$10K Classic: The Merkur XR4Ti is an Affordable ’80s Treat (Hagerty)
If you’ve got a Merkur XR4Ti on the brain, blame Bob Lutz. “Maximum Bob,” as he became known, is one of the guys who also gave us the Dodge Viper and the Chevy Volt. But back in the early 1980s, Lutz was president of Ford of Europe, and his new Sierra, introduced at the 1982 Frankfurt Motor Show, featured a radical aerodynamic shape and impressive driving dynamics. Lutz suggested offering the performance hatchback version, the XR4i, in the United States through a new dealer body that understood the car and its intended clientele: yuppies.
Ford CEO Donald Petersen spent $50M making the coupe legal for sale in America, but the new dealer-body concept was DOA. Instead, in a fit of marketing misfortune, the Merkur brand (German for Mercury and pronounced Mare-coor) was created, and the rear-wheel-drive two-door was placed in Lincoln-Mercury showrooms right alongside 18-foot-long Town Cars and Merc’s frumpy new Topaz. Ford had played this samba before with the German-built 1970–78 Mercury Capri.
The car was constructed in Germany by Karmann, and meeting U.S. emissions and safety regulations added nearly 300 pounds and 850 new parts. Its independent rear suspension and signature bi-plane rear spoiler made the cut, but the Sierra’s 148-hp 2.8-liter Cologne V-6 was replaced by the Brazilian-built turbocharged four-cylinder from the 1983 Mustang Turbo GT and Thunderbird Turbo coupe.
Though the same cast-iron 2.3-liter had gained an intercooler in the 1984 SVO Mustang, it wasn’t intercooled in the Merkur. Ingesting 14 psi of boost, it was rated 175 horsepower at 5200 rpm and 195 lb-ft of torque at 3800 rpm with the five-speed manual. Equipped with the three-speed automatic, the engine was dialed back to 145 horsepower.
(photo credit: Bring a Trailer)
