ALWAYS wanted one of these ..
Drove one and loved it. Great road car with rear drive, and it can get away from you. Shame they had electrical issues, for they were sweet machines.
Brazil had the 2.3 OHC engine, but, without turbo.
Friend of mine in high school had this car, shut off when it got hot. ... Guaranteed to be stranded in this thing.
Vapor lock was very common with carbureted engines back then.
@@TheOzthewizNo card on this one.
The plastic pressurized overflow tank would crack and the would overheat without coolant pressure.
The Leather seats in this car where amazing!
This car is a beauty !
My dad used to point these out and ask if it was "XR4-Tee-Eye" or "XR-forty" then he'd try to race them... Good times, the 80s.
I once asked a mechanic i went to exclusively at the time what the most troublesome or annoying cars he ever had to work on were. He said the Ford Contour/Mercury Mystique was pretty spectacularly bad but that the Merkurs took the cake... He said they would often be stuck with the cars
MRT did you actually own one of these? Surprises me because I owned a Sierra Cosworth and no expense was spared on those. I'd be surprised if they were cheaply made.
I do know they had many electrical issues, and the manual transmission was pretty garbage. The chassis was amazing though.
Geez mine was great!! I cant think of one problem I ever had. Except I wanted 250 hp.
Looking for one now Feb 2019 to put a '90 pushrod 5.0 fuelie into it.
@@SkysurvCoNz The ones for North America were actually assembled by a German Ford sub contract company....not the same as yours...
I had a Contour with the V6 5sp combo and it was absolutely a fantastic car. Put 186k on the car with the only problem being a cracked alternator which the dealer said was probably a casting defect. Sat on the dealers lot because they said it was equipped with a manual and nobody wanted a new car with a stick! Still don't get that??
I think the last time I saw one of these was at least one if not two decades ago.
These Ford sierras were literally street furniture in England. They were everywhere. Shame you didn’t ever get the Ford Sierra cosworth or Lotus Carlton.
I remember seeing these now and then in the 80’s. Hideous looking car.
Very fast car, everytime uou change gears the way the turbo wound kick in with every shift, awesome car.
Haha i love these retro reviews.. i never owned one of these but its just the car i would have bought as a kid,.. first car was a dodge omni..
OMG those CRAKS in that test track
Wow. I'm from the UK and had no idea that the Sierra was sold in the US in any form.
Who didn't love the commercials for this car back then.... MERKUR.....XR ....4 TI. Thank you MotorWeek for putting out all these Retro Reviews! Any Chance of 80's Dodge Daytona, Toyota MR2, Pontiac Fiero???
The XR4TI
Mitsubishi's Starion!
Chrysler Conquest TSi (Starion)
There were so many cooler cars then.
Ah the jellymold ford sierra as we knew it in Britain, remember my friend had one & such a comfy car
I had an '86, biggest mistake I ever made getting rid of it, however, now I'm in in a position to buy a Sierra Cosworth, and I will be adding it to my collection of european Fords.
In Argentina was sold as a Ford Sierra and I gotta say it is a car that ages very well!
I owned both the XR4Ti manual with 175 HP turbo and the Scorpio with a V6. I got rid of the XR4tI because around 30K miles the A/C was having many issues and often the car would just not want to run. You would be going down the interstate at 70 or 80 than the car would just pull down and all you could do was 45-50, after 15 to 20 miles it would start to run again. It never stranded me but got rid of it. So traded for the Scorpio which was a much better car, had it for about 120K miles, never any problems and comfy comfy comfy, even the rear reclining back seats.
Hard to believe this was 35 years ago. Watching these retro videos, I feel Mfrs put a lot more into their cars back then. Cars are so mundane now everyone wants a screen and nav system versus performa performance at a good price and electrics are going to be the norm. I buy used cars though and wonder, how that’s going to work out with degraded charge capability for used electric cars?
cd of .32 was about 30% less than the cortina mark IV it replaced in 1982 in the UK.
Mark V you mean
Back in the 1980s I Always Wanted This Car.
If I remember right, Ford didn't call it a Ford cause they were afraid it would outsell the Mustang. My first car was a basic Sierra, but my god it was such a nice car. Very modern looking for a 90.
Fomoco flowing fender movement Baby
Love the interior design of this test car
I had an 89. My Mom got it for me after someone hit my 93 Celica gt in front of my house and drive off. I loved this car. It was red, with grey leather. Power everything and I loved the fun sound of that turbo when I was accelerating. I had a lot of fun with that car my
Me, American: I drive an Escort
Brits: AYYYE MATE! NICE!
ME: It's like a Ford Laser
Brits: .......
Yeah, you guys got shafted on the Escort. Though, I do like the later 80s GT. Almost looks like our Cossie!
man fords test track was more like a test crack! damn, how do you test a car on that
My uncle used to have this thing back in the day
bottom breather before Taurus. Fine driving car when I rented on in Seattle, turbo was fun.
I wish they made cars like this even today
I actually liked these. Ford had big plans for this division unfortunately it just didn't take off. Too bad these were great cars
They had huge plans for the Merkur division and it’s ashamed they didn’t give it more time to do things. Their next vehicle was to be the Sierra Sapphire abs then the Scorpio with the trunk instead of the hatchback but alas…it never happened.
Many times I’ve wished I lived in Europe so I could enjoy these forbidden fruits. I owned 2 Scorpios abs still reminisce about driving that car every DAY!
Thumbs up if you heard at least one person refer to one of these as an "Exaratti"
As a kid, I always mistook the 4 for an 'A'. The Merkur Xarat is what I would cheerfully call it.
John-Del lol That's what i called them
Yep John-Del. I came here to make just that comment but you beat me to it.
I had one and I painted it lime green lol
I still do brother, lol
Had a white one in ‘85. Fun car, decent performance, weird (to me then) whooshing/moaning noises from the turbo, and, yes, easily provoked oversteer from the rear semi-trailing arm suspension. Dealer (in Cali) didn’t really know how to work on it. Karmann build quality was so so. Driver’s door moved in its cavity and also created a wind whistle. Dealer mechanic put his knee to the door panel, grabbed the window frame and gave it a big tug afterwards declaring the problem fixed. I gasped and no the door problem didn’t go away. 😆
My dad has one of those engines BRAND NEW in the garage right now, next to the OG Capri and GT40 shell.
I had one with heated seats. The turbo sounded really good when you sped up. The women loved it
They all had heated seats.
@@rxtuninginc8444 Heated seats and cruise control were options on the latter year cars.
@@draftwood I had two 86s and two 87s. The only year they couldn't have come with that is 85.
@@rxtuninginc8444Interesting. Where are you from? Must be regional port of entry related?
I had an 86' used, and an 87' brand new while living in the South East. No heated seats. BTW, Only local delivery colors I remember were black, white, silver and Red. When ever I would spot the other colors, browns and blues, they had North East state license plates.
Looked at a number of other local XR4s and no heated seats. I do remember looking at an 89' that had cruise control option.
I really liked my Merkurs.
@@draftwood I live in the Northeast. Toronto, Ontario Canada to be exact. Maybe because of the winter weather we get they all came with heated seats. Just like some cars sold in the south don't have rear window defrosters. My brother bought a foxbody mustang a few years ago and the seller said that it was a southern car it's whole life since bought new and it didn't have a rear window defroster in it.
Azduffman, insurance companies required a maximum speedo reading of 85. This is also why most cars have speed limiters around 112mph in the united states.