I had 2 Xr4Ti's. An 1986 Xr4Ti dual spoiler 3 speed automatic. The 3 speed auto drove me nuts without an overdrive! So when I had a chance to buy a 1988 with at 5 speed manual I jumped on it. Loved the car!
Don’t get rid of this car. The value has deeper sentimental value, but the values of the XR4TI are going up. I’ve owned mine for 10 years and I’m never getting rid of it.
I really don't think this car is going anywhere. Dad has plans on getting it buffed, ceramic coated, and then getting the headliner repaired where it is sagging. Since he bought it he has already put 1,000 miles on it.
@@hpbuilds I'm from South Africa. Just got a rare "Sierra XR6" project car, which is basically a 4 door model of this car with an 3.0 Essex V6 motor. Same reactions when driving, people stopping me everywhere I go. Yours looks a lot nicer inside.
This is an awesome car in the condition that it's in! For ANY performance modifications, it uses most of the SVO Mustang platform, so all turbo and head related things are going to be cheap and easy to find!
Love this! When I was growing up my dad had about 4 of these. Silver one as his daily, red one for his autocross car, and then 2 other parts cars. Also had some sierras and has an escort cosworth right now in the garage fully built for rally. Special cars forsure
I fell in love with the XR4Ti back in the mid 80's. I finally got to take one for a test spin at Reedman Chevrolet (it had the auto transmission) and I was hooked by how fast it was (for that time). My story parallels your father's. I could afford the car, not the insurance. Thanks for sharing the video with us...Your father's expression when he saw the car was priceless. I was so happy for him. Hopefully one day I can find one just as clean. I wish the XR4Ti would have been marketed better. It was a good car that should have had a longer run.
Great example!! It’s a curious combination. It has to be a super late production 87 because the logos on the back hatch are 1988(which can happen I’ve had late 87s with 88parts) but it’s has plastic cladding rather then mono paint. On the driver side shock tower it might still have the date stamp. Also, Jeff Herson at Merkur parts Midwest can help it stay on the road
I'll be honest. This was a gift from my mom to my dad. All we did was transport, clean, and get ready for her. Was a long 18hr round trip to get it but was so worth it!
Great to see another one saved and she is a nice one too. Good thing you bought it before Darren because he likes to test drive them and wreck them then walk away from the deal. Ask me how I know I have the car he wanted and wrecked. Let me know if you want the pictures. He’s a bull in a china shop. He did have the video up on his page of the car he wrecked until I commented on the car and it mysteriously disappeared.
Wow sorry to hear that! This one is definitely saved. Dad already has a PDR coming out to fix the single door ding this car has. It's definitely in good hands
@@hpbuilds I honked passing by last sunday ive had my fun with mu ole 2.3 ranger back in the day slapped a cam in it and not long ago I found 2 2.3 circle track engines that ole lima has racing heritage in it and the SVO is a big part of it
I had one back in my early 20's (53 years old now) and yes, it was awesome. 2700#'s??? No wonder it was so quick! It's basically a mustang SVO that looks much cooler.
The XR4TI community is rather interractive too - a few vendors available for them and LOTS of information for them. I myself just recently bought an 87 Merkur XR4TI - and in the UK the UK version is the Ford Sierra Cosworth.
So cool. This car will be on the channel quite often I believe. Especially during race season. Just got a trailer to haul it to events so we shall see how it does!
@@hpbuilds every year there is an event in pennsylvania called carlisle which is reasonable size in early june. One community group is called merkur club america.
That's a NICE find~!!! Looks super clean well kept. Very lucky. They are super hard to find these days. BTW, you are a good son for doing all that to get it for dad.
I had an '87 for about five years, and I think it's the best year for these cars. One thing I noticed that seems unusual for a car that is in such original condition: the Merkur script on the hatch on your car is for the '88-'89 models. The '87 came with a Merkur badge (like on the front) located on the right rear of the hatch. Other than that, this car appears to be unmodified.
Interesting! Love learning about all the small details car manufacturers did back in the day for each year of cars. Now it's the same design for 5 year and then the next 5 years we gave it a different headlight lol
It could be. I have had very little time to focus on the car and learn everything about it. Just finished our last event of the year so we have a few months to spend on everything
Other than age related wear, the only two common trouble areas, through my research, are turbo heat and the T9 reliability, both can be addressed but I don’t know at what cost.
Not chopping it up. Going to make a track car while leaving It alone as much as possible. Engine will be beefed up as well as suspension but interior won't change.
I bought a set of takeoff Mustang 5.0 LX wheels and tires from Saleen around 1987 sold the tires (didn't fit the Merkur correctly). Bought 205 -40-15's goodyears front with 235-50-15's Rear. with the FORD center caps like a (Ford Sierra). Installed an Intercooler and tinted headlight covers the car was Black with grey leather and stick. I had 2 Mazda RX-7's before this car. an 83 GSL which an Eldorado rolled me over and a 85 GSL that I traded to get the Merkur. ( Needed the room) I miss that car.
@@hpbuilds The wheels were from the period and looked GREAT offset worked no clearance problems at all. needed lower profile fronts. The stance with the higher rears made it look real mean. My friend at the same time of my purchase bought an 85 Capri 5.0 also Black with the grey interior. His wheels were the ones we put on my car to check clearances..
@@hpbuilds seriously tho . Man they are great even for today you can’t really beat it as far as cool sports car goes . I have a vision for one I’m going to chop up a 88 escort gt and xr4ti and merge the 2 so I can make my own xr3i
@harryfp1494 sounds like a good amount of work! Having this car for a while now we are learning there is a lot of German over engineering. We will be trying to make the engine bay a little simpler in time but as of now we are just enjoying it!
@@hpbuilds lol yeah I can totally see that but thankfully it’s a 1987 so it’s easy to make it look cleaner . Maybe even running it on haltech or mega squirt ecu eventually
Its my dreamcar too... I will bring one to Europe one day. I've had an XR4i.. Please don't autocross it.. I would never tune and change a clean one as this
I promise the car will only become nicer! New suspension, another set of wheels and tires, and beef up the engine a bit. Go look on my channel and see the other 3 we have !
I had 2 Xr4Ti's. An 1986 Xr4Ti dual spoiler 3 speed automatic. The 3 speed auto drove me nuts without an overdrive! So when I had a chance to buy a 1988 with at 5 speed manual I jumped on it. Loved the car!
I could nit imagine the 3 speed🙃 that would be terrible
Don’t get rid of this car. The value has deeper sentimental value, but the values of the XR4TI are going up. I’ve owned mine for 10 years and I’m never getting rid of it.
I really don't think this car is going anywhere. Dad has plans on getting it buffed, ceramic coated, and then getting the headliner repaired where it is sagging. Since he bought it he has already put 1,000 miles on it.
My high school dream car. I am determined to own one before I get too old to work on cars.🤩🤩🤩
You are going to want to watch my next video I post. Probably Monday or Tuesday. I bought 3 more of them😉
@@hpbuilds I'm from South Africa. Just got a rare "Sierra XR6" project car, which is basically a 4 door model of this car with an 3.0 Essex V6 motor. Same reactions when driving, people stopping me everywhere I go. Yours looks a lot nicer inside.
@warrenRV appreciate it. Project cars are the best. Funny to see who knows what theybare and who Is confused lol
I bought one exactly like this in 1986. Great little car. My insurance was nothing like his. I put 68,000 on mine in one year.
Wow you drive the wheels off of it!!!
This is an awesome car in the condition that it's in! For ANY performance modifications, it uses most of the SVO Mustang platform, so all turbo and head related things are going to be cheap and easy to find!
That is the plan. Stay tuned to see what we come up with!
Love this! When I was growing up my dad had about 4 of these. Silver one as his daily, red one for his autocross car, and then 2 other parts cars. Also had some sierras and has an escort cosworth right now in the garage fully built for rally. Special cars forsure
That's awesome! It is definitely a super cool car!
Awesome Situation Awesome Car !!
Thank you!
I fell in love with the XR4Ti back in the mid 80's. I finally got to take one for a test spin at Reedman Chevrolet (it had the auto transmission) and I was hooked by how fast it was (for that time). My story parallels your father's. I could afford the car, not the insurance. Thanks for sharing the video with us...Your father's expression when he saw the car was priceless. I was so happy for him. Hopefully one day I can find one just as clean. I wish the XR4Ti would have been marketed better. It was a good car that should have had a longer run.
@@chuckford5927 amen to everything you said! Wish there were more of them! Hope you get one soon!
That’s a great XR4Ti example. The Sierra folks now are seeking this edition.
Thank you. The car really is something special. A true head turner
Thats awsome ive been on the hunt for my dads dream car 57 Chevy but he has his dream truck an ol Dodge Ram Charger
I have a coworker that is from Japan and he restored a 57 chevy and then sent it to japan to be there when e retires in a couple years!!!
Great example!! It’s a curious combination. It has to be a super late production 87 because the logos on the back hatch are 1988(which can happen I’ve had late 87s with 88parts) but it’s has plastic cladding rather then mono paint. On the driver side shock tower it might still have the date stamp.
Also, Jeff Herson at Merkur parts Midwest can help it stay on the road
Thank you for the contact. I will have to check the date on the tower. Love the history of these cars.
@@hpbuilds And also Mike Oyler of Merkur Depot is a great source for Merk parts... I rely on both Jeff and Mike to keep my '87 on the road.
@@tiberius1701 noted! Thank you for the tip!
So jealous that you guys were able to do that for him. I hope I can do something like this for my parents
I'll be honest. This was a gift from my mom to my dad. All we did was transport, clean, and get ready for her. Was a long 18hr round trip to get it but was so worth it!
Great to see another one saved and she is a nice one too. Good thing you bought it before Darren because he likes to test drive them and wreck them then walk away from the deal. Ask me how I know I have the car he wanted and wrecked. Let me know if you want the pictures. He’s a bull in a china shop. He did have the video up on his page of the car he wrecked until I commented on the car and it mysteriously disappeared.
Wow sorry to hear that! This one is definitely saved. Dad already has a PDR coming out to fix the single door ding this car has. It's definitely in good hands
It reminds me of fords version of an older supra celica
They are definitely unique! I've seen them driving it around town all week! Definitely stands out!
@@cumminsaddict6401 Honk the horn next time!!!
@@hpbuilds I honked passing by last sunday ive had my fun with mu ole 2.3 ranger back in the day slapped a cam in it and not long ago I found 2 2.3 circle track engines that ole lima has racing heritage in it and the SVO is a big part of it
I had one back in my early 20's (53 years old now) and yes, it was awesome. 2700#'s??? No wonder it was so quick! It's basically a mustang SVO that looks much cooler.
You got that right! Need to stiffen the suspension but a very fun car to drive for sure!
The XR4TI community is rather interractive too - a few vendors available for them and LOTS of information for them. I myself just recently bought an 87 Merkur XR4TI - and in the UK the UK version is the Ford Sierra Cosworth.
So cool. This car will be on the channel quite often I believe. Especially during race season. Just got a trailer to haul it to events so we shall see how it does!
@@hpbuilds every year there is an event in pennsylvania called carlisle which is reasonable size in early june. One community group is called merkur club america.
I need to pull your group up and show my father. He would love to see more of these cars.
That's a NICE find~!!! Looks super clean well kept. Very lucky. They are super hard to find these days.
BTW, you are a good son for doing all that to get it for dad.
He has helped me get where I am so it's the least I could do. Props to my wife for making this trip on our anniversary!
I had one in the early 90's super fun to drive. The manual gear box was a blast. Sorry I sold it :(
Definitely could see that being a big regret. What color was yours? The red is super cool but I think a block black would look awesome
I love this car!!!
It definitely is nice!!
I had an '87 for about five years, and I think it's the best year for these cars. One thing I noticed that seems unusual for a car that is in such original condition: the Merkur script on the hatch on your car is for the '88-'89 models. The '87 came with a Merkur badge (like on the front) located on the right rear of the hatch. Other than that, this car appears to be unmodified.
Interesting! Love learning about all the small details car manufacturers did back in the day for each year of cars. Now it's the same design for 5 year and then the next 5 years we gave it a different headlight lol
@@hpbuilds I'm wondering if that car is a late '87. Maybe they made the badge change a little prior to '88.
It could be. I have had very little time to focus on the car and learn everything about it. Just finished our last event of the year so we have a few months to spend on everything
Other than age related wear, the only two common trouble areas, through my research, are turbo heat and the T9 reliability, both can be addressed but I don’t know at what cost.
A lot lol no not really. Once we get started to really road course racing this car this year we are going to find the weakest links for sure!
Love this car I had one before very fun to drive!!!
It absolutely is. Even with low hp it is still very quick and nimble.
I almost bought a XR4TI back in High School like 2005 maybe. It was an auto. Pretty neat car but it smoked a bit lol
This one runs like a champ. Back in high-school my buddy had a 69 f100, I drove our 67 f300, I've always loved old cars. I could drive one everyday!
That’s awesome dude. Good stuff !
Thanks. Super cool car!
there is one in Victoria Canada.. Mint but swapped with a 302. almost 15 000$ Can
They are definitely pricey. We got lucky and got a deal on the car.
When these cars were new, Ford had a hard time selling these European Fords in America. The market was very lukewarm.😮
@@buckwheatINtheCity I know they didn't sell as many as they hoped for sure!! Thanks for watching!
Does the wings give it 5 more horsepower?
Absolutely!
Damn nice car. Most oem I have seen yet.
Kinda sad to have it get chopped up for a track car. But I get it.
Not chopping it up. Going to make a track car while leaving It alone as much as possible. Engine will be beefed up as well as suspension but interior won't change.
@hpbuilds fingers crossed.
See yah on the forums.
@@turboflush yes sir!!!
I bought a set of takeoff Mustang 5.0 LX wheels and tires from Saleen around 1987 sold the tires (didn't fit the Merkur correctly). Bought 205 -40-15's goodyears front with 235-50-15's Rear. with the FORD center caps like a (Ford Sierra). Installed an Intercooler and tinted headlight covers the car was Black with grey leather and stick. I had 2 Mazda RX-7's before this car. an 83 GSL which an Eldorado rolled me over and a 85 GSL that I traded to get the Merkur. ( Needed the room) I miss that car.
Mustang wheels would look interesting on these cars. How does the offset look?
@@hpbuilds The wheels were from the period and looked GREAT offset worked no clearance problems at all. needed lower profile fronts. The stance with the higher rears made it look real mean. My friend at the same time of my purchase bought an 85 Capri 5.0 also Black with the grey interior. His wheels were the ones we put on my car to check clearances..
@@hpbuilds Forgot to say mine was an 85 which came with 14" wheels Kinda ugly ones with all the holes in them
Also one of my dreams
Yes sir. Super cool car. Especially for 1987!! So glad he had it and I get to borrow it😉😉
@@hpbuilds seriously tho . Man they are great even for today you can’t really beat it as far as cool sports car goes . I have a vision for one I’m going to chop up a 88 escort gt and xr4ti and merge the 2 so I can make my own xr3i
@harryfp1494 sounds like a good amount of work! Having this car for a while now we are learning there is a lot of German over engineering. We will be trying to make the engine bay a little simpler in time but as of now we are just enjoying it!
@@hpbuilds lol yeah I can totally see that but thankfully it’s a 1987 so it’s easy to make it look cleaner . Maybe even running it on haltech or mega squirt ecu eventually
@@harryfp1494 I'm not sure if we will go that far but we will see what the future holds
Did that woman drive 18 hours? Because he kept hugging her as if she did. If anyone deserved a hug it was you bro!
That woman bought the car lol I get to drive it whenever I want and that's good enough for me 🤷♂️
It is a fun little car. Unfortunately, I wrapped mine around a tree acting like a 19 year old when I *was* a 19 year old in '93.@@hpbuilds
Check if your pops would like to buy my 4 door Scorpio merkur 1988 125000 miles still runs
I can ask but we just got a 97 f350 with 108k and a 99 porche boxter with 50k to flip. We are running out of room🤣🤣
Mare-coor.
Yeah I've been corrected a few times🤣 I do love that yotube translated that to "big heart". That car definitely doesn't a big heart lol
Its my dreamcar too... I will bring one to Europe one day. I've had an XR4i..
Please don't autocross it.. I would never tune and change a clean one as this
I promise the car will only become nicer! New suspension, another set of wheels and tires, and beef up the engine a bit. Go look on my channel and see the other 3 we have !