Here’s how Merkur became Ford’s second-worst brand failure
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In this episode I provide the history of Merkur, a sub-brand under Lincoln-Mercury between 1985 and 1990. Merkur only had two models, the XR4Ti and the Scorpio, both of which were imported from Germany. However their high prices and unusual looks eventually killed the brand, making it the second-worst brand failure Ford had, second only to the Edsel.
Guy in my neighborhood still drives a merkur xr4ti really cool to see it still running
My uncle had one, we rode in it a bunch when we visited him in Texas.
I thought it was interesting , he was into it.
2.3 turbo was a decent engine , another buddy's dad had a new turbo coupe we got our mitts on but that's another story.
Top speed was verified alot though. 🤣
@@MrTheHillfolk haha that’s awesome my uncle had a merkur xr4ti as well it was an electrical nightmare but then again my uncle bought it used in the late 90s so it was already falling apart
I wouldn't mind finding one and dropping in a 2.3 Ecoboost crate engine from Ford Performance Parts. Then again, the same thing could be done with an old 80s Fox Mustang or even a Pinto or Mustang 2.
The old Ford 2.3 Turbo were “quick, but sloppy”. Even with a carb or FI, they demand regular oil changes or they would sludge up and starve the overhead cam for oil. Adding the extra heat from the turbo just made the problem worse, along with the hard driving that one would assume a turbo charged “performance car” would be designed to endure, the engine just couldn’t survive. You can only go so far with cheap and dirty performance tricks on a Pinto/Mustang II 4 banger!
I bet Jim Rome, sports talk host, would do A podcast interview with him, and ask how, what, when on how he kept it running...maybe throw some cash his way too...just to find those secrets...He had A real Lemon one...has named his staff ...
the xr4ti crew....lol
I'm 49 and saw several of these as a kid and appreciated them because they were rear wheel drive and really sporty.
I’m 45 and I got to ride in one when my Dad test drove one. We both loved it but my Mom put a stop to him buying it because she wanted a four door
Love Merkurs! I saw a lady driving a Scorpio last weekend and I freaked out. Haven't seen one in decades.
My dad bought an '88 Scorpio in the late 90's at a car auction. We had no idea about the brand or what we were getting into at the time, but it was really nice to drive and came with a lot of fancy features.
Unfortunately it was prone to issues. The first time the flywheel broke, it took a few months before my dad could source one and install it. I still remember the day he drove it out of the garage after all his hard work repairing it -- he backed into our snow plow and scraped the driver's door 😆 Took equally as long finding someone who could work with the paint.
Then the flywheel broke a second time. I ended up bringing one home from Germany when I was on an high school exchange. That was interesting - going to a Ford dealer with my limited language skills and asking for a "Schwungrad". We never ended up installing it, instead my dad sold it to a guy who was into Merkurs so I like to think that car still had some years on the road.
Nice Story! I live in Germany and they were common, regular 'ford' cars here. As a kid I liked these, too bad you don't see them anymore. My first car was also a ford, great driver cars👍😊
@@simonlangner i bought one for 2 grand. I had no idea what it was. It was awesome.
@@KingPrintmaker Sounds nice👍 How long did you keep it?
I saw few Merkurs, both of these privately imported used from America to Europe. I can also remember the british version named as Scorpio-Granada. From the continental european standpoint those were rare Fords to be seen.
I tried to talk my Dad into buying a Scorpio in 1988. They were very popular at the time, sporty with good performance. He bought a stylish Mercury Cougar with a vinyl top. He was right. He kept that car until 2002, never had any problems.
It wasn't just the price and the looks, it was legendary unreliability too. I worked with a guy that had one, bought it brand new in '88. In the 2 years he had it, it spent just as much time at the dealer as it did in his garage. He finally grew tired of the constant problems, and traded it in.
which is weird because in Europe it had a completely different engine, drive train, electric...... oooooh lol
lol
I bought one of these used when it was 4 years old. I had no issues with it and put 45k miles on it. 70k total miles when I sold it for the same price I paid for it.
@@akshonclip Yep, and somewhere in America there's a guy that drove a Yugo for 200K with nary a problem either. My point; you're the exception, not the norm.
@@justsumguy2u I beg to disagree. Your buddy was most likely the exception. Secondly I have first hand experience, you have third party hearsay
South Africa got a limited edition version with a Mustang V8.
It's called the XR8
Die beste Sierra wat daar ooit gebou was.
@@Rouxenator yeah totally man
@@Rouxenator say less my guy
@@Rouxenator ar yeas
That was a mighty car, although the engine was so heavy that you had to be a little bit careful with your speed when going around corners, it just wanted to plow straight on at anything over 60kph. And the brakes weren't too good either. Didn't a road tester for Car magazine manage to total one of the press cars, or am I remembering that wrong?
I remember the Merkur. I've known people who owned some. The XR4Ti and the Scorpio. I found them both to be awesome cars. Since I was too young at the time to drive a car, I couldn't say what they were like to drive or own. But those who I knew who owned them found them to be awesome cars, as reliable as you'd expect a car to be. The only thing we didn't appreciate about the cars was its name: Merkur. We were like *"What?!* *"What the hell is a Merkur?!"* or *"Where did that name come from?"* If it was a Ford car, we thought Ford should've sold it either as a Ford brand car, or possibly a Mercury brand car. But a "Merkur"? What?! The same was true for the Scorpio. It was a fun car to ride in and quite comfortable. I found it attractive from every angle, except from the rear of the car. I did like its appearance from the front and from the side of the car, reminding me of the Mercury Sable of the time. Why neither sold well here in the USA is beyond me. They were way better than the Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury cars that were already sold.
As a Sterling owner, I would love a Sterling video.
My parents had a XR4Ti and a Scorpio.
Both were great driving vehicles when they weren't in the shop....
My brother in law had a XR4Ti it was just like my Ford Ranger great little vehicle when it was running or another way “runs good just don’t start”.
I have an xr4ti. You have never been so right my friend. This car stayed in the shop. Electrical problems, exhaust problems, overheating, you name it.
I knew a family who had 2 of them and yes, something was always breaking on them. One of them eventually ingested its turbocharger.
never had problems with Ford engines. We had Escort, Fiesta, Orion, Sierra, Granada, Mondeo, Transit, and a Fordson. Reason why my dad bought Ford.
@@dontdenymyrighteousnesstru5608 It's a Ford, what do you expect? :) All part of the fun!
whilst working as a jockey for Lincoln in 1987, I drove several XR4Tis and Scorpios. Those were fantastic cars.
The Merkur brand is truly a hidden gem I wish that the brand would have lived on a little longer.
Sadly the FORD world cars followed. So would be relevant.
@@MaximilianvonPinneberg It was a simple mistake of marketing, not design.
Ehh. We ended up getting German Ford's later on. They were just marketed as Ford's. My Fusion is a real "Fusion". German/American engineering, Mexican built, with a mixture of German, Mexican, and American parts. The Fiestas and Focus's were just Mexican built German Ford's, the last two gen Ford Escapes are American built German Ford Kugas. Now all we have from Ford Germany are the Escape, and the Indian built EcoSport.
if it had the focus would most likely be a merkur as well as fiesta and the european kuga and i bet the puma would of gone over too to
I too wish the brand would’ve lasted longer because the name did indeed sound upscale and it rolls off the tongue so easily if you know what you’re talking about. They had plans to bring the Sierra Sapphire here as the next Merkur car but alas it never happened. Just think if it had come here though, it would’ve been great to go alongside the luxurious Scorpio. I honestly think the wrong ppl are running these damned car companies. Merkur’s demise really makes me sad to this day 🥲
I remember as a kid being able to say "Merkur: correctly and absolutely loving these cars. I wanted one really badly because I thought they were unique and ahead of their time. Plus I like the way they looked.
I don't know if anyone had any issue pronouncing "Merkur".... if they did, chances are they were not in a position to buy one.
Me too. It looked like the future.
What I recall about these cars were a couple things. A. Sky high price tag. B. You couldn't get parts, at least the ones to fix the Euro portion of the car. I remember that though certain Lincoln Mercury dealers would be happy to sell you 1, their service depts wouldn't touch them beyond oil changes...
sheesh i figured, Mini American cars are on European platform/architecture hence expensive repairs The parts availability and intensive labor
I remember the first time I ever saw a new Merkur Xr4ti. It was unique, you could tell it was a German car. Always wanted one, but unfortunately, it never happened. But I do have it's cousin, '84 Mustang SVO!
The SVO was better. At least it got a baby intercooler.
I had an 84 SVO as well. Very powerful for it's time. I also worked at a Ford dealership in the 90's and had an opportunity to work on and drive some of the XR4TI's. They are completely different feeling vehicles which surprised me. I thought they would be more similar.
@@1984xlx XR4TI had a degree of road feel that made most American cars feel like waterbed mattresses or like go carts.
Mine would leave almost anything American in the bends.
@@greasyrib mine had an intercooler
@@ChipmunkRapidsMadMan1869 they didn't come with stock intercooler. If there was one it was likely grafted from an SVO or a Turbo Coupe, Or a Rapido Unit if it was up front.
I knew this woman when I was 19 and she asked me:
"Hey, do you know this car called an Exeratti? Is it a good car?"
Me: "Exeratti? Never heard of it. Sounds Italian"
Later, she pointed out an Xr4ti.
My buddy's sister had one back then and she was asked the very same question by someone while she was at a gas station!
Two of my girlfriends asked me that exact same question.
Xr4ti, the car for Executive Rats!
@@arx3516 SMH.
Thought it was XRATi too at first lol. The 4 kind of looked like an A lol.
These cars were massive sellers here in the UK, there was Cosworth versions of both the Sierra and Scorpio. The Scorpio was also know as the Granada in Europe, think the Scorpio was just the more luxury version. The saloon was known as the Sapphire, the Cosworth Sapphire were really quite common and very fast for the day, I think they made about 200Bhp which was really good for that era, as the car was pretty small and light, well by US standards anyway, it was looked at as a decent sized car in Europe, as we are used to driving really small cars.
I remember seeing a Scorpio up close for the first time around '95. It was at an auto auction, steering column all busted up, likely having been stolen and recovered. Just falling apart inside. It was so beautiful but in such a sad state.
The word “ marque” is actually pronounced “mark”. The pronunciation you are using is for the similarly spelled “marquee” as in a theater marquee. 👍🏻
You beat me to it!!
I heard it as «marquis», which fit well with a couple car models. Means a sort of count or lower noble title.
Marquis has long been a Mercury name. I have a 2006 Mercury Grand Marquis.
@@geraldscott4302 But that's not what he is saying. At 0:25 the narrator says "...the end result were [sic] two cars with a name no one could pronounce, and a failed MARQUE [meaning a make of car] after only four years." Not Marquis.
@@JCWiley2300 Yes, marque does mean "brand" But the word ""marquis" however you spell it was mentioned too. As for why nobody could pronounce it, I never understood that. They pronounced it clearly in the commercials. I remember back in the '70s when nobody could not pronounce "Isuzu" either. I never owned one, but I actually kind of liked that car. It had 2 doors, rear wheel drive, and a manual transmission. Could have been a lot of fun. Might have succeeded with a different name.
I had an 88' XR4TI and loved it and the Scorpio! Its what turned me onto German cars and haven't looked back! And would buy another if they ever came back!
I really really wanted one of the XR4ti's when i was a kid, at the time they looked so damn cool. I t was about the closed we ever got to that rally Escort back then
The post-XR4i (usually called "saloon" in the UK) performance Sierra model in the UK was usually referred to as the Sierra Cosworth, and featured 4-wheel drive. When the Sierra was replaced in Europe by the Mondeo there was no XR4i or Cosworth replacement. The 1992 Escort Cosworth for Europe was the spiritual and performance successor and actually used a development of the Sierra Cosworth Chassis over a hand-built Escort-style body.
I had a white '86. What a fun car. A little under-powered but it had exceptional handling. And a fun little joystick to position the stereo's fader/balance.
So far, I'm in love with the compact car scene. Especially these Euro cars. Don't have to worry about having a V8 when you have a stylish (and cute) car with a turbo 4 or a diesel lol
Ever since I was like 14 and this dude took me for a ride in an 83 GTI, I hadda have one.
I woulda never believed if I didn't experience it, but it would toast late model 5.0s till about 65-70mph.
Of course the brain was working on how much more power vs how much more you could hold the gap for.
@@MrTheHillfolk which gti the golf? because Peugeot also did a load of gtis too
@@LordInter
Yep it's the only GTI we got here in the states.
@@MrTheHillfolk oh no, you missed out on the peugeot 205 and 405 GTis, better handling and larger engines (eventually) arguably one of the best handling cars of the 80s and 90s the 205, 19.ltr engines in a car weighing about 10lbs or something :)
@@LordInter yeah but we didn't get any of those in the states.
Outstanding! I always wanted an XR4Ti!! Thank you for the trip down memory lane!!
I love my 1989 Ford/Merkur Sierra Xr4ti
In the UK we got scorpios and sierras with cosworth engines. The Scorpio had a 2.9L cosworth V6 and you could get a sierra RS cosworth , RS500 or the Sierra sapphire cosworth (sedan version) with the YBD engine and 4x4 or RWD. The RS500 in moonstone blue is my favourite ever car, aside from a Ferrari F40
my brother had an xr4i, the thing was a monster 😊
I prefer the white on the sierras
dont forget the escort xr3i and cosworths and the rear of the rare xr3i orion which my gran had she traded it in for a mitsubishi gallant
I used to have an Orion 1600e, with a 2.0L
N/A ZVH (Zetec-CVH hybrid) engine. Had uprated cams, full 4 branch manifolds, forged internals and all the other port/polish etc. Was about 175bhp at the wheels. It was a really good sleeper car.
Ford really well in the UK.
Now the Cosworth, sapphire, 4x4 etc are worth a great deal of money for a 30-year-old car.
I bought one new in the late 80s, on a dealer closeout for about 15k. It was a fun car, that i feel was ahead of its time, getting many compliments over the years. The biggest drawback were expensive parts and the Lincoln Dealerships, rolling their eyes, when i brought it in for service, because they didn't want to deal with them, especially after they had been discontinued in the US. !!!
I tried to get a deal on a new leftover XR4Ti in 1987 but no dice. I told salesman I could do a lot better on a new Mustang GT. He said go for it. So I did at the competing Ford dealership. Did me a big favor!
@@johnmcmullen456 indeed he did. I'm guessing your Mustang was much more Reliable and Cheaper to fix, then my XR4TI, ever dared to be !!
It was this car where Jim Rome gave his radio crew it's name. They're called the XR4Ti because Rome bought that car to make him look cool, but then it turned into a piece of crap.
Nice video. I liked that you covered the European range and versions at the end. The Scorpio in Europe was actually a trim level of the mk3 Ford Granada, and there was also a 2.9i V6 Cosworth version. The Granada name was dropped for the unloved mk4 in favour of the Scorpio name. The original 3 door Cosworth Sierra ("the Cossie") was, I understand, the most stolen car in the UK in the 1980s, mainly for joyriding. This was replaced by the 4 door Sierra Sapphire Cosworth saloon, which was slightly tamer and more respectable looking, but just as lovely.
The apartment building I lived at 10 years ago. There were 3 of them lined up in the long term parking lot. It's only because I drove by them everyday that I even knew this brand existed.
I can remember when they arrived at the dealership I worked at. The XR4TI was a fun car to drive. We had previously dealt with the 2.3L turbos that had carburetors and had a lot of issues with drivability. So it was a nice change to have a decent fuel injection system and turbocharger even though it still had a pinto motor. Of course there was the big issue with the leather upholstery shrinking to the point that it would split. We did a lot of upholstery kits on that car. The Scorpio on the other hand did not sell well at all. I think I remember maybe two at the dealership. The first one was given to the local newspaper for a review. That didn't go well. The key which was shaped like an old 18th century skeleton key broke off in the door. It sat in the corner of the shop for weeks waiting for a duplicate key because there was nobody that could make one. I'd be willing to bet that today you can't get one at all.
When I was a kid I wanted one of these. Lol. I'm glad I was too young at the time to make that mistake.
I bet you'd still want the proper Sierra RS Cosworth though, which is what should have been imported at the time.
They're mega bucks now, an RS500 with 42,000 miles on the clock for sale on the UK auto trader site now for £88,950 ($123,506). The more common Sapphire Cosworth (sedan Sierra) go for minimum £30,000+ with over 100,000 miles on the clock.
I remember being 11 and 12 years old and wanting one of these. I thought that Sterling car was pretty stylish, too. Little did I know they weren't great cars.
they are great cars actually, in europe they were called the Sierra - they were extremely popular, used as family cars and race cars and drift cars, they could literlly be everything
@@IrishWannabe I was reading how compared to it's Japanese cousin, the Acura Legend, the Sterling had loads of quality control issues. Even simple things like gas gauges not working and the glove box getting stuck. Not something you'd expect in a car of that cost.
lmaoo
Never knew much about these, someone in my dorm about 10 years ago had a red XR4TI and I remember being puzzled at it looking like a Ford (having been familiar with those Cosworth models from racing games) but having the name Merkur.
Never looked into it but now I know! Thanks.
That XR4TI was a great car....a German Version of a Mustang SVO.
Didn't The SVO had more hp than the GT Mustang?
U got bv that right as ccx well as my '88 third turbo coupe.
Handled 20psi, no problem. Hilariously fast, and a joy to beat V8's with ease.
Yes it was!!! My mom loved this car. It was the first car she purchased with her own money. It was sharp!!!
I thought they were cool as hell when I was a kid. I used to call them “exerati’s” lol
We had a Scorpio when I was a kid, after the brand had died and they were trying to unload them all. I think my Dad paid 16 grand? And he got them to give him the Mercedes trade in value later :) Used to love showing off the electrically reclining rear seats to my friends.
I probably would have bought the 4 door over the coup and if it was named Ford as well
I've always really liked the look of the XR4TI. It would be great to have one now.
My buddy had an XR4Ti in high school. It was a great-running, good-handling car for (back then) cheap. Pretty fast outright, but downright hot on a country road. Great car, too bad they were such hunks of crap, haha!
When I was about 12 I got to hang out with my older brother and one of his friends for the night. His friend had a XR4T and I had never heard of these. After the turbo hit I fell in love with the car lol His dad had 2 sitting in the yard for years, wish I would’ve snatched one up.
Except they were far better builds than the US built Fords, and actually more advanced.
Dam right. Old man was owner of UK Sierra's for long time. Brilliant cars. I always wanted a xr4x4i myself here but never found a good one at a sensible price.
I’ve owned several XR4Ti All with the T9. An epic car with the worst manual available🤦♂️
There is one in rock River, Wyoming I’m thinking about trying to buy
Are you serious? My dad had a sierra when it was only a couple years old. It was stolen within seconds. Not only that, the horrible cheap plastic dashboard was just rattly and the cars just rotted away anyway because it was a cheap tatty car anyway.
You're kidding right? They were junk.
How so?
The Sierra was available in estate form from the start of its in run in 1982/3. The saloon was introduced in 1987 after the whole range was facelifted.
Maybe if it had more spoilers and pillars.
Definitely need more spoilers.
We had an 81 Chevy Citation. They are were very popular and we saw them everywhere. I have not seen one on the road in years. I will never forget the sideways AM Radio. It was also the first front wheel drive car we owned, the transverse engine was something different we had not worked on before.
Great video, I'll be waiting for that Sterling video. I had a coworker in the late '80's that drove one, and really loved it...Seems like I remember it being a venture between Rover and Honda.
Fun Fact: Principal Skinner on The Simpsons is the proud owner of a Merkur XR4Ti.
thanks
Jim Rome 2
Street Turbo magazine ran an article on one of these with a 300z turbo motor. Super vehicle with competent handling above the 300Zx capability is how they described it. Still ...just a great personality.
One of my childhood friends parents had a XR4TI…I remember it being awesome passenger experience…recalling my 17yr old me.
Bob Lutz. The man when at GM (90's?) said they engineer their vehicles to last 70k miles.
He was at Chrysler then, but who cares about details right?
Back then
70,000 miles with no major Mech’s bucks problems was actually pretty good
Now you don’t even change your plugs until 100k
These were very well loved Ford's this side of the pond. Here in the UK buyers loved the Sierra (the UK/European name) especially the XR4i, XR4x4 and the legendary Cosworths (RS500, hatchback Cosworth and saloon Sapphire Cosworth and 4x4 Sapphire Cosworth) The Cosworths had their spiritual home in my home county Essex along with all fast Ford's (XR2, XR3i, XR2i, RS turbo, Escort Cosworth and RS200 etc.)
I grew up with the Ford Sierra. You could even get an early one with an underpowered 1.3 litre engine in 1982/83.
Some of the lower spec Scorpios in the UK were actually badged ’Granada' until 1994.
My uncle had a red Merkur xr4ti back in the days, it was a decent vehicle
You should try the brand sterling
Sterling Trucks ?
@@Durahan82 no
@@Durahan82 Sterling was a brand name of automobile marketed in the United States by Austin Rover Cars of North America
@@Durahan82 the brand only lasted 4 years and they only sold the Sterling 825 and the Sterling 827.
Didn't even mention the awesome handling fully independent rear suspension provided. Neither mustang or Camaro could touch it in the twisties ! Best Ford I ever bought!
The fact that it had 2 doors would make it extremely valuable today. We seriously need a major influx of 2 door cars today. Cars have become nothing more than transportation appliances. We need cars that look good and put fun back into driving.
Gerald Scott, I can't figure why everyone thinks they need a 4 door when mostly all you see on the highways are vehicles with just a driver in them, any day, any time of day.
@@johnmcmullen456 Exactly. And that also includes 4 door trucks. When I was young and grew up on a farm, pickup trucks were for hauling cargo. They had 2 doors, and a bench seat. They also had 8' beds that you could get a lot of stuff into. Up until recently I had a "REAL" pickup truck, with 2 doors and an 8' bed that I used to haul dirt bikes, a tent, tables, chairs, basically everything needed for camping. It all fit. These 4 door trucks have a 4' bed that isn't much bigger than a typical car trunk. I don't even think they should be called trucks.
My husband and I tagged along with a couple we knew to meet others we knew who were camping in the early 90’s. The couple had a new XR4Ti. It was roomy, easily storing our bags in the back, and we were comfortable in the back seat on the 3 hour drive. The sound system was excellent. We always thought it was a beautiful car, especially in black. It was a head turner back then, as there weren’t too many on the road.
When I sold Acuras back in 1989, and one of these Merkurs pulled in the older salesmen would call them "Turtles". The resale value was horrible and we seldom actually took one in trade. I do remember a lease turn-in at our Honda store, a Scorpio with a new set of tires. The F&I man at Honda was driving a Scorpio himself, and had the used car mechanic exchange his wheels and worn tires for the ones on the off-lease unit.
One of my school mates had a XR4Ti with the double wing. We always did think it was pretty cool. It just had a cool look and was exotic. This was in the early nineties and I was fooling around in my first car an Audi Quattro coupe. That was my poor man’s Delorean in my mind.
I use to own a Ford Sierra 3.0 GLX with the A4LD outo gearbox here in South Africa. We did not have the European engines, and were making the old Essex 3.0 l V6 locally, from a 2.5l version up to a 3.8l version, with a 3.0l EFI version. What a wonderful car! It was fast, had excellent road holding and I had to sell it due to a lack of space at home. The Merkur had all those features as what my Sierra had. I think if Ford made it as a Ford with maybe a V8 engine, like the South African Sierra XR8, it would have been a success. But it seems as if Americans are only interested in straight line speed(drag racing), and the independent rear suspension is not really suited for that.
Ja the Sierras were awesome for their time.Kinda strange that the yanks didn't try and replicate what we did with the XR8 in their own backyard.
I worked at a Lincoln Mercury dealership (later just Lincoln) for 4 years, 2008-2012. We had a handful of junk cars that simply lived in the back of the lot I'm guessing for decades. Among those cars was a Merkur XR4Ti. I had never even heard of that thing before, but when I wandered back there to check it out I was deeply intrigued. I asked the parts manager about it and he seemed surprised I'd never heard of it and proceeded to tell me what he knew about the difficulty in finding parts for it that would break all the time. I drove a 1993 Ford Escort hatchback at the time so naturally this thing looked like a potentially cooler version of my car in my eyes. I think since I may have seen only 1 on the road ever in my life. Just 1, it was white if I'm not mistaken.
Everyone thought mine was an escort model.
One drove a 1995 Mustang GT. I challenged him to a race. He didn’t believe me when I said it had more in common with a Mustang than an Escort.
Why would they name it the Mercur when they already had Mercury 🤔
Exactly my thoughts. Basically dealerships were Lincoln Mercury Mercury essentially
The German name. Likely Ford hoped Mercur would be similar enough to Mercury to be recognized as a Ford marque but still have the 'panache' of German engineering.
I had an '88 XR4ti in white, bought it used around '92. I liked it and drove it to about 100,000 miles. It didn't give me many problems until its injectors started leaking and by then I was ready to sell it. People have said the hot engine compartment cooked batteries, and I did have to replace mine more often than typical.
I had a friend back in the Marines in '86 in 29 Palms who had a Merkur. It was a very sharp looking car and he loved it. It seemed like a reliable car.
In 1985 my girlfriend was shopping for a new car. She wanted a sporty coupe with a manual transmission. The Xr4Ti made the short list so we headed to a dealership.
In 1985 i was 27, drove a BMW, and dressed like Don Johnson in Miami Vice and my girlfriend was of a similar age and also well dressed. We show up at the dealership, which is devoid of customers when we got there. The GF explains that she's shopping for a car and wanted to look at the XR4ti and take it for a test drive.
"Are you ready to buy today?" asked the salesman. No, we've just started and this is the first stop. "Well, I'm too busy to take you for a test drive unless you're ready to buy." How can I know if I want to buy it unless I drive it?
Had I been thinking, I'd have lied and said, "Sure, we'll buy" but I was floored by the idiocy.
My friend Steph had a silver one when we were in highschool. She got it brand new in our Jr year in 1990.
I still think these are cool!
If it came out today, it would still look modern. The interior, however, is another story.
The XR4TI had a sensor unit on the tip of the oil dipstick. That sensor broke everytime a gas jockey checked the oil and Ford wanted $200 for a new one when the bottle of engine oil cost $1.79. Gas was 49.9 cents a liter at my station and Ford was charging 2 yards for a DIPSTICK!
I have two of these, one an essentially stock and immaculate '89 (with an '86 rear hatch and spoiler) and one a fully built (and I mean fully) 500 HP sierra cosworth clone '86 using all oem cosworth parts in azure blue. That car breaks necks like nothing I have ever driven, I swear it steals the show from my neighbors F430.
Great work 💯 My Dad bought a 1989 Sterling 827 right off the showroom floor 🤦🏾♂️ and I had 2 mid ‘80s 504 Peugeot when I was 19-21. Either car would make great content 🙏🏾
'Marque' as you're using it, is pronounced "mark"
Thank you. "Marquee" is the sign above the movie theater entrance!
I knew of the Sierra as a kid over in the US. But it wasn't until a few years ago that I realized the Xr4ti was a rebadged Sierra.
My dad was the accountant of a Ford dealership owner and he brought home a Scorpio that he was trying out for a week before buying it. I thought it was a very cool car with a lot of unique features, but he never got it in the end.
They looked like oversized Saabs, with dual spoilers.
Saab, yes
Whale tails and spoilers, ew
I was a Lincoln Mercury tech when these cars were new. Vast majority of owners of Merkurs loved them (especially the XR4Ri's. I came across a Geman gentleman - and when I mentioned these cars to him, he told me that back in the Fatherland - ppl referred to them as "fords".
Just found your channel and loving it. As a guy in my 50’s I remember a lot of these cars and owned a few myself. How about doing something on a Bertone?
I had a 1986 Dodge Omni GLH Turbo. Loved that car please do a story on that car.
Early teens in small town Nova Scotia late 80s there was this car in town and thought it was cool. Still do.
I had an 89 all black single spoiler XR4Ti. Was a great car that I had for 13 years.
I felt like Ford abandoned the parts support after some years. Eventually sold it for a 4-door Audi A6 once a kid arrived. Did keep my Alfa Romeo GTV6 though.
I want this car ever since my dad told me about it and even with my car knowledge at the time I didn’t know what the heck it was. Now I want it even more!
I loved my '86 XR4Ti. I bought it in the early 2000's but sold it after a few years and bought a 4 door volvo to accommodate my young family. But I loved it while I had it.
You ever notice how in car commercials they never come to a safe stop, but instead floor the gas and do a dramatic turn around around the curve?
I went to a dealer to check it out, back in ‘86, and I thought it was overpriced. The salesman was showing me the cassette storage in the armrest, which was ridiculous, I thought. So I was turned off. There is a guy who works in my office building, who owns one, and I enjoy seeing it once in a while.
As a kid back in the 80’s, these cars were COOL!😎 I still think they’re cool and unique.
Look into the XR4Ti's record at Trans Am & IMSA GTO races in the late 80's, with drivers Scott Pruett and Pete Halsmer. An XR4Ti owners even was held at the Lime Rock race, and we all got to take a lap around the course. My father traded his '86 in for an '89 Scorpio, which I eventually drove for a few years. It was a great car, but parts were a problem by the late 90's, and it was time to trade away. I'm still a fan, and sometimes wish it were practical to own one again.
I like how car ads back in the early 1980s tried to make whatever car they're trying to sell look as much like KITT during the intro from Knight Rider...all that driving through the Californian desert near sunset(or sunrise) =D
I had a 1985 Merkur XR4Ti. I loved that thing. Handled well, and it was fast. It started smoking out of the exhaust intermittently. I took it to a dealership (a Mercury dealership) and I was told it was either the turbo ($1200) or the valve guides ($1200) and there was no guarantee which one. In other words it might cost me $1200 or $2400. I was very frustrated at their lack of ability to actually diagnose the problem. I traded it in and got a Cougar, which was OK, but it wasn't an XR4Ti. Still miss that car.
Here in Argentina was known as the Ford Sierra and it was a smashing success like from 1982 until 1994...
Oh cool, I never realised they sold the 80s Sierra and Granada/Scorpio in the US. They were once really popular in the UK but are really rare now. If I remember, they did struggle to make them comply with basic Euro1 emissions (from 1992) in the run up to the 'new' Ford Mondeo in 1993.
I loved the looks of the XR4Ti ; and was surprised it wasn't a big hit. I thought the double spoiler was super cool.
Not quite sure how I just found this channel now, but glad I'm here!
I remember going to my local Ford Lincoln Mercury dealer and looking at an XR4Ti . I had a salesman come up and almost push me away from the XR4ti over to the Ford Probe and the Escort GT. He told me I didn't want to look at the Merkur, trust him. It was surreal.
I remember my parents received a no pressure certificate for a weekend test drive of one. They picked it up on a Friday night and returned it on Sunday when the dealership was about to close and put about around 500 miles on it. They had no intention of buying it or any other car at that time.
I had the opportunity to drive an xr4ti a lot back in the late 80s. That car fuckin ripped, I loved it
My uncle at an XR4Ti pretty fast for the time but quirky. You should do a video on the 80's Dodge / Plymouth Colts (AKA Mitsubishi Mirage) I had a 1982 5 doors hatchback second gen model with the "Twinstick" 8 speed manual and 1.6L engine. Really fun car / you could shift gears in reverse! I also owned a 3rd gen 1988 DL Turbo 3 doors 5 speed hatchback, that thing was a hoot!
I subscribed after the first minute. Keep it coming. Love the obscure car culture.
I had a 1991 Eagle Talon TSi AWD. Would love to see an episode on it or Eagle as a whole!
These were dominators in European Touring Car, if they branded it as such it would have been so much better
I owned an XR4Ti and it was one of my favorites. It was a really amazing car for its time
I always remember this as the starter car for Midnight Club 2, the cocotte
Both these cars were innovative with regard to the car bodies: bonded glass and integrated roofgutters. That was still kinda new. They also had great class leading aerodynamic drag coefficients. Great for economy and top speed. Low noise levels too.
The Scorpio was the very first mass produced car to get ABS as standard on all trimlevels and engine variants.
The chassis' of these cars were very much inspired by BMW: McPherson struts up front and swing arms in the back just like a bmw e30 e28 etc.
I always liked driving them.
I worked as a Lot Boy the year that Merkur released their XR4Ti. In Canada it was pricey. I believe that the Scorpio was priced MORE than the base Town Car. I always loved them. The 6 in-dash cassette storage slots were my favourite feature.