Hey - There's my car! Can't wait to read all the comments that take this way too seriously. Oh yeah, my radio was stolen a week before Matt drove the car. That's a great look into what Merkur ownership is like in a nutshell. Thanks again Matt for having me back on for a second one-take.
andrewaul don't know if the keys are the same over there but on a European sierra you could pretty much open them with any ford key...probably one of the most stolen cars in Britain in the 80s and 90s...
andrewaul Awesome car! Found two on CL being sold as a pair I was seriously considering a little while ago but didn't have anywhere to store them...wish I didnt back out. Best of luck with yours.
I can tell you from experience that you can open and start the car with the handle of a tea spoon or a popsicle stick. Also let me correct you, one of the most stolen cars in Europe.
Average condition is 25 to 50K even for the normal RS version or the Sapphire version. This Mercur and the Sierra Cosworth may share the same chassis, but the suspension is worlds apart.
I had an XR4Ti as my first high school "car" (meaning not a truck or Jeep) and I loved that thing so much. Got the car, engine, and transmission separately from the junkyard and put it together. We eventually turned it into a field beater and testing platform. I did eventually get sick of trying to ask for parts at O'Reillys and they'd consistently think I was just mispronouncing "Mercury" rather than actually just selecting "Merkur" from their computer screen.
As a long-time viewer from New Zealand, this has to be one of my favourite reviews you've done TST. As the owner of the euro version of this car - the Sierra XR4i, it was delightful to see the American one reviewed. Our car, a 1984 XR4i has the 2.8L V6 with fuel injection. Bags of torque, meaning when you pick the wrong gear, you can still get away with it! Andrew sounds like a passionate owner & should be proud of his car.
Adam Leask Thanks for chiming in! This car holds more sentimental value for me than any other physical object in the world. I know what it is (as well as what it isn't) but it just has that "it" factor that makes me want to never let it go again.
Love this thing, hearkens back to the 80s touring car days when the Ford RS500s dominated BTCC etc. Amazing car that was, props to the owner for having something unique even if it is a shadow of what the Ford was. Too bad it is nowhere near an RS500 in performance, but much better than all the Corollas and Civics out there. This car has character, and that is what counts.
If it wasn't for the Merkur XR4Ti program that won BTCC in 1985, there would be no Ford Sierra RS or RS500. *I don't think casual people understand that.* If the Merkur failed racing in 1985, the XR4TI program was likely done in America and the Ford Sierra Cosworth programs were shelved indefinitely. _That's how much was riding on the Merkur's success in racing._ Stock for stock, XR4Ti wasn't far off (175hp/200lb.ft v 224hp/203lb.ft). Same Ford 909 Motorsport chassis. It was never designed to be what the flagship homologated RS500 became. Thankfully, with the aftermarket...the playing field can be *easily* leveled. 😎
I had an 89 for twelve years and loved it. The Pinto (Lima) derived four banger was a coarse cob of an engine, but the rest of the car was very nice. I don't remember any shift lever spring-loading problem. It might be just this car's transmission. Note I didn't abuse my XR4ti to any extent. It was mostly an everyday driver and a fine GT for me. The factory Recaros in my car were fantastic. The car also fit quite tall people very well. And the hatchback layout was efficient as well. Too bad that pathetic of an excuse for a Ford executive Jack Nasser abandoned that car (as in parts support) as soon as possible. Mine was black with those mesh style BBS wheels. A pain to clean but they also looked great. Eventually sold the car to be replaced with a family 4-door, but I have fond memories of my Merkur XR4ti.
crazy both of you say that, because I was looking to buy one and seriously couldn’t find one. I guess later down the road it’d be worth importing a RS cosworth...
My buddy had a Cosworth when he grew up in Europe and bought a XR4Ti when he moved here. I've wanted one ever since. I'm trying to find one or at very least an SVO mustang. I'm thinking a modern 2.3 ecoboost build would be sick.
I had an 87 from new. A hidden gem, back in the day. Quirky styling, but very functional. The 5s on mine was ok, mine defaulted to the 3-4 gate. The 1st to 2nd shift was slow, due to the synchronization being slow. 3, 4, 5 was normal and quick. Hot rodded mine with help from Rapido Group. SVO intercooler kit Borla ss exhaust Suspension kit. Rear disc kit Sierra grille and badges. Wicked good fun.😊 Fast, fun, and cheap to buy back then.
If you get to drive a Cosworth bear in mind almost no one left them at the stock 200ish BHP, 250-300 makes them much more fun. There is a rumour that the prototype came back from Cosworth with 300BHP but ford had them detune it for the mass market as they knew it would still sell and the Cossies are lunatic on damp roads like we get here most of the year.
Glad he got it back. I loved these too, because they were different. I test drove one after a Saab 900 T, another "different"car. Never could afford either, since I was a young man. I remember the salesman, being an ex-race car guy, too me for the drive of my live. After he was done, I remember thinking, "man, after this guys torture test, I don't want this anymore" He had told me that he had had similar rides with this car during the week.
I regret not buying one of these for $800 like 10 years back. It was abandoned at a local shop after the lady had the turbo replaced and couldn't pay for it. It had 80k miles on it and was in very good condition.
love the guys passion and enthusiasm. love these builds, i had a 92 nissan pulsar and it definitely had a unique feel which i missed when i let it go. The boxey shape and good visibility due to bad aerodynamics made it even better joy to drive
Had an '85 for a while and it was the best riding car I've owned. The T-5 swap is fairly easy and greatly improves the shifting. These engines put out big power with some tuning but the brakes are sketchy and a four-wheel disc swap is essential.
Saw one xr4i, european here in Poland for around 1500$. I am stupid I didn't bought it. 2,9 cosworth engine, 4x4, manual. Great 90s looks. Was quite complete and in working condition. Would do great classic even now and a fun car. Just imagine winter awd sliding all day long. My buddy bought one beater wagon rwd 2,0 for few hundred bucks few years ago. He had it on a small reacetrack twice a week. Learned drifting, ended up out of the track every week. Beater is beater. Then he sold it for the same money he bought it. It doesn't came cheaper to have some fun.
Always liked these cars even around car guys in the late 90's no one knew what these were. I drove a 5 speed Thunderbird Turbo Coupe back in the day so I loved these and the SVO Mustang. The 2.3 turbo is a strong engine can take lots of boost for an American 4 banger from the mid 80s it ended up being pretty decent. This strange looking car looks even better with the badges deleted and the rims this one has looks awesome. The dual plane wing is great too! It's almost as ridiculous as the whale tail! Can't wait to see a Ford Sierra RS Cosworth on here!
My grandfather owned 6 merkurs at one time. We have three red 89s left in the family. I learned stick of these cars at 14. I don't think they're too bad
Never have I clicked on a TST video so fast. Also, those seats def look like early SHO seats just reupholstered slightly! SHO seats are easily one of my favorite seats in any automobile.
The 80's wasn't the best time for good driving cars in the U.S. The fact that Ford tried to sell the Sierra at all to begin with and that we got SOMETHING was pretty surprising. The turbo lima has its perks, all things considered. A euro powerplant would have been the best, but you have to consider that warranty support and servicing would have been challenging with an engine that saw no other use in the U.S. A turbo version of a common engine made them easy to service and keep running in this country.
Over here in the UK, the XR4i came equipped with the "Cologne" 2.8 V6, same engine that was in the Granada & Capri rated at about 160 BHP. If memory serves Ford slapped the V6 into the Sierra to try to boost sales in Europe after it replaced the Cortina, same problem you guys in the U.S. had with the Taurus. And like the Taurus it also appears in Robocop, Ford pulled out all the stops to try to make them both cool.
nice car! the euro XR4i that we got had a 12v 2.8L V6. exact same bodystyle. it competed head on with the bmw 323i. Later we got the cossie which was a homologation special that got upgraded to the rs500 always a 3dr bodystyle without the weird C-pillar that the us-xr4ti and euro xr4i had . These 2WD cossie were very quick (low drag, good aero)and very succesfull in touringcar racing all over the world, notably in Australia where the Sierra cossie took over from the Volvo 240turbo, the jag XJS and the Rover SD1 vitesse. The winning streak of the Sierra was over when the Nissan Skyline came with it's V6 turbo AWD setup. Ford also made a AWD sierra cossie , this always had a 4dr sedan/saloon bodystyle and it became a succesful grA rallycar. it was the successor of the grB RS200 rally missile that used basically the same cossie engine block. sadly grB was banned. That's why Ford continued rallying with the Sierra.
The were pretty cool cars when new. My dad test drove one from the New Orleans auto show in '86. For its day it ran pretty good. Dad was impressed. He almost bought one but he ended up buying an '87 Formula Firebird with 5 speed. If this was my car the 1st thing I would do is do a 2.0 or 2.3 Ecoboost swap. Suspension and brakes too. Hell the Mustang 3.7 V6 would be a sweet engine for this car.
Back when I was in college, 88 thru 92, a roommate of mine bought one of these... I think it was '90 or '91 when he bought it... It was an '85 model -- the first year available -- and it was the most unreliable p.o.s. ever!! It was in the shop more than he drove it... It amazes me how many "car guys" have no clue whatsoever what these cars are. To me, it's just another crazy car from the '80s. LOL.
When I was 17 I imported a Cosworth engine block from the UK which came in pieces. I purchased the auto mechanics Cosworth Pinto conversion book and my mechanic at the time went ahead to take the car apart and put the new engine in. My Merkur converted Cossie had 290BHP and burned rubber. I spent all my money I had saved at that time in my life on that car. 1 year later while I left it parked for school. We had a wind storm which blew a tree down and crushed my car. :-( RIP the only Cosworth I knew off that was in Canada. My car was the 1985 Version with the large spoilers and fully loaded with power everything.
I rented one for 10 days decades ago when I was honeymooning in Nova Scotia and it was a blast to drive in spite of Canada's insanely low speed limits. I was told that the Canadian version was stronger than the one available in the US, but I don't know if that's true. Regardless, I've wanted one ever since. Great vid! Thanks for the memories!
Yeah, I used to own one of those through college and adulthood in the late 80s to 1995. Drove across country twice in it. Delivered pizza with it (and got in an accident ugh). Sold it with around 115K miles. Lotta great memories.
Ford increase the top speed by going to the single spoiler, they changed the rear quarter window trim to aid aerodynamics. Nice to see a new X-eratti video.
My first car was an '87, but it had a 3 speed auto. When it crapped out we had a shift kit put in. It was terrible to drive on the highway with the revs sitting around 3000-3500 RPM at 65 mph, resulting in about 15 mpg. That said, it probably needed a tune up because it spit and spattered constantly, but I would "clear its throat" by giving it some boost. The old school turbo tech means the engine is gutless until the boost comes on, which made it almost comical to drive with the shift kit (giving it the impression of speed). One time the tail pipe fell off in a parking lot (rust, lots of it), so we used that as an excuse to install Magnaflows. The body roll was very real, the clear coat was gone, and it had those weird ass 8 spoke rims. I sure miss it. I look for it on CL from time to time.
This time you did a good job shifting. When my bro had one I used to run out second, ease into fourth, then to third if needed. Our grandpa finally built him a shifter gate that mounted to the floor on both sides of the console.
There's a gentleman in the Portland, Or area who brought his sierra cosworth with him from Europe when he moved here. Met him at cars and coffee. Awesome car!
I am 47 so I remember these when they were new. I fell in love with them at 16 and it was the weird wing that drew me in. It probably be more trouble than it is worth but this car would be fantastic with the fiesta st motor in it
I had 2. The fist was a 1985 with the dual wing. It made me a mechanic because I had to repair something almost every day. I remember one night i got off work at 9:30, drove home 45 mins., changed the head gasket so I ca go to work the next day. It was snowing and I am Jamaican.
1710 Glob Squad you can buy the 2.3 ecoboost as a crate with electronics. the old 2.3 cost more to hop up than you think. not to mention it's all iron and weighs as much as an aluminum headed pushrod 5.0.
Interesting to see the XR4TI here. I remember being a kid in the US seeing them and was always interested to know what they were about. Unfortunately they are totally different beast to a Cosworth. A Cosworth had the T5 box, a much better and crisper suspension setup along with bigger more responsive breaks. I'm pretty sure they had an LSD too. As standard they only had just over 200bhp but to chip it to 300bhp was easily done and the engine was capable of so much more. All in all it means that if you did the same road test with any of the Cosworth variants you'd find a totally different machine!
My uncle had an early model (red and grey two tone and the biplane wing) back in the late 90's - early 2000's out in California that was pushing 20+ PSI....was fast as hell and I wanted it, car got crushed by a tree the year before I got my licence and couldn't bring it back to NH. For all its quirks it would have been hilarious to drive and screw with all my friends who had civics and shit.
I've been waiting forever to see a Merk on One Take! Glad to see Matt wasn't too harsh in his criticism, and that he enjoyed it. Now get a damn T5 in that thing, stat! Or at least a BAT shifter. You can make a T9 dance if you want to, as long as the music's not too fast.
merkurman So this car has a BAT short shifter in it. I suspect the one bushing has been messed up for at least the last 8 years. That said, I have no problem finding third or any other gear for that matter. It's unintuitive, but if you know where to place it it's fine.
I'm from the UK, I have a mate who has a 1986 XR4i on a C reg (for the UK peeps lol), with the original numbers matching, chassis, engine and gearbox. He paid £400 for it and it came with loads of spares :) It has a few rust issues which is being sorted, and has the 'cracked' dashboard that always happens. Not sure which V6 it has in it, think it's the 2.8 Litre but this 2.3 turbo sounds awesome :D
I bought one of the last ones made for USA. Ford gave me a 4500 rebate (lol) and the dealer took 3000 right off the sticker. It was almost free! Lol There was married couple in Washington State (Rapido Motor) who sold tons of aftermarket stuff for cheap. Bottom line: it only cost me 1700 in mods to get the car to 225hp and 230tq @ 18 pounds off boost. I rolled the rear fenders and the plastic fascia right back the car. Was able to fit 275’s in the rear w/ room to spare. I’m not sure what other owners were doing but I was running mid 14’s and I probably got to 60 or 62 in 6 secs on a cool dry day.
I am sure those are the seats out of the old Ford Granada (one car up the food chain in Europe). Really comfy and really heavy. Great video and brings back find memories of the XR4i. Hard to imagine how radical that looked back in the day. That double wing at the back was otherworldly.
The Merkur was known as the 'Sierra' in the UK. Top end models were race tuned by Cosworth engineering. A Sierra Cosworth or 'Cossie' was a revered car in the UK in the 80's and early 90's. 2nd only to the famed Vauxhall Carlton Lotus, a car that was so fast the govt wanted it banned as the media hype was that no police car could catch one.
Matt, you hit it on the head exactly. You now NEED to drive the full on Euro spec Sierra Cosworth RS, which, if I remember, came factory with a T5 trans; AND JUST LOOK SO MUCH BETTER !!
I remember these well.They sold them at Mercury dealers. Drove one in the late 80's, loved everything (RWD) but the price. I bought an MX6 Turbo W/4 wheel steer. But the Merkur was a great car.
As a proud Brit I take issue with that being ‘the worst named car in history’… Much worse names have come from our part of the world… predominately in the 1970s! Great video! Loved it
I was always intrigued by these back in the day. There were a few of them around the town where I grew up and I never knew what to make of them. Were they cool? Were they weird? Were they just bizarre and enigmatic? Why yes, to all three!
Miss mine..had two first one auto was ok.. But grounding hooked..the second one saw a add in the old car week!y magazines. It had super low miles test drove it with two manual stick lessons under my belt.. purchased it and drove a hour home..my first five speed.. Took it to local car shows.. Had fun with it.. Had a 500 watt custom audio system that was thing.. The gear box sucked.. But a good car to learn on.. Did a lot of repairs myself.. Super easy to work on.. Sucked in snow.. Off the road a lot lol.. Sold it to a friend who did put the intercooler in it.. Ran it many many years after.. Quirky car.. Fun.. whateverhappendto the merkur that broke the land speed record?
I like these videos were you get a interesting car and a owner that can tell a great story about owning the car like the guy with the MR2 with a v6 swap
My grandfather has Ford Sierra saphire 1.8CL, 89hp. On of last carburatored cars, and it shoukd use lead fuel. Even to this day it can do 200km/h. Gearbox is heavy but very positive, steering is great and it is super comfortable.
The Bi-Wing Rear Spoiler is the best feature. The Euro version of this car (Ford Sierra RS Cosworth) was a Rally Hero way back before Subaru WRX or the Mitsubishi Evo.
my dad had one when we was kids his had a garret upgrade and methanol injection on it with custom svo cam, header, open vented Westgate through the fender well he made his own frame ties and did a bunch of brake and suspension upgrades it ran a best of 11.80 in the quarter and he roadraced it twice a year after a club of guys invited him to bring it the kid he sold it to whipped it out in the rain and cut it in half with a telephone pull
I looked at one for sale about 17 years ago. We were saving for a house so I couldn't buy it. I wish I had taken it for a test drive though but I didn't want to fall in love with it. The guy collected them in various states of disrepair and sold completed ones.
Down here in south america we had the Sierra too (it was called Sierra i meant), my uncle had one, somehow the one on the video looks smaller (that might be just me) here it was easy the biggest car at the time, size wise, then the smaller version of it, the Escort, was similar looking but smaller body, the one in the video to my eyes looks somewhere in between those two, again i might be wrong since i was around 10 years old when i got to ride that car and it may have seem bigger than it actually was. Nice video Matt, keem em coming.
In South Africa we had the Sierra XR8 model with a 5l V8 from a US Ford Mustang. Only 250 were built so they are very rare and sell for a pretty penny.
Ah. The car that determined the fate of the past 30 years of my life. My parents bought one, and drove it off the lot in the winter of 88. Little did we know, they had the wrong tires on the car. That led to a car accident that changed things forever. My mother was permanently disabled from that accident. There was a lawsuit that took place soon after, but it fell through somehow. Since I was a child at the time, I don't recall the details of that. I do know that the dealership closed soon after that. After the accident and repairs, my father was still driving the car. I always thought it was cool; the white paint, the double spoilers, and the cool sounds it would make. Despite how cool the car was, it lived in the shop more than it did on the road. Over the years, I've contemplated getting one to tinker with. I understand this gentleman's attraction to the car. Life...
im sorry about what happen to your mom thats beyond fucked up.Personally in that case I would got rid of the car if it bothered her or reminded her of the accident...anyway Godbless.
my brother gave me his xr4ti for my 16th birthday that was sitting for a year because of a bad turbo and him moving. I ended up selling it for I think 400. been looking to find another. My brother also had a 69 camaro that he stripped down and redid everything just never put it back together. he sold it to a guy from Florida we are from PA for 2000. guy called him 3 days later asking if he had the yanko badges! he thought it was just a SS. Someone must off wanted a sleeper. he sold that one when I was around 10yrs old......
Alex Thompson haha yup had a few of these in the past, apparently they were advertised as fire proof and guess what mine caught fire! we had a moonstone grey rs500 also which I regrettably sold in 94
In Britain, the Ford Type 9 is commonly used in older cars as a five speed swap and to turn engines around for rear wheel drive. People use these behind Ford Zetec, Duratec, Vauxhall 16-valve red tops, Rover K-Series, etc.
The Ford Sierra RS Cosworth was first presented to the public at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1985, Cosworth YBD, 204 hp (1988-1989 5-speed Borg Warner T5 (1986-1989)
Dude. Matt. T5 with a Pro 5.0 is awesome. You can bang it all day long and it's smooth and takes it like a champ. Maybe don't powershift 3rd too much, and definitely not 4th ... but otherwise, they're not terrible like you say :) I mean, I know you've driven a lot of the "perfect" shifting cars, Porsche, S2000, etc., but the T5 with a Pro 5.0 isn't the worst by far :)
If you can actually find and review a Sierra Cosworth, the next one to do would definitely be the Escort Cosworth. The early ones you can import right now, and I saw one in person at a Cars & Coffee a few months ago. Such a cool car.
Matt is 100% correct when he says OneFord was the best thing that happened to Ford. No more crap iterations of the C170 Focus, an actual Fiesta, a Mondeo (Fusion) in their line up... That being said, "Merkur" was a PB&J name for a badge. Should have been sold as a Mercury outright, though in MURRICA, "Mercury" just meant "we're the poor man's Buick version of Ford" in the '80s
This reminds me of when I bought my Jeep J10. Had to drive 5 hours home with no 1st gear, and a 3rd gear that allowed you to go "past" 3rd into nothingness. Which then required pulling over, pulling the shifter out, and putting it back in place. So basically drove it with 2nd and 4th. That was a long drive home.
ok so i did some facebook research and it's probably not the same car, as this one lived on the complete other side of Pa, but it was the exact same color and in v. good condition
In 1984 a neighbor bought a brand new U.K. spec Sierra XR4i it looked fantastic back in the day. The XR4i had the fuel injected 2.8 V6 and could do about 130mph. I wonder what the South African/Australian versions can do with the 5.0 V8😀
Hey - There's my car! Can't wait to read all the comments that take this way too seriously.
Oh yeah, my radio was stolen a week before Matt drove the car. That's a great look into what Merkur ownership is like in a nutshell.
Thanks again Matt for having me back on for a second one-take.
andrewaul I'm in love with the 2.3 turbo. Your car is clean and nice. Why don't you Rally the car out???
andrewaul don't know if the keys are the same over there but on a European sierra you could pretty much open them with any ford key...probably one of the most stolen cars in Britain in the 80s and 90s...
Daniel fenderson "Rally the car out" doesn't sound like a good way to keep it "clean and nice."
andrewaul Awesome car! Found two on CL being sold as a pair I was seriously considering a little while ago but didn't have anywhere to store them...wish I didnt back out. Best of luck with yours.
I can tell you from experience that you can open and start the car with the handle of a tea spoon or a popsicle stick. Also let me correct you, one of the most stolen cars in Europe.
Merkurs were ahead of their time stateside. I fell in love with cars after a ride in an XR4 as a child.
The prices they fetch in Europe would make you weep!
I love how accepting of the car's flaws the owner is. You can tell he really likes it.
Sierra RS500 Cosworth was the ultimate sierra back in the 80's and going for crazy money these days
The 500's have always been pricey.
boothegoo pc ive seen a few going for £75,000-£100,000 here in the uk
buckleyjteams I have as well, even average condition ones go for crazy money.
Average condition is 25 to 50K even for the normal RS version or the Sapphire version.
This Mercur and the Sierra Cosworth may share the same chassis, but the suspension is worlds apart.
also the uk\euro vesion had a 2.0 twin cam engine with the massive Turbo, the pinto engine was a piece of crap
I had an XR4Ti as my first high school "car" (meaning not a truck or Jeep) and I loved that thing so much. Got the car, engine, and transmission separately from the junkyard and put it together. We eventually turned it into a field beater and testing platform. I did eventually get sick of trying to ask for parts at O'Reillys and they'd consistently think I was just mispronouncing "Mercury" rather than actually just selecting "Merkur" from their computer screen.
As a long-time viewer from New Zealand, this has to be one of my favourite reviews you've done TST. As the owner of the euro version of this car - the Sierra XR4i, it was delightful to see the American one reviewed. Our car, a 1984 XR4i has the 2.8L V6 with fuel injection. Bags of torque, meaning when you pick the wrong gear, you can still get away with it! Andrew sounds like a passionate owner & should be proud of his car.
Adam Leask Thanks for chiming in! This car holds more sentimental value for me than any other physical object in the world. I know what it is (as well as what it isn't) but it just has that "it" factor that makes me want to never let it go again.
Love this thing, hearkens back to the 80s touring car days when the Ford RS500s dominated BTCC etc. Amazing car that was, props to the owner for having something unique even if it is a shadow of what the Ford was. Too bad it is nowhere near an RS500 in performance, but much better than all the Corollas and Civics out there. This car has character, and that is what counts.
If it wasn't for the Merkur XR4Ti program that won BTCC in 1985, there would be no Ford Sierra RS or RS500. *I don't think casual people understand that.* If the Merkur failed racing in 1985, the XR4TI program was likely done in America and the Ford Sierra Cosworth programs were shelved indefinitely. _That's how much was riding on the Merkur's success in racing._
Stock for stock, XR4Ti wasn't far off (175hp/200lb.ft v 224hp/203lb.ft). Same Ford 909 Motorsport chassis. It was never designed to be what the flagship homologated RS500 became. Thankfully, with the aftermarket...the playing field can be *easily* leveled. 😎
I had an 89 for twelve years and loved it. The Pinto (Lima) derived four banger was a coarse cob of an engine, but the rest of the car was very nice. I don't remember any shift lever spring-loading problem. It might be just this car's transmission. Note I didn't abuse my XR4ti to any extent. It was mostly an everyday driver and a fine GT for me. The factory Recaros in my car were fantastic. The car also fit quite tall people very well. And the hatchback layout was efficient as well. Too bad that pathetic of an excuse for a Ford executive Jack Nasser abandoned that car (as in parts support) as soon as possible.
Mine was black with those mesh style BBS wheels. A pain to clean but they also looked great. Eventually sold the car to be replaced with a family 4-door, but I have fond memories of my Merkur XR4ti.
There's a guy at autocross near me that regularly runs one of these on slicks and a ton of mods. Super cool car!
True story..I had a "friend" that read the "XR4Ti" badge as a word pronouncing it Zerrati.
I just saw this same car at a cars and coffee and have been looking for one ever since and now you just reviewed one! Super Unique car
Boosted Nurse yeah,but if you want parts you have to find another one to buy,last car i would buy in america
crazy both of you say that, because I was looking to buy one and seriously couldn’t find one. I guess later down the road it’d be worth importing a RS cosworth...
My buddy had a Cosworth when he grew up in Europe and bought a XR4Ti when he moved here. I've wanted one ever since. I'm trying to find one or at very least an SVO mustang. I'm thinking a modern 2.3 ecoboost build would be sick.
Boosted Nurse Ebay has a cool one $500 bucks
I had an 87 from new. A hidden gem, back in the day. Quirky styling, but very functional.
The 5s on mine was ok, mine defaulted to the 3-4 gate. The 1st to 2nd shift was slow, due to the synchronization being slow. 3, 4, 5 was normal and quick.
Hot rodded mine with help from Rapido Group.
SVO intercooler kit
Borla ss exhaust
Suspension kit.
Rear disc kit
Sierra grille and badges.
Wicked good fun.😊
Fast, fun, and cheap to buy back then.
If you get to drive a Cosworth bear in mind almost no one left them at the stock 200ish BHP, 250-300 makes them much more fun. There is a rumour that the prototype came back from Cosworth with 300BHP but ford had them detune it for the mass market as they knew it would still sell and the Cossies are lunatic on damp roads like we get here most of the year.
cossies are also legendare "Suddenly" have a blown engine. A buddy off mine has 2 cossies. both broken :O
But an awsome winter drifter =)
Glad he got it back. I loved these too, because they were different. I test drove one after a Saab 900 T, another "different"car. Never could afford either, since I was a young man. I remember the salesman, being an ex-race car guy, too me for the drive of my live. After he was done, I remember thinking, "man, after this guys torture test, I don't want this anymore" He had told me that he had had similar rides with this car during the week.
I regret not buying one of these for $800 like 10 years back. It was abandoned at a local shop after the lady had the turbo replaced and couldn't pay for it. It had 80k miles on it and was in very good condition.
Martin Quin saw one last month with pretty much original and mint at the junkyard for 1.5k
This one is a little beat, but $600 rmn.craigslist.org/cto/d/85-ford-merkur-xr4ti/6575349865.html
Ahhhh, This is why I watch you, Matt. I LOVE the odd ball cars!
love the guys passion and enthusiasm. love these builds, i had a 92 nissan pulsar and it definitely had a unique feel which i missed when i let it go. The boxey shape and good visibility due to bad aerodynamics made it even better joy to drive
Had an '85 for a while and it was the best riding car I've owned. The T-5 swap is fairly easy and greatly improves the shifting. These engines put out big power with some tuning but the brakes are sketchy and a four-wheel disc swap is essential.
I had one exactly like this one. It was an awesome car. Nylon lock nuts and screws everywhere. Great mileage. Ran like a bat outta hell.
Cool owner.
Mike Bawakami right this guy knew what he had.
Mike Bawakami probably one of my favorite ones of this year just because of how genuine the owner was
Yeah he really.. Owns.
Had to.
Saw one xr4i, european here in Poland for around 1500$. I am stupid I didn't bought it. 2,9 cosworth engine, 4x4, manual. Great 90s looks. Was quite complete and in working condition. Would do great classic even now and a fun car. Just imagine winter awd sliding all day long.
My buddy bought one beater wagon rwd 2,0 for few hundred bucks few years ago. He had it on a small reacetrack twice a week. Learned drifting, ended up out of the track every week. Beater is beater. Then he sold it for the same money he bought it. It doesn't came cheaper to have some fun.
Always liked these cars even around car guys in the late 90's no one knew what these were. I drove a 5 speed Thunderbird Turbo Coupe back in the day so I loved these and the SVO Mustang. The 2.3 turbo is a strong engine can take lots of boost for an American 4 banger from the mid 80s it ended up being pretty decent. This strange looking car looks even better with the badges deleted and the rims this one has looks awesome. The dual plane wing is great too! It's almost as ridiculous as the whale tail! Can't wait to see a Ford Sierra RS Cosworth on here!
My grandfather owned 6 merkurs at one time. We have three red 89s left in the family. I learned stick of these cars at 14. I don't think they're too bad
I still love these cars👻👍
Me too.
There is a couple of us out there.
I loved these cars when they came out in the mid 80’s. I worked for a rental car company as a teenager and we drove these very hard.
Wish I could like this twice, I love Sierras!
Never have I clicked on a TST video so fast. Also, those seats def look like early SHO seats just reupholstered slightly! SHO seats are easily one of my favorite seats in any automobile.
The cosworth powered one we got in Europe was pretty cool... This one seems meh
i agree, this one is lame, the european spec sierra is MUCH MUCH better. even the ghia v6 is a very luxurious neat good car :)
mornadu u the one I need lol luv ur music
mornadu It's really because the huge open roads of the US allow focus way more on muscle cars, so cosworth engined cars weren't really necessary
this one was based off the sierra xr4i which was a step down from the cossie model :)
The 80's wasn't the best time for good driving cars in the U.S. The fact that Ford tried to sell the Sierra at all to begin with and that we got SOMETHING was pretty surprising. The turbo lima has its perks, all things considered. A euro powerplant would have been the best, but you have to consider that warranty support and servicing would have been challenging with an engine that saw no other use in the U.S. A turbo version of a common engine made them easy to service and keep running in this country.
Over here in the UK, the XR4i came equipped with the "Cologne" 2.8 V6, same engine that was in the Granada & Capri rated at about 160 BHP. If memory serves Ford slapped the V6 into the Sierra to try to boost sales in Europe after it replaced the Cortina, same problem you guys in the U.S. had with the Taurus. And like the Taurus it also appears in Robocop, Ford pulled out all the stops to try to make them both cool.
nice car! the euro XR4i that we got had a 12v 2.8L V6. exact same bodystyle. it competed head on with the bmw 323i. Later we got the cossie which was a homologation special that got upgraded to the rs500 always a 3dr bodystyle without the weird C-pillar that the us-xr4ti and euro xr4i had . These 2WD cossie were very quick (low drag, good aero)and very succesfull in touringcar racing all over the world, notably in Australia where the Sierra cossie took over from the Volvo 240turbo, the jag XJS and the Rover SD1 vitesse. The winning streak of the Sierra was over when the Nissan Skyline came with it's V6 turbo AWD setup. Ford also made a AWD sierra cossie , this always had a 4dr sedan/saloon bodystyle and it became a succesful grA rallycar. it was the successor of the grB RS200 rally missile that used basically the same cossie engine block. sadly grB was banned. That's why Ford continued rallying with the Sierra.
I had 1985 XR4TI no problems at all with shifter. I love the XR4Ti so much.
I remember seeing a new one of these as a kid. It was the bright orangeish red color and I fell in love with these cars.
The were pretty cool cars when new. My dad test drove one from the New Orleans auto show in '86. For its day it ran pretty good. Dad was impressed. He almost bought one but he ended up buying an '87 Formula Firebird with 5 speed. If this was my car the 1st thing I would do is do a 2.0 or 2.3 Ecoboost swap. Suspension and brakes too. Hell the Mustang 3.7 V6 would be a sweet engine for this car.
Back when I was in college, 88 thru 92, a roommate of mine bought one of these... I think it was '90 or '91 when he bought it... It was an '85 model -- the first year available -- and it was the most unreliable p.o.s. ever!! It was in the shop more than he drove it...
It amazes me how many "car guys" have no clue whatsoever what these cars are. To me, it's just another crazy car from the '80s. LOL.
This guy definitely works in IT
Yep it’s Zuck’s brother
WOW! this is a car that you just don't see anymore. I use to want one of these back in the day. very nice to see this thing.
When I was 17 I imported a Cosworth engine block from the UK which came in pieces. I purchased the auto mechanics Cosworth Pinto conversion book and my mechanic at the time went ahead to take the car apart and put the new engine in. My Merkur converted Cossie had 290BHP and burned rubber. I spent all my money I had saved at that time in my life on that car. 1 year later while I left it parked for school. We had a wind storm which blew a tree down and crushed my car. :-( RIP the only Cosworth I knew off that was in Canada. My car was the 1985 Version with the large spoilers and fully loaded with power everything.
Been waiting for this since I bought my Merkur..FINALLY!!!!!
I rented one for 10 days decades ago when I was honeymooning in Nova Scotia and it was a blast to drive in spite of Canada's insanely low speed limits. I was told that the Canadian version was stronger than the one available in the US, but I don't know if that's true. Regardless, I've wanted one ever since. Great vid! Thanks for the memories!
Yeah, I used to own one of those through college and adulthood in the late 80s to 1995. Drove across country twice in it. Delivered pizza with it (and got in an accident ugh). Sold it with around 115K miles. Lotta great memories.
Ford increase the top speed by going to the single spoiler, they changed the rear quarter window trim to aid aerodynamics.
Nice to see a new X-eratti video.
My first car was an '87, but it had a 3 speed auto. When it crapped out we had a shift kit put in. It was terrible to drive on the highway with the revs sitting around 3000-3500 RPM at 65 mph, resulting in about 15 mpg. That said, it probably needed a tune up because it spit and spattered constantly, but I would "clear its throat" by giving it some boost. The old school turbo tech means the engine is gutless until the boost comes on, which made it almost comical to drive with the shift kit (giving it the impression of speed). One time the tail pipe fell off in a parking lot (rust, lots of it), so we used that as an excuse to install Magnaflows. The body roll was very real, the clear coat was gone, and it had those weird ass 8 spoke rims.
I sure miss it. I look for it on CL from time to time.
This time you did a good job shifting. When my bro had one I used to run out second, ease into fourth, then to third if needed. Our grandpa finally built him a shifter gate that mounted to the floor on both sides of the console.
There's a gentleman in the Portland, Or area who brought his sierra cosworth with him from Europe when he moved here. Met him at cars and coffee. Awesome car!
I am 47 so I remember these when they were new. I fell in love with them at 16 and it was the weird wing that drew me in. It probably be more trouble than it is worth but this car would be fantastic with the fiesta st motor in it
I had 2. The fist was a 1985 with the dual wing. It made me a mechanic because I had to repair something almost every day. I remember one night i got off work at 9:30, drove home 45 mins., changed the head gasket so I ca go to work the next day. It was snowing and I am Jamaican.
Definitely one of the most oddball cars I've ever driven. Was psyched to see you did one in here
I had an 88 xr4ti. Fun car and lots of modifications to do. It would awesome to see a gen 1 or gen 2 turbo or supercharged Taurus SHO.
🤔🤔🤔🤔 that little car with a new 2.3L ecoboost swap! 🤔🤔🤔 interesting!!
Abel S550 GT you'd need a wrecked EB mustang. Not worth the cost over a built EFI 2.3 that could probably make similar or more horsepower.
1710 Glob Squad figured, good to know! 👍🏻👌🏻 dont know much about the efi 2.3's
1710 Glob Squad you can buy the 2.3 ecoboost as a crate with electronics. the old 2.3 cost more to hop up than you think. not to mention it's all iron and weighs as much as an aluminum headed pushrod 5.0.
Looptydude think there are a few places that sell complete swap kits harness, transmission and all
That gearbox is terrible (already at its torque limit) - you'd need a better one.
Interesting to see the XR4TI here. I remember being a kid in the US seeing them and was always interested to know what they were about. Unfortunately they are totally different beast to a Cosworth. A Cosworth had the T5 box, a much better and crisper suspension setup along with bigger more responsive breaks. I'm pretty sure they had an LSD too. As standard they only had just over 200bhp but to chip it to 300bhp was easily done and the engine was capable of so much more. All in all it means that if you did the same road test with any of the Cosworth variants you'd find a totally different machine!
My uncle had an early model (red and grey two tone and the biplane wing) back in the late 90's - early 2000's out in California that was pushing 20+ PSI....was fast as hell and I wanted it, car got crushed by a tree the year before I got my licence and couldn't bring it back to NH. For all its quirks it would have been hilarious to drive and screw with all my friends who had civics and shit.
I've been waiting forever to see a Merk on One Take! Glad to see Matt wasn't too harsh in his criticism, and that he enjoyed it. Now get a damn T5 in that thing, stat! Or at least a BAT shifter. You can make a T9 dance if you want to, as long as the music's not too fast.
merkurman So this car has a BAT short shifter in it. I suspect the one bushing has been messed up for at least the last 8 years. That said, I have no problem finding third or any other gear for that matter. It's unintuitive, but if you know where to place it it's fine.
People like this keep car culture alive
I'm from the UK, I have a mate who has a 1986 XR4i on a C reg (for the UK peeps lol), with the original numbers matching, chassis, engine and gearbox. He paid £400 for it and it came with loads of spares :)
It has a few rust issues which is being sorted, and has the 'cracked' dashboard that always happens. Not sure which V6 it has in it, think it's the 2.8 Litre but this 2.3 turbo sounds awesome :D
I bought one of the last ones made for USA.
Ford gave me a 4500 rebate (lol) and the dealer took 3000 right off the sticker.
It was almost free! Lol
There was married couple in Washington State (Rapido Motor) who sold tons of aftermarket stuff for cheap.
Bottom line: it only cost me 1700 in mods to get the car to 225hp and 230tq @ 18 pounds off boost.
I rolled the rear fenders and the plastic fascia right back the car. Was able to fit 275’s in the rear w/ room to spare.
I’m not sure what other owners were doing but I was running mid 14’s and I probably got to 60 or 62 in 6 secs on a cool dry day.
I am sure those are the seats out of the old Ford Granada (one car up the food chain in Europe). Really comfy and really heavy. Great video and brings back find memories of the XR4i. Hard to imagine how radical that looked back in the day. That double wing at the back was otherworldly.
The Merkur was known as the 'Sierra' in the UK. Top end models were race tuned by Cosworth engineering. A Sierra Cosworth or 'Cossie' was a revered car in the UK in the 80's and early 90's. 2nd only to the famed Vauxhall Carlton Lotus, a car that was so fast the govt wanted it banned as the media hype was that no police car could catch one.
Matt, you hit it on the head exactly. You now NEED to drive the full on Euro spec Sierra Cosworth RS, which, if I remember, came factory with a T5 trans; AND JUST LOOK SO MUCH BETTER !!
what a cool owner , very chill and knows what he has
Being an owner of gen3 Mr2 Turbo, these cars are gems, especially with Gen3 or Gen4 setup...
I remember these well.They sold them at Mercury dealers. Drove one in the late 80's, loved everything (RWD) but the price. I bought an MX6 Turbo W/4 wheel steer. But the Merkur was a great car.
Best owner ever! Thumbs up for Andrew
As a proud Brit I take issue with that being ‘the worst named car in history’…
Much worse names have come from our part of the world… predominately in the 1970s!
Great video! Loved it
I was always intrigued by these back in the day. There were a few of them around the town where I grew up and I never knew what to make of them. Were they cool? Were they weird? Were they just bizarre and enigmatic? Why yes, to all three!
My dad had a Ford Sierra when I was a child in 90s London, so I thought I was going mad when I saw the title with that thumbnail.
Miss mine..had two first one auto was ok.. But grounding hooked..the second one saw a add in the old car week!y magazines. It had super low miles test drove it with two manual stick lessons under my belt.. purchased it and drove a hour home..my first five speed.. Took it to local car shows.. Had fun with it.. Had a 500 watt custom audio system that was thing.. The gear box sucked.. But a good car to learn on.. Did a lot of repairs myself.. Super easy to work on.. Sucked in snow.. Off the road a lot lol.. Sold it to a friend who did put the intercooler in it.. Ran it many many years after.. Quirky car.. Fun.. whateverhappendto the merkur that broke the land speed record?
I like these videos were you get a interesting car and a owner that can tell a great story about owning the car like the guy with the MR2 with a v6 swap
My grandfather has Ford Sierra saphire 1.8CL, 89hp. On of last carburatored cars, and it shoukd use lead fuel.
Even to this day it can do 200km/h.
Gearbox is heavy but very positive, steering is great and it is super comfortable.
The Bi-Wing Rear Spoiler is the best feature. The Euro version of this car (Ford Sierra RS Cosworth) was a Rally Hero way back before Subaru WRX or the Mitsubishi Evo.
my dad had one when we was kids his had a garret upgrade and methanol injection on it with custom svo cam, header, open vented Westgate through the fender well he made his own frame ties and did a bunch of brake and suspension upgrades it ran a best of 11.80 in the quarter and he roadraced it twice a year after a club of guys invited him to bring it the kid he sold it to whipped it out in the rain and cut it in half with a telephone pull
I looked at one for sale about 17 years ago. We were saving for a house so I couldn't buy it. I wish I had taken it for a test drive though but I didn't want to fall in love with it. The guy collected them in various states of disrepair and sold completed ones.
Finally one of these are on here I have a 1986 ford merkur they are cool cars
Down here in south america we had the Sierra too (it was called Sierra i meant), my uncle had one, somehow the one on the video looks smaller (that might be just me) here it was easy the biggest car at the time, size wise, then the smaller version of it, the Escort, was similar looking but smaller body, the one in the video to my eyes looks somewhere in between those two, again i might be wrong since i was around 10 years old when i got to ride that car and it may have seem bigger than it actually was. Nice video Matt, keem em coming.
My dad use to own the same car back when I was a kid his was a 87 tho and blue. Probably the coolest car to me he ever had.
Sweet he listens too his fans, thanks.
...and this is how I found out the Merkur XR4TI is a Ford Sierra in drag. I guess we'll add that with an Ecoboost swap to my unobtainium wishlist!
In South Africa we had the Sierra XR8 model with a 5l V8 from a US Ford Mustang. Only 250 were built so they are very rare and sell for a pretty penny.
Ah. The car that determined the fate of the past 30 years of my life. My parents bought one, and drove it off the lot in the winter of 88. Little did we know, they had the wrong tires on the car. That led to a car accident that changed things forever. My mother was permanently disabled from that accident. There was a lawsuit that took place soon after, but it fell through somehow. Since I was a child at the time, I don't recall the details of that. I do know that the dealership closed soon after that. After the accident and repairs, my father was still driving the car. I always thought it was cool; the white paint, the double spoilers, and the cool sounds it would make. Despite how cool the car was, it lived in the shop more than it did on the road. Over the years, I've contemplated getting one to tinker with. I understand this gentleman's attraction to the car. Life...
im sorry about what happen to your mom thats beyond fucked up.Personally in that case I would got rid of the car if it bothered her or reminded her of the accident...anyway Godbless.
Isit Fast? Thanks. That car is long gone. In fact, I don't even know what happened to it.
Loved these cars. Great cars and so much potential out of the that 2.3.
my brother gave me his xr4ti for my 16th birthday that was sitting for a year because of a bad turbo and him moving. I ended up selling it for I think 400. been looking to find another. My brother also had a 69 camaro that he stripped down and redid everything just never put it back together. he sold it to a guy from Florida we are from PA for 2000. guy called him 3 days later asking if he had the yanko badges! he thought it was just a SS. Someone must off wanted a sleeper. he sold that one when I was around 10yrs old......
why not just call it a ford sierra?
Alex Thompson haha yup had a few of these in the past, apparently they were advertised as fire proof and guess what mine caught fire! we had a moonstone grey rs500 also which I regrettably sold in 94
ford didnt dare to put their name on it in the usa prob
Alex Thompson because GMC had the name "Sierra" under lock n key because of their truck, the Sierra 1500, 2500, etc.
YourBrother - You mean moonstone blue...😁
Alex Thompson - Probably because there were quite a few models...😁
In Britain, the Ford Type 9 is commonly used in older cars as a five speed swap and to turn engines around for rear wheel drive. People use these behind Ford Zetec, Duratec, Vauxhall 16-valve red tops, Rover K-Series, etc.
A shifter bushing would probably fix the shift issue. Cheap and easy fix. :-) I miss my XR.
The Ford Sierra RS Cosworth was first presented to the public at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1985, Cosworth YBD, 204 hp (1988-1989 5-speed
Borg Warner T5 (1986-1989)
Coolest owner ever.. Well maybe tied with Corbin.
Who’s Corbin? What car did he drive?
Dude. Matt. T5 with a Pro 5.0 is awesome. You can bang it all day long and it's smooth and takes it like a champ. Maybe don't powershift 3rd too much, and definitely not 4th ... but otherwise, they're not terrible like you say :) I mean, I know you've driven a lot of the "perfect" shifting cars, Porsche, S2000, etc., but the T5 with a Pro 5.0 isn't the worst by far :)
been waiting for him to review an xr4ti
Andrew, good job repping the XR4Ti!
I had an '88 also, very finicky and weird car but I really loved it. Sold it off to focus on my fox body but I miss that car a lot.
so glad to see this, always loved this car so much
If you can actually find and review a Sierra Cosworth, the next one to do would definitely be the Escort Cosworth. The early ones you can import right now, and I saw one in person at a Cars & Coffee a few months ago. Such a cool car.
had a lift in a brand new sapphire rs and will never forget the stuck in the seat feeling that gave me.
I remember these as a kid growing up. Now working alongside older techs all I here is stay away, what a mess those were and the Capri FWD as well. lol
Matt is 100% correct when he says OneFord was the best thing that happened to Ford. No more crap iterations of the C170 Focus, an actual Fiesta, a Mondeo (Fusion) in their line up...
That being said, "Merkur" was a PB&J name for a badge. Should have been sold as a Mercury outright, though in MURRICA, "Mercury" just meant "we're the poor man's Buick version of Ford" in the '80s
This reminds me of when I bought my Jeep J10. Had to drive 5 hours home with no 1st gear, and a 3rd gear that allowed you to go "past" 3rd into nothingness. Which then required pulling over, pulling the shifter out, and putting it back in place. So basically drove it with 2nd and 4th. That was a long drive home.
Haha! At 8.15, Matt liked the "sneeze" term for turbo being recirculated.
I"ve seen this car in Bethlehem, PA YEARS ago. it used to park near my parent's house sometimes and i loved weird cars even then,
ok so i did some facebook research and it's probably not the same car, as this one lived on the complete other side of Pa, but it was the exact same color and in v. good condition
Kowalskithegreat haha, yeah that wasn't me. But any Merkur sighting is a good Merkur sighting!
my love to cars began with my dads paris blue 1985 sierra 2.0 GL when i was a child
that was really a great car
is that an e39 rear at 13:33?
In 1984 a neighbor bought a brand new U.K. spec Sierra XR4i it looked fantastic back in the day. The XR4i had the fuel injected 2.8 V6 and could do about 130mph. I wonder what the South African/Australian versions can do with the 5.0 V8😀