They were common in the UK as the Sierra. They came with 1.6, 1.8, 2.0 four cylinder OHC 'Pinto' engines. Also 2.3 V6 'Cologne'. The 'performance' ones were XR4i and XR4x4 (4WD), Fitted with 2.8 V6 'Cologne'. Range topper was the Sierra RS Cosworth, which had a 2.0 four cylinder turbocharged engine and was available in RWD or 4WD.
I’m not sold on those doors but that rear cantilever suspension is pretty impressive! Sounds pretty nice! That small block should be good for way more than 5grand! 👍
10:01 Merkur was an in-house Ford-Europe brand. It wasn't a third party that just used Ford parts like De Tomaso or Shelby. The original motor was the 2.3L SOHC inline 4 built in Ford's Lima Ohio plant. Ford used that engine a lot from the 70s to the 90s in Pinto, Fairmont, Capri, Mustang, Ranger, Bronco II, Thunderbird Turbo coupe, etc. It was also cast and assembled in Brazil from the 70s to the 2000s and used in a lot of products in Europe and South America. Obviously not as exciting as a V8, but the 2.3L Lima was Ford's first belt driven overhead cam engine. They're really bullet proof, if a little unrefined.
@@cliveking6333 I've also owned a 2.0 (narrow bore) and a 2.5 (bored & stroked) version in various Rangers. I'm kinda lusting after the Cosworth 16 valve version though 🤤
@@dwaynepenner2788 Indeed. They were (are?) a spec motor for classes of midget sprint race cars popular in the US. Street car & truck guys routinely get 400HP out of them on stock bottom ends.
In the UK its a Ford Sierra, in South Africa you could get them with a 302 V8 marketed as the XR8. But most folks in the US and Canaderp would probably recognise it as a Merkur XR4Ti.
I worked for Budget rent a car when they came out. They would loose all power when driving. They had one shut down on I5 in Seattle with a customer. This was the 5th car to shut down. Budget pulled them out of the fleet and sold them off.
When I was a kid of the 1980s I'd read about these in car and driver magazine. I knew about these although the 5.0 mustang and IROC scene was taking over. They just seemed to Europe and cool. Like the turbo mustang and thunderbird. A "smarter" performance car. More sophisticated. The local town doctor, dentist, or real estate guy would always have one and he could be seen buying wine or weird bread from the grocery store bakery and would wear a smoking jacket or go to Hell hat.
Must be hard to get a cell signal down there! What are you doing 2000' underground? Seems like it would be a little hot down there! That's like close to the magma huh?
the XR4Ti this car stareted out in life as was basically a European Sierra XR4i with the 2.8i V6 engine pulled out and replaced with a 2.3 litre turbocharged 'pinto' (as the OHC engines are known) engine in its place, which makes similar power to a stock cosworth engine. the XR4i similarity runs down to basically the SAME bodykit, rear spoiler and the double side rear quarterlight windows.
angle iron on the pedal, I need that on my turd box car. more than once I have whacked the brake pedal hard trying to clutch.. that is great at all times. NOPE. I have also got my boot and foot stuck under brake pedal on old Chevrolet full size vans(some cars too) more then once and had to left foot stomp the brakes and smash my right foot and I BROKE BONES a few times. also bent the steering wheel outwards. no I am not a big glandular goon fella. lol
In South Africa, it was a Ford XR8. Wonderful even stock form, but prohibitively expensive. 5L V8 5Speed AirCon P/S. For it’s day, all the bells! Beautiful machine.
A ford sierra, very popular in europa. I have had many, 3 doors, 5 doors and wagons. They came with rwd or 4wd, a 1.6 or 2.0 four cylinder or, a 2.3, 2.8 or a 2.9 v6 engine, and it was carb or efi or k-jet. Cosworth was a nice option, it was called a 911 and m3 killer at the time.
So I’m like 3/4 of the way through the video and I’m just now realizing that me being an American 45 year-old male from Texas knowing exactly what that car used to be and what it used to look like makes me a rarity. I feel special now and I don’t special short bus special.😂
I'm watching this, got to 13 minutes, and then just remembered that I've owned not one but two UK Ford Sierras. Truly forgetable cars. I like this one though!
The German Murkur was a 300 HP rally car, with a removable body, for working on it fast. They were civilized for north America, down to 2wd, and had trans issues , . Cool cars originally
Its pronounced Mare-coor in the US. Ive never heard it pronounced Merker. That 2.3 was a Pinto motor, with a turbo added. They also put it in the Thunderbird Turbo Coupe. Puddins Fab Shop is putting a 2.3 Turbo from a T Bird Turbo Coupe intoo a ex U Haul mini truck Ford Courier ( which stock came with the non turbo 2.3 from the Pinto)
I was deployed to Alberta Canada in 2010 and tried to buy a 2.3 turbo Merkur. The seller was super difficult so it never happened. Really annoyed me I couldn't own that car.
They were called a Sierra everywhere else in the world except North America because GM had the rights to the Sierra name. The Merkur name came about because Ford imported them through Mercury dealers but used the German translation, Merkur, to separate it from the Mercury brand.
Ford sierra, common as muck here in the past, came out of Dagenham ford plant, a mere 5 miles from me here. Strangely enough, not many on the roads and more.
@@1chish Well, yes, the "cam is in the head" but it's also an overhead cam or SOHC engine. The 2.3L Lima I4 used in the US Merkur XR4Ti (also Mustang SVO and Thunderbird Turbocoupe) was a Single Overhead Cam engine with a belt drive and crossflow cylinder head. The cams drove finger followers suspended on hydraulic tappets to actuate the valves. The important thing is there are no pushrods like a cam-in-block motor. No pushrod holes means better intake and exhaust port routing. No rocker arms means less friction. The design makes for a very reliable longblock. Of all the Pinto motors I've owned, I've never needed to service the valvetrain other than replacing timing belts.
@@1chish No, you are somehow both pedantic and wrong. Ford literally stamps "SOHC" on motors like the later Cologne V6 that have roller followers. The term was used back in the '60s for the "SOHC 427" that had followers to actuate intake and exhaust valves that were in different planes with a single top mounted, chain driven camshaft per head.
Rocker arm. Some dumba$$ said cantilever suspension on social media and now every nitwit says it. Cantilever is a support structure not a moving system.
Merkur, not Mercury. Enthusiasts back in the day were disappointed they didn't bring over the Cosworth engine. These cars with the Cossie were rallied a lot in Europe.
They were common in the UK as the Sierra.
They came with 1.6, 1.8, 2.0 four cylinder OHC 'Pinto' engines. Also 2.3 V6 'Cologne'.
The 'performance' ones were XR4i and XR4x4 (4WD), Fitted with 2.8 V6 'Cologne'.
Range topper was the Sierra RS Cosworth, which had a 2.0 four cylinder turbocharged engine and was available in RWD or 4WD.
In Canada it was a 2.3 turbo shared from the Thunderbird. XR4 Ti - great legroom for the tall
In Europe the car was called a Sierra
It was renamed i belive because gmc had the sierra nameplate
I don't think the bulkhead wasn't that far forward either
We had them here in New Zealand, they were a sierra cosworth all wheel drive, a really nice car
@@rcaddict69 yes!
In Aussie too - they actually raced them briefly in the Touring car series here.
I’m not sold on those doors but that rear cantilever suspension is pretty impressive! Sounds pretty nice! That small block should be good for way more than 5grand! 👍
10:01 Merkur was an in-house Ford-Europe brand. It wasn't a third party that just used Ford parts like De Tomaso or Shelby.
The original motor was the 2.3L SOHC inline 4 built in Ford's Lima Ohio plant. Ford used that engine a lot from the 70s to the 90s in Pinto, Fairmont, Capri, Mustang, Ranger, Bronco II, Thunderbird Turbo coupe, etc. It was also cast and assembled in Brazil from the 70s to the 2000s and used in a lot of products in Europe and South America.
Obviously not as exciting as a V8, but the 2.3L Lima was Ford's first belt driven overhead cam engine. They're really bullet proof, if a little unrefined.
In the uk it was the 1.6/2.0 pinto found in 70s European ford's
@@cliveking6333 I've also owned a 2.0 (narrow bore) and a 2.5 (bored & stroked) version in various Rangers.
I'm kinda lusting after the Cosworth 16 valve version though
🤤
I can't with the "original Merkur" quips, like it was some rare make 😂
Apparently they can hold a crap ton of power, and there is a decent aftermarket for them
@@dwaynepenner2788 Indeed. They were (are?) a spec motor for classes of midget sprint race cars popular in the US.
Street car & truck guys routinely get 400HP out of them on stock bottom ends.
In the UK its a Ford Sierra, in South Africa you could get them with a 302 V8 marketed as the XR8. But most folks in the US and Canaderp would probably recognise it as a Merkur XR4Ti.
UK also had the xr4i with a cologne v6 and 4 wheel drive.
Could get it as xr6 and xr4x4 from memory.
I worked for Budget rent a car when they came out. They would loose all power when driving.
They had one shut down on I5 in Seattle with a customer.
This was the 5th car to shut down.
Budget pulled them out of the fleet and sold them off.
The 4x4 Cosworth is the one u want.
When I was a kid of the 1980s I'd read about these in car and driver magazine. I knew about these although the 5.0 mustang and IROC scene was taking over. They just seemed to Europe and cool. Like the turbo mustang and thunderbird. A "smarter" performance car. More sophisticated. The local town doctor, dentist, or real estate guy would always have one and he could be seen buying wine or weird bread from the grocery store bakery and would wear a smoking jacket or go to Hell hat.
I’m a weird bread and go to Hell hat kinda guy, what would be the thing to drive now?
Good morning Rich. Good to see your smiling face this morning from 2000ft underground. Feels like sunshine.
Must be hard to get a cell signal down there! What are you doing 2000' underground? Seems like it would be a little hot down there! That's like close to the magma huh?
Working in a mine on lunch break. -33c above ground 10c in the mine.
In South Africa there was a very special Ford Sierra available. XR8 with the 5L V8. Very nice package.
I remember riding in a estate version of that when I was a kid, Sierra, rare everywhere now.This car is awesome, love his work!
I just sold mine. Had a 302 and a c4 in it, they're cool little cars.
In Australia we raced them as the Ford Sierra Cosworth around 600hp from a turbo 2.0 4 cylinder 9 inch independent ford diff very fast cars
Wow 600hp out of a 4cyl!
My dad had one in the early 90s with a turbo 4 cylinder. Super cool cars
wonderful piece on the old sierra in the UK as i remember them the RS Cosworth's were always drooled over and still are
This is one of those cars that you’d walk past at a car show, but if you stopped, the more you looked, the cooler it would get.
Man that guy is awesome! Amazing JOB! 👌
the XR4Ti this car stareted out in life as was basically a European Sierra XR4i with the 2.8i V6 engine pulled out and replaced with a 2.3 litre turbocharged 'pinto' (as the OHC engines are known) engine in its place, which makes similar power to a stock cosworth engine. the XR4i similarity runs down to basically the SAME bodykit, rear spoiler and the double side rear quarterlight windows.
Very cool! I used to work with a guy that drove one of these.
angle iron on the pedal, I need that on my turd box car. more than once I have whacked the brake pedal hard trying to clutch.. that is great at all times. NOPE.
I have also got my boot and foot stuck under brake pedal on old Chevrolet full size vans(some cars too) more then once and had to left foot stomp the brakes and smash my right foot and I BROKE BONES a few times. also bent the steering wheel outwards. no I am not a big glandular goon fella. lol
In South Africa, it was a Ford XR8. Wonderful even stock form, but prohibitively expensive. 5L V8 5Speed AirCon P/S. For it’s day, all the bells! Beautiful machine.
This car in the UK is a legend 40k plus to buy a cosworth
It’s a Ford Sierra in the uk. And u can get a 4x4 Cosworth one as well.
A ford sierra, very popular in europa. I have had many, 3 doors, 5 doors and wagons. They came with rwd or 4wd, a 1.6 or 2.0 four cylinder or, a 2.3, 2.8 or a 2.9 v6 engine, and it was carb or efi or k-jet. Cosworth was a nice option, it was called a 911 and m3 killer at the time.
Cool build!
that little 2.3 was responsible for beating many v8s at mount panarama for many years!!!!!!!
So I’m like 3/4 of the way through the video and I’m just now realizing that me being an American 45 year-old male from Texas knowing exactly what that car used to be and what it used to look like makes me a rarity. I feel special now and I don’t special short bus special.😂
Don't worry you're not alone. I knew exactly what it was too(47yo)!😅🤦🏻♂️👌🏻
A Merkur XR4Ti. I’ve got one in my garage. My family had owned 7 of them. One of them was my first car
In Europe Ford Sierra XR4i
Cool car, I’m not a fan of the doors in the event of a fire, but the rest is very well thought out
I'm watching this, got to 13 minutes, and then just remembered that I've owned not one but two UK Ford Sierras. Truly forgetable cars. I like this one though!
It is Ford Sierra, well known in Europe, preety good car and it was a version sold i RPA with stock V8 motor :)
I like the German war plane theme, fw 190
Technically they should have BMW swaped it to keep it "historically accurate" lol
The German Murkur was a 300 HP rally car, with a removable body, for working on it fast. They were civilized for north America, down to 2wd, and had trans issues , . Cool cars originally
Awesome build!
Always liked the look of these!
Those doors look a nightmare!!
Yeah good luck getting out in an emergency :O
"How did you lose your hand?"
"Opening the door on my car" LOL
I remember these Mekur's from back in the day!😅😢😂👍🏻👌🏻🤔
I used to sell those in 1988 in Iowa... they were awesome cars compared to US ford products really liked them...
Its pronounced Mare-coor in the US. Ive never heard it pronounced Merker. That 2.3 was a Pinto motor, with a turbo added. They also put it in the Thunderbird Turbo Coupe. Puddins Fab Shop is putting a 2.3 Turbo from a T Bird Turbo Coupe intoo a ex U Haul mini truck Ford Courier ( which stock came with the non turbo 2.3 from the Pinto)
Oh man been watching that thing for sale locally.
Cool build.
That's a cool build
I was deployed to Alberta Canada in 2010 and tried to buy a 2.3 turbo Merkur. The seller was super difficult so it never happened. Really annoyed me I couldn't own that car.
A very cool one-off build
Ford Sierra was the name I know it as in Aus, great race cars for the time.
They’re a good source for the turbo four cylinders for cheap
They were called a Sierra everywhere else in the world except North America because GM had the rights to the Sierra name. The Merkur name came about because Ford imported them through Mercury dealers but used the German translation, Merkur, to separate it from the Mercury brand.
It's a Ford Sierra, but I believe in North America it was marketed as a Mercury Meerkat, or some such.
Nice piece of art and a cool dude.
Love these unique builds…
What do y’all call this theme, Luftwaffe IMSA?
Ford sierra, common as muck here in the past, came out of Dagenham ford plant, a mere 5 miles from me here. Strangely enough, not many on the roads and more.
I think it WAS a Mekur XR4ti. Would have been the US version of the Sierra I think and was powered by a 2.3L turbo charged 4 cylinder.
Them welds…… 4:49
I wil buy this car right now!
Rich sitting in that car looks like me (I'm 187 cm tall) in a MG Midget.
sounds good
Here we go!
Man! That's badass!
It was either do a "wide-body" or narrow the rear axles.... right? 👍
Ford Sierra
Or merkur xr4ti
These were build with a 5.0 v8 as the sierra XR8 sold in south Africa
in South Africa its a Ford Sierra
Known as the FORD SIERA in the UK
If you grew up in the UK in the 1980s you lusted after the Sierra Cosworth.
First of the whale tail fords.
Mercury Merkur in the US market, i have 3 of them
I worked at a Ford Lincoln Mercury dealership, and if a Merkur came in, it was a hot potato for the mechanics.
No one liked to work on them.
Would a electric power steering system from the Ford Mustang work in car 🤔
Yeaaaa
cool car
Love me a Sierra "Merkur Xr4ti"
“Jimmy rigged”
Even with all the mods I knew a Merkur right away. But this isn't like any Merkur I've ever seen.
Sierra/merkur xr4i xr4ti
slow AF no cossie in the us?
Its a Merkur. Pretty sure. On to rest of vid.
I'd modify front grill, lights bumper and rear tail lights from 60's mustang. Front grill bumper, lights remind me of the 80's Ford escort 🤢
oh hey that's a Merkur
Wasn't the two point three leader and overhead cam engine?
@1chish Ford refers to that engine as a TL or Taunus in line in England. Do they not? It is a OHC engine per Ford.
@@1chish Well, yes, the "cam is in the head" but it's also an overhead cam or SOHC engine. The 2.3L Lima I4 used in the US Merkur XR4Ti (also Mustang SVO and Thunderbird Turbocoupe) was a Single Overhead Cam engine with a belt drive and crossflow cylinder head. The cams drove finger followers suspended on hydraulic tappets to actuate the valves. The important thing is there are no pushrods like a cam-in-block motor. No pushrod holes means better intake and exhaust port routing. No rocker arms means less friction.
The design makes for a very reliable longblock. Of all the Pinto motors I've owned, I've never needed to service the valvetrain other than replacing timing belts.
@@1chish No, you are somehow both pedantic and wrong. Ford literally stamps "SOHC" on motors like the later Cologne V6 that have roller followers. The term was used back in the '60s for the "SOHC 427" that had followers to actuate intake and exhaust valves that were in different planes with a single top mounted, chain driven camshaft per head.
WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Rocker arm. Some
dumba$$ said cantilever suspension on social media and now every nitwit says it. Cantilever is a support structure not a moving system.
👍
Ford Sierra
Sierra
Merkur xri or something like that
Ford sierra
That's a Ford Sierra, that's the official name here in Europe. Bud you have olso a cosworth in this series. The coswort was beter than the Sierra.
Isnt that a merkur xr4ti?
the WTF car.😜
That's a ford sierra XR4i with a V8 and silly doors.
A ford escort.
Is that a Mercury
Merkur, not Mercury. Enthusiasts back in the day were disappointed they didn't bring over the Cosworth engine. These cars with the Cossie were rallied a lot in Europe.
Always a ford Sierra not a mukur
A merkur..
Merker. 5 sec in.
Rich, how about a motorcycle build? th-cam.com/video/81JiTssrTvg/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=HeadTurnerCustoms with series electric drive.
Actually they are a foxbody
It should be a ford Sierra 3 door
The XR8 was a 5 door.
1 of 1? An XR8 homage rather.
Do people have nostalgia for foxbody mustangs? One of the worse models of mustang ever.
They are easy and cheap to make a decent drag car with
escort?
Ford Escort
fake video cant fly
Fly in this use goes back to when cars started to exceed the speed of canvas covered aircraft.
We want to see YOUR PROJECTS Not someone else's projects. UNDERSTAND?