- Merkur was a failed experiment as far as sales, but the cars were actually pretty cool.
- The XR4Ti was a sporty coupe aimed at BMW.
- This example has the stick shift you want, and just 19K miles.
At the dawn of the 1980s, a young go-getter Ford executive named Bob Lutz decided that Ford needed to draw a bead on BMW. Theoretically, he knew what would get the job done, having spent three years with BMW as executive vice president of sales. A plan was drawn up: Take the sporty, rear-wheel-drive, Germany-built Ford Sierra XR4i, add in some pure 1980s turbo boost, and rebrand the result a Merkur. BMW execs didn’t lose much sleep.
A near-perfect example of this short-lived hubris, a 1985 Merkur XR4Ti, is up for sale on Bring a Trailer (which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos) with just 19K miles on the odometer. It’s finished in a cheerful red, is equipped with the desirable five-speed manual, and has just 19K miles. It’s a fantastic example of an automotive experiment that didn’t quite work.
On paper, at least, the formula seemed sound. The Ford Sierra, on which the Merkur X4RTi is based, was hugely successful in Europe and spawned some truly impressive performance variants. The Sierra RS Cosworth of the 1980s was an absolute beast in touring car racing.
The XR4Ti landed in Lincoln-Mercury showrooms with a price that’s the equivalent of $50,000 today. That’s pretty steep for four-cylinder power, even with turbocharging and rear-wheel drive.
Add in a brand that needs to be explained and a model name that reads like a cat running over a keyboard, and the Merkur XR4Ti failed to light up the sales charts. It probably wouldn’t have worked as a sporty Ford product either, not with the V-8 Fox-body Mustang sitting right next to it in the showroom.
Still, past audacity makes for a great future collectible, and that’s the case with this car here. The XR4Ti isn’t as swift as a Cosworth Sierra, but it is more comfortable and nicely appointed for its era. It’s also not a car you see around much, in contrast with the E30 BMW 3-series.
As mentioned, this example has just 19K miles and has spent most of its life with a single owner. It has air conditioning, a cassette stereo, heated seats, and power windows and mirrors—plenty of luxury by 1980s standards. The engine is a 2.3-liter four-cylinder with a single overhead cam, turbocharged to 175 horsepower and 200 pound-feet of torque.
Merkur added the Scorpio sedan to the lineup for the 1988 model year, but it was auf wiedersehen for Germanic Fords by the fall of 1989. The XR4Ti failed to beat BMW, but it’s still a really interesting and fun-to-drive machine.
The auction ends on September 24.
Brendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels.
Source: Motor - aranddriver.com
