The Ford Sierra Story

By the late 1970s Ford of Europe could do no wrong. Over 20 years they’d built up an unrivaled collection of popular small, medium and large cars. And with Ford’s unparalleled marketing muscle behind it, it’s easy to see why they were the sales leaders. But they were sent into a tailspin in 1982 with the Cortina’s successor.
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#FordSierra #MerkurXR4Ti

[@BigCar2]

Erratum: Yeah, "Toni" isn't the name for mountain in Spanish. My Spanish isn't good, and I read the research for this incorrectly.

[@GlaringDiamon]

I think it is Los montanas.

[@watershed44]

@Big Car You've been watching Techmoan and his puppets at the end of some of his videos? Why don't the two of you do a collaboration on the history of car electronics?!? Love your channel. In the USA we miss out on many interesting and GOOD cars, Ford and GM US don't want to promote the European division products because it took influence and sales away from the usually crappier domestic vehicles. The Ford Sierra was a GREAT car, as were the European spec Escorts, and Fiesta too. Sad we missed out for the most part and were stuck with lower quality and worse performing products.

[@TheArtumed]

En muchos sitios llaman a la parte alta de la montaña sierra en si me encanta este auto tengo uno del año 86 v6 2.8

[@stratcat4450]

Watershed44, as a detroit boy for 2/3 of my life fords were always inferior in every way compared to gm, Chrysler, an even amc back in the day.

[@watershed44]

@stratman 1966 Except the European models were usually much better than all US domestic models in comparison. Even back in 1966 the Capri MKl was far nicer (if not faster) than the US domestic Mustang. Handled better, rode better, interior better...everything better except for absolute quickness.

[@markrussell4449]

Life is strange: one minute you're busy on the production line in Dagenham making Sierras, 30 odd years later they're history stories on KZbin.

[@dextertreehorn]

"Strange"? Straight!

[@Kj16V]

Not really. That was 30 years ago!

[@giuseppelopresti3740]

They were also built here in Belgium (Genk plant)

[@RUfromthe40s]

@@giuseppelopresti3740 the cosworth (4x4)that won the GT championship was developed in belgium, regards

[@michaelgrace1298]

@@giuseppelopresti3740 assembled in lots of places

[@richards200]

Wish I still had my XR4i now, absolutely loved that car

[@JohnSmith-ef8nr]

I miss mine but thay suffered with rust under the body kit, high fuel consumption and a terrible gearbox that don't last long. The 2.9 gearboxs were OK but thay still used alot of fuel.

[@daveburrows830]

Nice one I once hired a ford fiesta at Hertz in Manchester On arrival at Hertz, they said sorry don't any fiestas left but we do have a ford sierra. The result was I felt like the king of the road for a weekend.

[@andybowie8590]

Just a little correction, all standard cosworths, 3dr and sapphire, were rated at 204bhp, the power didnt get bumped up to 220 till the introduction of the 4 wheel drive sapphire cosworth in 1989. The limited edition rs500 had 224bhp but came with a stronger block, bigger t4 turbo, a bigger intercooler and 8 injectors so was capable of much more power when tuned. So there you go!

[@JK_Clark]

I had a (German-built) 1.8 Sapphire which definitely didn't have as much as 204bhp, although it was a lovely car to drive.

[@jamp12008]

This video was recommended for me even though I’ve already watched it. My dad has a Sierra. It was a D reg and he said it was a 2.0. It black with pepper pot alloys and the writing on the boot lid was red. They were stickers instead of badges. It had sport seats and a kind of rubbery spoiler. It was fast. The only one like it I had seen. His pal crashed it and that was it gone. But years later, on a coach back from a school trip in Glasgow, I could’ve sworn I saw it on the other side of the motorway. Same black D reg Sierra with a spoiler the wheels appeared the same colour. It was on the opposite carriage way obviously speeding so the wheel ms were really just a blur. I was gutted when it got crashed and had to go. My dad was the only one around where we lived. It was nice. First car that ever burned me when I touched it on a really hot day. I miss it. It’s been about 25 years and I still think about it.

[@JK_Clark]

Did you see it crashed? Maybe it hadn't been but your dad couldn't say that for some reason.

[@JohnSmith-ef8nr]

That sounds like the 2.0S model, I remember those, thay were rare even back in the day.

[@ocereijo]

"Toni" is just short for Antonio... Sierra is mountain range in Spanish... and saw.

[@RUfromthe40s]

and somewhere in spain there´s a ford factory i live near the spanish border in the south of Portugal ,180 km´s from sevilha as the cadillac seville, in the early 90´s i drove to madrid and lot´s of ford probes i saw, and an old man getting out of a red ford escort with no extras at all ,but notice the air grills on the bonnet ,when looking in the back it was a early 90´s RS2000 completly undressed, regards

[@kennycheung1743]

Four words said it all: Ford Sierra RS Cosworth.

[@TheKZOShow]

The greatest car of all time!

[@Nemoticon]

They're legendary, but I was always more partial to the Sierra Saphire... the sleeping monsta!

[@kennycheung1743]

@@Nemoticon very truth. However, I am still sticking with the RS Cosworth. If not because it is near impossible to get parts and support this side of the pond, I will definitely bring 1 in without a second thought.

[@Nemoticon]

@@kennycheung1743 No, lol... don't take them away from my country! We have precious few of them as it is, do'nt poach our british rhinos!!! xD

[@pps900]

five words

[@petermarshall3880]

I had a 1992 1.8GLX in diamond white. Bought it in 1998 and it was spotless. Sold it in 2000 to a friend who ran it for another four years and it was still spotless when he sold it. Lovely car. With headlamp wipers! Fab.

[@Dino_Dad.]

Really enjoy these stories, as I grew up in the 80s as most of us did with these cars on the road , it's nice to now have a complete reference to the history of the vehicles that we all took for granted back in the day, just subscribed , keep them coming !

[@BigCar2]

That's the reason I started doing these videos, because I was curious myself. Glad you like them!

[@Zanzibar2Far]

I love the styling of this car, one of Ford's best imo....and the RS Cosworth takes it to another level!

[@yoranw4608]

The shocking fact is to observ that Sierra’s are almost extinct in UK, as many other cars, the Queen’s Land is no safe haven for old automobiles.

[@morgman43]

Being born in the mid 80s, I first started to notice cars at the point where the Sierra was everywhere, and wasn't all that special. I still struggle with the notion than its styling was too radical for many. Kids eh?!

[@romeovarga6413]

One of my favourite Ford designs. Beautiful car, I wish I had one of these today.

[@zunnde9445]

Just traded my w211 mercedes for a clx sierra, and im really happy

[@nomadvehr827]

I remember in the early days the Sierra was introduced in Venezuela the first years it was a common sight to see a Sierra with the hood (bonnet) open on the highways.

[@FugaziSB]

I remember seeing the first one as a young boy, it looked so futuristic! Like the prototype you see in car shows but never really makes it by the time it reaches production.

[@gonzogilberto4690]

Toni does not mean mountain range in spanish. Sierra does though 🤦‍♂️

[@starshiptrooper833]

They called it the ‘Jelly Mould’ when it was launched! Remember my friends father had one of the early ones and the whole interior creaked like a polystyrene egg crate.

[@connectorxp]

As weird as it looks, I loved this car in my childhood because of it’s rounded and modern design.

[@opencurtin]

Me too ...

[@aris95]

The independent back suspenson was the best part of Sierra. And 5-speed gearbox.

[@pantzman]

3:14 My first car, a "Sierra 2.3 Ghia -84" (with a V6 petrol engine and 114HP, yay!) had this screen thingy. Ofcourse it was already 14yrs old when I turned 18 in 1998. Except for the rust around the rear wheelarcs etc it was very still very reliable. Loved it.

[@mrjsv4935]

I have always liked Ford Sierra, it was such a futuristic car back in 1982. Drove my driver's license with Ford Sierra sedan in 1992. I also have some Ford Sierra modelcars and toys from the 80's, for example the Matchbox white Sierra XR4i, Schabak 1/25 Ford Sierra sedan, etc. :)

[@KRAZEEIZATION]

When I saw one in 1982 I was amazed! Some were built in Cork, Ireland, in fact it was the last Ford made before Ford closed there in 1984.

[@javiermiguens5340]

Saludos desde Argentina. Aquí tuvimos el Ford Sierra desde 1984 a 1993. Rompió con todos los moldes y fue revolucionario . Llegué a tenér un XR4. Todavía lo extraño mucho 😭

[@chrisanderson8784]

Well put together ...love your vids...although I’m fairly Confident the Cortina wasn’t available with the Peugeot Diesel engine ....also power steering was available on the 2.0 and 2.3 mk 4 and 5 Cortina .

[@furkankavsur7638]

When is the Ford Escort Story coming??

[@runoflife87]

Let's hope it'll be very soon. But there's a big question if it's worth describing both Escorts (Europe/USA) in one video.

[@BigCar2]

Mondeo first. Yes, the Escort is going to be a long story (the Mondeo is already my longest), and both the US and EU versions need to be covered. Not sure when I'll do the Escort though. I've been doing a lot of Ford's lately and want a change.

[@sbomorse]

@@BigCar2 I'd love you to do the Fiat Panda!

[@owensteele1274]

@@BigCar2 I can't wait to see both videos. I'm a child of the '80s so thanks for the memories. This is a great video, a sure reminder that, as awesome as they all are indeed, most Sierras were actually produced without XR4 or RS Cosworth badges and bi-wings attached to their tailgate lids. Fantastic video series, keep them coming! Looking forward to the Mondeo one. Please include a Citrine Yellow 2.0 Si if you can. Love these.

[@BigCar2]

@@owensteele1274 I'm looking forward to them as well, now all I've got to do is make 'em!

[@EitanRieger]

in 2013 I was driving a Ford Fusion in LA. That was an amazing car. How about making an episode about this one?

[@MartinHansefiction]

One of the most import cars Ford has made in the last 40 years.

[@MrTruth111]

Yes true, but the Focus was more important I think, it was even more radical, and Ford wasnt doing very well and The Focus really nailed it and was a huge financial succes.

[@flybobbie1449]

I remember it having vague steering and loads of understeer. Scary car. I asked a garage owner friend what was the best car, he said sierra, not because it was reliable, but parts were cheap. The xr2i was fantastic fun little car.

[@randomfaca]

The base first version's front end looks really lame, gotta be honest. But the ones with the larger headlights and then the facelifted cars always looked cool to me (even the Sapphire). And really, the car did not look outdated up until the late 90s which is actually pretty incredible.

[@turboflush]

Yah. Only got better as they adjusted.

[@adeladd7638]

I drove my 89 estate until 2015,16 years,although there was not much of the original car left by then and only 200 left on the road.

[@turboflush]

@@adeladd7638 i still have my 89 3door. Parked for last 10 years though.

[@tonyvandermeirsch731]

i used to have a sierra 4 door francorchamps. the best car I have ever had, it was almost indestructible.

[@TheGalacticEmperorOfLabels]

At *last.* Thank you for creating this video. I owned three of these gorgeous cars when I was younger and miss them to this day.

[@jonathanhindson4580]

I was one of the ones who took one look after 3 Cortinas and bought a Cavalier instead. Ended up driving 5 of them. Had a Sierra hire car and never regretted the decision to change. (Next came the BMW 320i's and Mercedes C220's)

[@jasoncarpp7742]

Awesome video! I've heard of the Ford Sierra. We got the Sierra in the USA. It was called the Merkur. The sporty version was called the XR4ti, whilst the 4 door liftback was called the Scorpio. Why neither sold well is beyond my understanding. But sadly, there have been many cars over the years that were cancelled after only a few years here.

[@williamegler8771]

The XR4ti and the Scorpio are based on two totally different vehicles. The Scorpio was based on the Granada and was in a size class above the Sierra/XR4ti.

[@MarcKloos]

@@williamegler8771 The Granada was always called Scorpio in mainland Europe.

[@treeskier802]

I owned a Scorpio. Great car.

[@JK_Clark]

It's explained why in the video.

[@80sfordman]

My Dad had a ‘K’ reg “Azura” model. Despite what people said about them being rot boxes, he traded it in back in 1999 without a single bit of rust on it.

[@obelic71]

There is also some less known facts you missed on the Sierra. On the Continent they where so populair because Ford was agressive selling them as fleetcars . There where problems with the driveshafts and rear brakes, mounted far into the 2nd year of production Entire special goods trains full with several new parts drove across Europe so that at a regular service interval at the dealerships they could mount new parts. This was not a cheap for Ford, a Ford mechanic told me that in those days there was 1 sierra who had 5 times the parts replaced. On average it was 3 times. Later Ford over engineered it so wel that the drive trains of a Sierra is often used in a second life on a kitcar!

[@dxutube]

Brilliant video & good memories from those archives of our 4 Sierras (B, D, F & H-regs),

[@neilthorpe3914]

You've just got to love that Rover sd1 design.

[@jimtaylor294]

Aye, herself inspired by the Ferrari Daytona :) .

[@TheIndulged1]

Well they both stole design from the Ferrari Daytona, I preferred the Sierra XR4 hatchback, nothing beats a whale tail.

[@jimtaylor294]

"Stole" being rather the overstatement, as no secret was made of their source of styling inspiration ;) . (in contrast to Disney with The Lion King, where they just flat out lied)

[@TheIndulged1]

@@jimtaylor294 fair point

[@petej8556]

@Bjorn in Gulf City. "Nothing beats a Whale Tail". Apart from a tight corner at speed! I had an RS Turbo with Whale Tail & 1st corner I took at speed I nearly ended up on the opposite side verge. Too much downforce on rear & not much steering. Might have been better with a front splitter but I removed the Whale Tail 1st day I bought the car. Escort looked better without it imo.

[@ronmccullock1407]

Superb video I could listen to you all day

[@damithgoonerathne2469]

Ford Sierra was treated unfair.

[@KoldingDenmark]

Not at all. I worked for at car rental company when it came out. The car was horrible. If the Ford Taunus (Cortina) lost the rear wheels in a curve, the Sierra would loose all four wheels. The turn signals would drop out of the bumbers. The inside door panels would break. The windows would fall down. The part covering the trunk would break. The car would break if windshield was broken and the car was lifted with the front doors open. The second gear was too high to go around corners. We would have salesmen, who had been given the car as a company car, come over to us and as us to test drive it, because they didn't get along with the second gear around corners. What a horror to think that the gas tank was located way back behind the rear bumper. You could pull the bumper off, if you were strong enough. The XR4 was an embarassing joke with the giant fiberglass wing. which would rattle when you close the trunk.

[@RUfromthe40s]

@@KoldingDenmark the taunus is one model up the cortina ,taunus become sierra cortina maybe orion like granada become scorpio, i had both 70´s cortina and taunus from the same year ,sold the cortina ,the taunus was a better car, regards

[@RUfromthe40s]

@Hea Kommenteerija the first model was for the time a modern design a good looking car, but litle after they changed the design of the front ,the dash looked a bit like the bmw´s from the same era, the central part was a bit turned to the driver

[@RUfromthe40s]

@Hea Kommenteerija what don´t you know i´m talking about? regards

[@RUfromthe40s]

@Hea Kommenteerija i might have written something answering another coment ,but where did i said something bad about the sierra,regards

[@pps900]

If Daz from southend is reading this you lucky bastard. He worked for Ford research at dunton, essex. He bought a RS500 with 200miles and a standard 3dr rs cosworth with 15,000miles back in mid 90s. still has both apparantly! lucky sod..

[@davelowe1977]

I'm British and I've had meetings with Americans that went exactly like that!

[@rafflesnh]

Another nice one, BC. I bought an ex-police Sierra Estate from an auction once as a stop gap to a newer car when finances would allow, and didn't want to part with it when the day eventually came! psst. Your humour within the main piece was far better than that cartoon bit at the end! ;-)

[@BigCar2]

Thanks for the feedback. I'm coming to the same conclusion, which is why I stuck it at the end.

[@highlypolishedturd7947]

Was that comedy or documentary? I wouldn't be surprised if the meeting went exactly like that!

[@YourCRTube]

Love the original design. All other cars of this period look old and "outdated", but Sierra holds quite well.

[@alfsmith4936]

I thought it looked outdated when the mk3 Cavalier came out.

[@shaunw9270]

Never liked the Jellymould hatchback but I did think the Sapphire saloons were pretty stylish 👌

[@uvoikimovundutrauerblume3302]

I never loved the sedan version .

[@michaelhuth7869]

First Sierra I see, was an 1.6L Laser, in blue gray. I was shocked ! As XR4i or late 2.0 CLX Limo it is a nice Car. Der erste Sierra, den ich bewusst wahrgenommen habe, war ein 1.6L Laser in Tauben Blau Grau. Ich war geschockt! Als XR4I hat er mir gut gefallen, speziell mit RS - Grill und 3Speichen Lenkrad. Die Abteilung des Heckfenstes macht einen enormen Unterschied. Als roter Facelift 2.0 CLX Stufenheck hat er mir auch sehr gut gefallen. Ein Capri Ersatz war er aber nie.

[@misterhoeflak]

Really enjoy your videos! I've been a car geek since I was about 8 and I vividly remember being absolutely dazzled by the sleek, futuristic design of the Ford Sierra when it was first released. They were so common on Dutch roads in the 80s that I had always assumed that the model was a huge sales success!

[@RoadCone411]

Completely agree with you on the sleek, futuristic styling...I thought they looked amazing inside and out!

[@zacharyf.568]

I believe these were a sales success, they just never lived up to the sales numbers of its successor though.

[@cosmoray9750]

An urgent warning to Australia 🤔 kzbin.info/www/bejne/m6jFaZmtqcuAnNk

[@Ul.B]

03:20: You forgot the tick-tick-tick-sound used in Volvo 140s and 240s that went off when you weren't wearing your seat belt.

[@-DC-]

Sierra's where absolutely fantastic car's decent to drive simple to service absolutely loved the few I owned many years ago, rust killed most unfortunately !

[@RUfromthe40s]

i owned by the time they came out ,a ford taunus van with design more straight than the cortina that had more curves and it was a XL version with the letters in red in the back and it was powerfull this in late 70´s ,when the first sierra model came out i was not economically prepared to spend money on a new car but later already had the money but the design changed a bit and no longer looked so good to me ,and they were a bit smaller than the ones who came out in late 80´s , so i never had the first sierra model and in my country (Portugal) it was rare to see one used for sale but the first design was really atractive by that time the front grill didn´t exist it was all metal inbetween the head lights and as bmw´s the dash was turned a bit to the driver seat as comented in the video ,later i bought the the sierra cosworth who was 4x4 ,but someone ofered me twice the money i had paid for it 5 months earlier and i sold it to buy a early 70´s granada coupé with a 3.0L engine V6 all metalized blue with the roof black covered in vynil as it was fashion by that time and red velvet interior this from a german guy that lived in a big neighborhood inside the city i live because there was a german airforce field 4km´s from my town this belonging to Nato ,normally lot´s of young germans came to live in my town and with them lots of nice powerfull old cars, that we could buy from them, the most regular car that was common to see everywhere was the mercedes W115 and 114 , my first car after i take the driver permit was a mercedes 280S from 68. regards

[@jackdaw339]

I prefer the MK1 head- and taillights for the Sierra.

[@jhareng]

Looked even meaner with the Cosy grill i had on my first XR4X4 Garret

[@stephenmorgan6930]

The fact that the grown ups and drivers didn't like the jelly mould shape is so saddening to me. As a kid, the Ford Sierra was perhaps THE ultimate icon on the roads in the early to mid 80s. They were beautiful!

[@joebutlersnr7017]

The first time I saw a Sierra I promptly hit it with my bus , the driver had hired it and said his brakes locked up And couldn't stop , overshooting the bend in front of me , I often wonder if back in 1982 I was the first to hit one , if not I must have been one of the first.

[@andycleary6209]

Bet you were the first to hit one with a bus :)

[@joebutlersnr7017]

@@andycleary6209 hey yea Andy ! Never thought of that haha.

[@BionicRusty]

In 1990 the XR4i was re-introduced for a limited run of ~1,500 units with a rear wheel 2.0 DOHC engine. It sat alongside the 4x4 version. It was on the whole just a badging exercise that should have had 125BHP. However, for some reason, mine had 150BHP

[@jhareng]

There were mark 2 XR4X4 in 2ltr Pinto and 2.9V6 which didnt sound like a V6. Firing order changed from the 2.8 V6 Cologne, had both. Takes me back to the earlier days Capri S 2ltr lightened, Pinto big valve, Piper 285, light flywheel, 421 etc nudging 148hp, wave tarrar to the Essex and 2.8 Cologne.

[@devilax03]

The Sierra's problem was that it was too ahead of its time. Just look at the MK3 Cavalier that it struggled to compete with towards the end of its production run.....the same "jelly mould" styling ethos as the Sierra.

[@TheHelado36]

Rob McSorley true, the Cavalier sucks !

[@adrianmuino3412]

Back on the '80s the Sierra was too futuristic, now IMO it seems retro futuristic.

[@losh330]

I love the looks of the Sierra. The headlights and the crazy rear end are awesome!

[@latimeria2]

My family had an XR4Ti in europe. Fun car, good engine when it dindt over-heat. I learned to drive in that car. Miss it. Wouldn´t mind shipping one over again. Would put some decent brakes in it though. We probably had the only XR4Ti in Europe. Brought it from Wisconsin in 1989.

[@nigeh5326]

I owned a Sierra 2.0l GL estate 1989 model from 95 to 03 and it took me my wife our 2 sons and 2 dogs all around the UK on holiday as well as 2 trips to northern France. Loads of space in the back comfortable and for such a big car the sohc (pinto) carb engine was reasonably economical. It never let me down and had covered 140,000m when it went to the scrap yard, only reason I scrapped it was no one wanted it even though it only had rust on one rear wheel, some bubbling on the bottom of the drivers door and tailgate. Many good memories of family trips telling the boys to get back in their seats as they loved climbing in the load area and using it to play in as I drove along. 😊

[@rastas_4221]

Sierra Cosworth is one of my dream cars. Unfortunately they were really cheap at the used market at one point so teens wrecked them to hell and back so now they are RARE. Kinda like anything that was rear wheel drive, they were either wrecked by teens or wrecked at amateur rally, so now they are astronomically expensive for what they are.

[@stuartleckie]

10 print “I love rear wheel drive Fords” 20 goto 10 Run

[@curbowman]

Oh yeah... the mighty Sinclair ZX Spectrum!

[@aretard7995]

BASIC.

[@a68k_de]

Ma father had one of the first Sierra here in Germany. It was one of the first ordered cars from our Ford dealer. People looked like there drives an UFO :D Was a great car!

[@sarjim4381]

LOL. I had some good laughs with this one. The Merkur was a rather unfortunate choice for a model name. Firstly, it was sold by Lincoln-Mercury dealers, but the name looked like someone from Mercury made the name badge after a night long drunk. If it was a Mercury, why the weird spelling? It looked like some kind of mistake. It was also the name of a fairly well known ghost town in Utah, a rather unfortunate choice for a car model. Lincoln-Mercury dealers had their arms twisted to add the Merkur line to their dealership, including a small sign at the far end of the parking lot, and a single Merkur was usually displayed in a dusty corner of the showroom, behind a stack of brochures for better selling Mercurys. The XR4Ti model name didn't exactly roll off the tongue, and the rear wheel drive/rear drums combination was a disappointment for what was supposed to be a European car. The engine was an old design, and the turbo didn't have an intercooler. Ford had the misfortune to introduce the Merkur just when the inflation rate was beginning to ramp up again from its 1980/81 highs, going from 1.9% at its 1986 introduction to 5.5% by the time it was discontinued in 1989. The German Mark was becoming the preferred global currency, and the exchange rate was raising the price of the car even as Ford added no new equipment. Things like power windows and locks, power brakes, and a moonroof remained extra cost options at a time they were becoming standard in other cars, especially ones like the new Acura Integra lineup of 1989. The price kept rising, and the XR4Ti became less competitive. Mercury dealers, seeing the Merkur as a car that didn't fit into their lineup, did very little to promote it, especially at the XR4Ti price rose to about what you'd pay for a standard Lincoln Continental with much better standard equipment. I had the chance ot drive the 1989 version for a couple days. It wasn't a bad car. Fit and finish were good, the weird bi-plane spoiler and telephone dial alloys were gone, and it was a pleasant looking car. It was fast enough, although less than I expected for a turbo model. Gas mileage for what in the US was a small car wasn't good, about 22 mpg highway and 18 mpg city. It was one of those cars that really didn't have any outstandingly bad features, but also didn't have any outstandingly good features. It was just the wrong car being sold under a wrong brand, and at too high a price. It did sell about 20,000 more copies that the US version of the Cortina, but Ford saw the writing on the wall, the last few XR4Ti's being sold in 1990.

[@Flying_GC]

It's simple, Ford US took one of the best cars you could buy, promptly changed the drivetrain to a US Lima 2.3, removed the discs and fitted drums and basically ruined it. They simply should have just sold the Sierra in the US.

[@sarjim4381]

@@Flying_GC What? The Merkur had the same front disks, power assisted here, as the European model. The engine was changed to the turbocharged four because it was the same engine used in the Mustang and Thunderbird, so economies of scale improved the pricing. Importing the German engine with the very negative dollar/mark value would have raised the price even further. The US four had fuel injection while the european version was still carbureted. The US engine produce 150 hp while the German model produced only produced 74 hp, not rising to 150 hp until it finally got a turbocharged fuel injected engine of its own. The original XR4Ti was almost 3 seconds faster than than the German naturally aspirated engine and 12 mph faster at the top end. There was nothing basically wrong with the US Merkur car. What was wrong was muddleheaded marketing and dealers wanting to protect sales of the much more profitable Sable.

[@kikichevy]

Aw, not a word about Ford's 2.0 DOHC they introduced in the MkII Sierra? It was used as the base for the Cosworth Sapphire engine and was more notable than the 1.8 CVH by a long shot.

[@Rentta]

2.0is was by far most legendary model here in Finland outside of cossies. Oh and we had quirky tax special too known as stockmann turbo with turbocharged 1.6 ohc

[@ksb692]

Really enjoy your videos. Fantastic trip down memory lane. Thanks for posting this. I hope you do some more.

[@BigCar2]

I will!

[@rsuffridge1]

I so loved the styling of the Merkur XR4TI when it landed here in the US! It was my last car model I ever built, the most well done model I ever built, and I painted it in metallic sapphire blue.

[@mercoid]

zimbraben ...Somebody a few blocks away from me has three and a Capri. Around the block from him there’s another guy with two XR4ti’s . I always walk my dog over there just to look at the cars.

[@andyhendrickson5619]

I have an 86 and an 89 xr4ti both fun cars to mess with. Almost free to keep these on the road.

[@turboflush]

I always wondered about that fin on the side window. Lol Love.my mk2 3door and scorpio

[@robsterbob580]

Great video, really enjoyed this. I had 3 Sierras and they were great cars.

[@chriswolf1277]

My k reg 2.0 Sierra sapphire ghia 4x4 in metallic blue is still the best car I’ve ever owned on a wet country lane it was in a league of one if Ford knew what galvanising and undersealing a body meant I’d still have it today

[@johndoyle4723]

Yes the "Cosser" was the one to have. I briefly had a diesel estate with the Peugeot engine, it was OK, slow but very spacious. Thanks, very informative, I never realised there were so many variants. Interestingly enough I have an MGB which I built using rear running gear from a Sierra, it uses the diff,shortened drive shafts, the hubs and discs, some of the later models had the rear disc brake assembly.

[@BigCar2]

Wow - that's quite a frankencar!

[@TotalRookie_LV]

Here in ex-Comblock we had quite a lot of used Sierras in 1990s. They still would look good (those who are still on roads), while Audies of 1980s were always boring, primitive boxes (except those wedge shaped ones).

[@Ribeirasacra]

End of production parts bins is Fords way with all models. Maybe other manufactures too.

[@jimtaylor294]

For Skoda and SEAT they build their cars out of other people's (VW's) spares ;)

[@africankat1]

South Africa did not offer a Sierra pick up..possibly an idea from SA, but no, never sold here. Unfortunately Sierras didnt wear as well as its predecessors and besides the xr8 and the odd xr6, sierras have mainly deteriorated to junk here. The Cortinas and mk1 and mk2 escorts, on the other hand, are preferred here and have aged more kindly compared to the Sierra. we also got a 3.0iRS Sierra in 1990 which came with a 117kw (157hp) fuel injected Essex v6...probably the last incarnation of the Essex v6 if im not mistaken.

[@video99couk]

17 minutes of talking about the Sierra without one mention of the most significant feature: RUST! The Sierra was an utter rot bucket. The Cavalier was too, but at least it was a front wheel drive rot bucket.

[@vegandad]

I recall the Granada (Scorpio) was first sold in the US in 1988, not 1985 as stated in the video.

[@SuperGinkgo]

My Dad had a Sierra 1.6 in 1987, a red company car, I thought it was great. My favourite feature of the car (to my early teen sensibilities) was the little joysick on the centre console for setting up the balance for the 4 speaker stereo, witchcraft! Never seen anyone else comment on this, was it only me that appreciated it I wonder? Great review, subbed.

[@JK_Clark]

Wow, memory unlocked!

[@SuperGinkgo]

@@JK_Clark Glad it wasn't just me then! 😁👍

[@christophersmith1155]

we here in the SUA would love to see the Mondeo Story.

[@BigCar2]

I already made it. There's a link in this video.

[@jimtaylor294]

Good video, but with two errors though: 1. The layout's called Fastback, which ironically originated as a compromise between booted - but thus less adaptable - Saloons and roomier - but what were thought parental / utilitarian & thus boring - Estates. Unlike with the SD1 - and arguably the Hillman Imp - the Sierra had a rather more useful fully opening tailgate, instead of a 'Liftback' hatch. 2. The claim about being first to introduce annoying promps is misplaced. Seatbelt Warning was a standard feature of the Austin Princess, years before the Sierra was designed. (BL technically didn't need such a feature at the time though, because seatbelt use wasn't a legal requirement in the 1970's)

[@SDH-g8g]

Liftback and fastback are just forms of hatchback. Stop being pedantic!

[@jimtaylor294]

I'll be as pedantic as I please 3:) . That; and no, not all fastbacks are liftbacks, which was the case with the Sierra, thus relevant to the video :) . (and to drivers, whom could get goods in/out more easily as a result) I'm also just pointing out what us motor vehicle technicians have drummed into us on training courses :p .

[@rich_edwards79]

Pretty sure Volvo were (as with most things safety-related) the first to introduce seatbelt warnings on their 1975 240. I have an '82 model, which has two flashing, clicking red lights, front and back, to remind you (as well as illumination in the seatbelt sockets to make double sure you can find them at night!)

[@jimtaylor294]

@@rich_edwards79 An interesting point. The Austin/Morris Princess was introduced in March 1975, which makes them interestingly concurrent in said development. The Volvo system had more obvious utility though, considering the harsh skandinavian weather / road conditions.

[@JohnnyPaton]

There wasn't a Cortina MK2 2000E, but there was a 1600E. The 2000E came with the facelifted MK3 in 1973.

[@anthonyperkins7556]

The Ford Sierra was a great car, roomy enough for 5 (especially in 5 door form), aerodynamically good, and practical, economical and well made. I personally would have kept this in production and improved on it further giving it all the updates it needed over its life. The Ford Sierra had a lot to give for all it's worth and it delivered in spades.

[@peterc2373]

it was horrible in crash test !

[@anthonyperkins7556]

@@peterc2373 I would make it better in that instance and fit airbags, collapsible pedals to avoid injury, put in crash members, side impact protection, collapsible steering column etc to make it safe.

[@shazash1]

@@anthonyperkins7556 what are crash members?

[@shazash1]

@@anthonyperkins7556 collapsible pedals?? How would they work in theory? you just trying to sound like you know car safety but really you're clue less. And pls try to explain what are "crash members" …..

[@anthonyperkins7556]

@@shazash1 crash members collapse in such a way that they send the energy around you than transmit the forces onto you and your passengers, and Vauxhall used collapsible pedals that turn away from the feet legs and thighs to protect ankles legs and thighs than rise up and backward in a frontal impact causing serious injuries duhh!

[@nigelmiller8540]

I bought a brand new Ford Sierra XR4i it was a very fast car and I got a lot of enjoyment out of it. Great car and very reliable.

[@chrislemaster2695]

These MerKur XR4TI was fun to drive and cheap to fix

[@negativeindustrial]

Yeah but they were always broken. My grandfather’s nearly qualified as a lemon under Texas state law and the dealership acknowledged each complaint by stating “Yeah, they all do that”. That’s pretty much the reason they only lasted four years as a company. They were kind of fun when they were running right, though. They would have been a lot more fun if they were fitted with a proper intercooler and the ECU was tuned for it.

[@MohammedBham-fe8cr]

Mk4 and mk5 tinas are my favourite cardboard box

[@Paddyboro]

I assume you don't hang that Spectrum t-shirt next to your BBC Micro one, there'd be a hell of a punch up in your wardrobe. Quality content as per.

[@BigCar2]

😃 They need to be in separate rooms!

[@paulgarrett4610]

I was working at a Ford dealership in Brighton when Sierra was launched, had to admit when we all looked at the basic model in dark brown and crap interior it looked like a giant turd!! But it was easy to work on and did look better as time went by and yes the cossie was my fav and awsome car at the time

[@mauritsvw]

In South Africa the Sierra XR8 was made especially famous in the early 80's by a gang of bank robbers (the Stander gang) which used one as their getaway car.

[@martinpritchard340]

Sorry, a bright yellow Cortina XR6 Interceptor. The same colour as the South African police cars of the time.

[@africankat1]

in actual fact it was a white cortina xr6 used, confirmed by allan heyl, member of the stander gang, who was recently released from prison.

[@mauritsvw]

@@africankat1 Thanks, I stand corrected!

[@garyhewitt489]

Unlike in Britain where the Vauxhall Calibra was ram raid car of the year.

[@mauritsvw]

@morton christie Thanks Morton for clearing that up!

[@mattyrab3477]

Excellent t shirt! Fond memories of spectrum

[@iEnofadov]

Fun Fact 1: The Isuzu Piazza was sold in Australia as the Holden Piazza! It was a sales disaster! Fun Fact 2: Even though the Ford Sierra was never sold by Ford Australia, because we had the Ford Telstar (rebadged Mazda 626) and the larger Ford Falcon, the Sierra Cosworth was used in Australia's ATCC (Australian Touring Car Championship) in the mid to late 80's and early 90's and was very successful! Thanks for another great video! I'm really enjoying them!

[@BigCar2]

Thanks. I'm doing the Mondeo script right now. Any good Aussie facts for that one?

[@splurjioaarmani3205]

I had an Australian mondeo as a company car in the mid 90s from what I can remember it had a very good chassis handled really well when pushed into corners well balanced one thing that used to annoy me was the indicator stalk was on the left side and wipers on the right. It was a bit of a sales flop in Australia mainly due to it being smaller than the Toyota Camry and mitsubishi magna competition and not being available with the v6. The ford Telstar it replaced a rebadged Mazda 626 was a top seller here and the Mazda 323 based ford laser was a top seller as well the focus replaced that and was a flop as well the angular styling didn't help in this as the Australian built AU falcon had similar styling and that was a disaster for ford in Australia which they never recovered from

[@iEnofadov]

@FuckILoveYouTubby I'm not sure of the regulations back then, but considering only 500 RS Cosworths were built in the world, all of them in RHD for the UK market, I don't think it was part of the regulations back then. The Ford Sierra was never sold in Australia, in any form, but it was in New Zealand, where it sold very well, especially the wagon/estate bodystyle.

[@iEnofadov]

@@BigCar2 The Mondeo story is very boring in Australia, as 'Medium size' cars have never really been big sellers here, well if you don't count the Toyota Camry and the Mitsubishi Magna! The larger Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore were the default buys for most Australian families for decades. While the Ford Cortina and Ford Telstar were consistent Top 10 sellers in Australia, usually around number 8 or 9, the Mondeo only ever reached the Top 10 sellers list twice from my records and even then it's highest ranking was number 9, back in 1996. The Mondeo was launched in Australia in 1995, dropped in 2000 due to low sales and was then re-introduced in 2007. Ford Australia sold the Mk1, Mk2, Mk4 and currently the Mk5 Mondeo. The Mk3 was never sold in Australia, but it was in New Zealand, because sales of 'Medium size' cars in Australia at that time had declined rapidly and the business case to import the Mk3 Mondeo to Australia was scrapped after it was said that it would've been more expensive to sell in Australia compared to the larger Australian built Ford Falcon. All Australian spec Mondeos were imported from the Genk plant in Belgium until 2014, when imports switched to the Valencia plant in Spain. We did have one unique naming Mondeo in Australia in the Mk4, the Mondeo XR5 Turbo, which had the 2.5L 5cyl turbo engine. Ford Australia was using the 'XR' naming with it's 'sporty models at the time, so we also had the Fiesta XR4 (Fiesta ST), Focus XR5 Turbo (Focus ST), Mondeo XR5 Turbo, Falcon XR6, Falcon XR6 Turbo and Falcon XR8.

[@iEnofadov]

@@splurjioaarmani3205 Yes, it's strange how the Ford Laser (Mazda 323) and Ford Telstar (Mazda 626), sold much better in Australia than the Euro Ford Focus and Ford Mondeo. Another factor could've been the fact the Ford Laser and Ford Telstar were built in Australia compared to the imported Ford Focus and Ford Mondeo. The Ford Festiva (Mazda 121/Kia Pride) also sold better than the Euro Ford Fiesta in Australia too!

[@jefferysmith3930]

My teenage self was so excited to see the XR4Ti and Scorpio come to the US after reading a Car and Driver review on The German spec XR4i. And then......No one bought them! How could this be?To my thinking all European car were just better than the American offerings. Credit to Ford for beating Honda (Acura) to the punch in creating an separate brand for their new sports/luxury cars. To bad the cars were too expensive, not marketed aggressively and had a name that didn’t exactly roll off the tongue. 30 plus years later I’m still not clear on the correct pronunciation!

[@donsolaris8477]

dumb name- they should have just called it a Ford like everywhere else or even a Mercury....

[@yossarian6799]

Merkur = "mare-coor"

[@2490debrick]

An old colleague of mine who is ex-old-bill said that the force hasn't had a better car since the Sierra!

[@jimtaylor294]

Have heard similar things about the SD1, rather fittingly considering the passing similarity in style and being a fastback as standard.

[@Galahadfairlight]

The Senator says "hi"

[@billybellend1155]

Exactly Vauxhall Senator 24v was above anything Ford Sold.

[@jimtaylor294]

Depends whom one asks, as different police forces had different combinations of the three cars (+ others). The SD1 and Capri get the most mention online though.

[@ansarafsar6268]

I still miss my black rs Cosworth

[@Boric78]

Love the Spectrum shirt - very 80s. And cool.

[@vendastrakaty224]

Will there be any video on Skoda? They have really cool rallye history, and no they werent just rebadget VW until 90s

[@BigCar2]

I've thought about doing a video on the whole Skoda marque, as yes it would be an interesting story. Maybe!

[@dannystanley918]

Cracking video as always, love them.

[@rollstuhlmeister]

I don't understand why the Sierra was so disliked. It looks better than the Mk2 Cavalier and the major facelift in 1987 actually looks worse than the original. I think the original Sierra was a beautiful piece of design, visually speaking, mechanically, not so much.

[@Thaigary]

Did any survive without the dashboard cracking ?

[@jasoneldridge4738]

No

[@jquill6]

I always liked the Sierra

[@edwartvonfectonia4362]

I find something appealing in Ford Sierra. Would buy one for the collection...If I had one.

[@colintawn3535]

It was a heap of junk. South Yorks. Police dismissed it as a police vehicle because it was in their words: ''Unstable at high speeds''. Early versions suffered from crosswind stability problems, which were addressed in 1985 with the addition of "strakes" (small spoilers), on the rear edge of the rubber seals of the rear-most side windows. These shortcomings saw a lot of press attention, and contributed to early slow sales. Additionally, earlier models used the 1.6- and 2-litre versions of the Pinto engine (as used in the Ford Cortina) paired with a four-speed manual gearbox. It was a rebodied Cortina which was another hateful car.

[@wernerbloemwagen6878]

Sorry sir, but South Africa never had any Sierra based pick-up (bakkie). We did however, as you reported, introduced the XR6 & XR8 as supreme performance versions. The Sierra / Sapphire (sedan) never did as well as the Cortina, because overnight, everyone moved to the 3 box sedan Toyota Cressida : we were NOT ready for a hatchback "sedan"

[@philipjooste9075]

The development work was done in SA, with the hope of exporting it to Europe. Sanctions prevented this from happening and the tooling was sent off to Portugal where the Sierra "bakkie" was then produced. Sad really - would have sold well in South Africa.

[@fgsaramago]

@@philipjooste9075 it probably helped that van and pick up versions of passenger cars paid less taxes in Portugal, making those kinds of versions more popular than one would probably think