No wannabe here! Bodaciously beautiful '86 Merkur XR4Ti in the CAR WIZARD shop! Minty fresh!

It's like the 1980's in the CAR WIZARD's 🧙‍♂️ shop. This 1986 Merkur XR4Ti is so clean, so perfect, it's like it was locked in a time capsule before coming to the Wizard's shop. You just GOTTA see this epically radical car!
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[@CarWizard]

Thanks for finding the missing bolt guys. Keep in mind, these inspections on video are just a quick run down. My guys in the shop do a much more time intensive check over for making an estimate for the customer. Thanks though guys!!

[@squirrley9]

These videos need a donate button.

[@J24777]

Coming from Michigan we have Salt in the Winter for the Icy Roads. That Merkur looks Great Coming from Michigan.

[@goonas2]

i was about comment on the missing bolt… then i see this post… made me smile… p.s. i’m the guy who bought Wartortle

[@6m-am]

It's passion..car mechanics it's art..you are the teacher and I am the student I learn from you...

[@howlinwolf7728]

Not the biggest deal, but the way they pronounced it when it came out was "Mair-core". I remember them, I think it was the Ford Scorpio in Europe and they just rebadged it & brought it to America. Great video 👍

[@michaelscott2789]

Ford Sierra m8 just call it the Ford Sierra 😁

[@leea2399]

Always.

[@zhardoum]

He needs to get a cozzie powered one in the shop..

[@pulaski1]

My first "real" car (I had a short-lived old banger when I was a student), was a 1.6L with optional 5-speed. "Strange for a first car" I hear you say, why not an Escort? Well it was something to do with being 6'5" tall!

[@michaelscott2789]

@@zhardoum I remember when the Sierra first came out. It was something else back then. Based on a Porsche design.

[@michaelscott2789]

@@pulaski1 my dad was a Cortina man, je even had a Lotus Cortina look alike. Loved that car, i was only a kid but it looked great. Ford's where great back then.

[@robinosborne266]

Over here in the UK it was known as the Ford Sierra XR4i and came with a 2.8 Fuel injected V6 engine and rear wheel drive. It later became a 2.9 in the Sierra Sapphire XR 4 x 4, which was also 4 wheel drive. No turbo on either model. The Sapphire was the 4 door saloon version of the Sierra. The massive boot spoiler was also deleted on the Sapphire XR 4 x 4. Ironically enough the 3 door body shell l was initially only offered in the very basic 1.3 version of the Sierra. I used to drive both models when I was a Police Traffic Officer in the ‘80s. They also became amongst the most stolen cars in the UK as well.

[@phil955i]

Yep we also had smaller bumpers

[@chriscowey7464]

Ford Sierra sounds so much better than a Merkur? What an awful name.

[@marioavossa]

My brother had one of these things and it did get stolen. Twice. From what I remember of it, I didnt like it at all. Too harsh ride, seats too uncomfortable, just a bleh car. Its only redeeming feature was how fast it was but that was it.

[@dingjs1969]

Back in the day i desperately tried to get my dad to buy a XR4i new, he couldn't stretch to it so he bought a 2.0is instead, man did i loved that car, not the fastest but it handled like a dream. I didn't at the time realise the XR4Ti existed so thought the car in Robocop was an XR4i imported as the XR4i looked so futuristic, ah to be young again.

[@KenanTurkiye]

That car is gorgeous, always loved the Sierra. :)

[@gmcmitzu]

Love these cars. It was my first car at 16 back in 1994. It was an 86, and I paid 2500 for it with 50k miles. Looking back, they had depreciated like crazy. I went and bought it with my grandpa, he co-signed and I put the down payment. Brought it home and my parents flipped. They hated that car from day 1. I absolutely loved it. I went from a nobody to a somebody in school, simply because of the kick ass car I drove. Every kid in school was so jealous. They were ridiculously quick for their day too, and the handling was amazing. Man that takes me back.

[@ltu42]

It's really puzzling how with this dirt simple suspension the handling is amazing. The rollbar serves as a half of the front wishbone, and in the end there are semi-trailing arms on a tubular subframe. It can't be simpler, but it works. I've used a trashed Ford Sierra as a donor for a sevenesque Haynes Roadster. These sights bring me warm fuzzy feelings, it's the first car that I've taken apart.

[@bgensel]

I had two of them. As I recall, it is pronounced "Mare-coor". First was beautiful new blue 86' auto. Wife hit black ice and totalled it. Replaced with a white one that I swear was possessed. I miss the blue one. Super fun to drive.

[@loafbred]

I remember Ford marketing pronouncing it "mare-coor" in their commercials. I'm going to keep pronouncing it "mare-coor", whether the Wizard likes it or not. :)

[@aussie2uGA]

I had 3 of them. They were awesome. The only negative was they put the battery next to the turbo. I never got more than a year out of the battery due to the heat.

[@davidestate]

You are right the way you saying it because Merkur is Mercury in German since Mercury sold these cars in US/CAN.

[@JoelMcLaughlin]

Google it. He said it right.

[@aussie2uGA]

@@JoelMcLaughlin This pronunciation discussion happened in the 80's and was settled during it's launch. Now that decades have passed, we have people who don't even know what the car is.

[@marksimpson9419]

It's quite rare to find a non sunroof, leather heated seats xr4ti. That one has a lot of parts from a catalog that used to specialize in merkur parts, called Rapido. You can see the rapido logo on the speedometer which was a conversion piece to get rid of the 85mph speedometer. The steering wheel was offered by them, also the rims and the borla dual exhaust. They also sold cosworth front grilles like that with the merkur logo rather than the Ford badge, as well as the glass lensed headlights, as US cars had plastic lenses. The intercooler isn't original.

[@Veritas419]

Somebody definitely dropped some coin into that car.

[@Bratfalken]

Looks like the bumpers are a tad sturdier than the ones made out of egg shells in Europe, you almost never saw one without cracks in them.

[@R3TR0R4V3]

I was going to say.. I'm pretty sure XR4Ti's didn't come intercooled, stock. At least not the early ones. 👍

[@fsjgw]

@@Bratfalken I think those bumpers are off an 87 or later. Red trim piece on bumper polished aluminum pre 1987 i think.

[@andysautomotiveadventures9587]

@Mark Simpson what are the wheels called ?

[@ksc750]

In the UK it’s called a Ford Sierra XR4i With a 2.8 V6 , next step up was the Sierra RS Cosworth

[@homersturok]

all so here in denmark 😍

[@ecsolha]

You beat be to it :-) But I had forgotten all about the Sierra

[@martinseemann1202]

Cossi are so cool but still out of my wallet. Well they are not but the insurance is :D

[@sigen7053]

It`s like you guys calling Opel Vauxhall...

[@tardeliesmagic]

You mean the RS500? :) Think after 1986 the hood or "Bonnet" is different incl many other bits. the bonnet sweeps over a bit. I'm from the UK & loved these. Insurance was out of this world!

[@fsjgw]

I had a Mare koor XR4Ti a couple years ago. If Sir Jackie Stewart calls it a Mare koor it's a mare koor! I took the car to the mechanic that worked on Rick Byrnes Salt Flats XR4Ti. It had been so long the mechanic couldn't remember how to tune the engine. I tried a couple other shops, that worked on classics. They never heard of the car. I said it has the same engine as SVO Mustang (ok no intercooler), Thunderbrid Turbo Coupe, and same block as Ranger. Got a blank stare. Couldn't find anyone to tune it! Sold it to a teenager, he was able to get it running correctly.

[@lbwlawyer]

My grandfather, who I mentioned before was a Scorpio owner, called it a “Mer-cure” (phonetically). When I questioned him about it, his response was that since he paid for it, he’d pronounce it the way he wanted!!

[@Parknest]

The reason it was sold as a Merkur in the US was because GMC had the rights to the Sierra name. I've had 5 Sierras during the 1990s. They're getting quite rare now.

[@KamilMB]

Yeah! And Ford took GM name FIESTA for the city car, that in US was (I think) a mid size truck.

[@Skyisthelimit4me]

Another idiot spreading misinformation. No the hell that was not why they were badged under the Merkur nameplate. Merkur was an all new nameplate created by collaborative effort between Ford of North America and Ford of Europe to bring younger buyers into Lincoln-Mercury showrooms. It had nothing to do with the Sierra nameplate. They wanted an all new name for this model. The Scorpio kept its European model name under the name marque Merkur. Another dumb redneck spreading misinformation. Typical trump supporter.

[@LS1LE]

Hats off to the collector/customer! This is a beautiful example. I remember these when I was 12 and 13 yrs old. I thought they were the coolest thing ever.

[@korbendallas4232]

Agreed, so unique looking

[@MrPaige222]

I used to sell these hunks of shit about a million years ago. The Scorpio was about as good as a cadilllac cimarron. Slow, gas guzzling unreliable overpriced junk. The xr4ti was unwanted by everyone. Couldn't get out of it's own way and the build quality was atrocious. After 3 or 4 unhappy customers, we refunded the money and sent them back to the auction.

[@randybentley2633]

I was in high school when I saw this car for the first time and fell in love with the styling.

[@pogoexplorer305]

This was my dream car in my teenage years, growing up in a South American country. It sold as a Ford Sierra in 4 trims, being the XR4i the top of the line, not the XR4ti. I loved the yellow color.

[@manuelr.s6328]

Same here in Argentina

[@ponycarfan]

I test drove a brand new one of these when they were first introduced in the U.S. Ford had this big promotion, where if you test drove it, Jackie Stewart would send you a check (I think it was $25, iirc). I test drove, sent in the form, and sure enough got a check in the mail signed by Jackie Stewart. I remember it being a good performer and ahead of its time.

[@ianshippen279]

Well done getting some money out of a Scotsman :)

[@mitchhedberg4415]

It was an old ass design

[@Christoph-sd3zi]

Back then $25 would get you 20 gallons worth of gas

[@jonathanbarg7847]

I did the same thing - a test drive and the check in the mail. It was a fun and really cool looking car. Fun to zip around the hills in SoCal during the test. A memory flogger for me.

[@detonator2112]

This was Ford Sierra in Europe. Very popular car. It was a futuristic 1982 replacement to Ford Taunus (Cortina in England). It actually looks pretty damn good. That shape has stood the test of time very well.

[@currentsitguy]

Yes, this was about the time Ford went heavy into the very aerodynamic look. I believe the 1st one we got here in the US was the 1st Gen Taurus which at the time reminded me a lot of the Audi 5000.

[@rocketsurgeon11]

That thing has some upgrades done to the suspension and exhaust. I saw polyurethane bushings, aftermarket springs (along with the Bilsteins) and a custom exhaust with no catalytic converter. Those Toyo's were nice tires, too. Almost makes me think somebody autocrossed that car. They at minimum cared about handling. It was missing a bolt in the right front sway bar chassis mount.

[@tammyfetzner5792]

At 12:08 you can see the entire lower sway bar bushing is loose, along with the frame stiffener rod.

[@kerigpope]

My son and I immediately noticed that missing bolt. I hope it's addressed in future videos.

[@kresanmoodley4241]

Stuck out immediately to me as well

[@DavidBugea]

For those who ask why it wasn’t sold as a Ford Scorpio: 1. Ford had to sell these at a premium price in the US, to make up for the expense of importing and Federalization, and exchange rates at the time made European goods fairly expensive. So they decided to sell it under a separate marque through their Lincoln-Mercury dealer channel and made the unfortunate choice of the German word for Mercury (“Merkur”). 2. Using Sierra as a model name was seen as problematic, because GM was using it at GMC and at Olds with the similar-sounding Ciera.

[@11sfr]

Ford desperately wanted an import luxury brand to compete more effectively with Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz, since Baby Boomers were defecting from Lincoln at a massive rate and the World War II and Korea veterans weren't going to keep buying Town Cars and Continentals forever (but, in the meantime, were still buying quite a lot of them, to the extent that Ford didn't want to totally alienate them by taking the Lincoln brand in a totally different direction, they preferred to get a new name for a fresh start). Initially, Ford actually did try to buy BMW in the mid 1980s, but were blocked by the Quandt family, and then decided to just create their own "fake" German brand by just selling upscale West German-built Fords under the Merkur name. When Merkur didn't really pan out, they tried to buy Rover, but were blocked, since Margaret Thatcher's government was under a lot of pressure to keep the company under British ownership during privatization, so, eventually, Ford just bought Jaguar in 1989, finally giving them the real "import" brand they always wanted.

[@geodrome]

This was the replacement for the Ford Cortina , the Scorpio was the Granada replacement in the UK and Europe.

The Scorpio is a bigger sedan like the Taurus. This beauty was always a Sierra.

[@vw5056]

They should have just badged it as a Mercury.

[@vw5056]

@@11sfr to this day Lincoln has a geriatric stigma. The LS was the most youthful and well styled car they built probably since the 60s.

[@alreadygotone9180]

When I was a kid in the UK everyone's dad had one of these. They came in every engine size, speck, from basic get you to work to cosworth engined monster with massive whale tail!

[@cappaculla]

cotsworth ?

[@malcolmhardwick4258]

Cosworth !

[@alreadygotone9180]

I think the terrible bumpers were a American regulation requirement.

[@alreadygotone9180]

@@cappaculla not looking at what I'm writing. Lol

[@chriscollins550]

@hypertechcoffee what the other guy saying is in the UK we had the xR4i but we also had a Cosworth version bigger body kit arch kit and a whale tail over the rear glass and they would make up to 300 plus hp very easy to tune and get a lot more. Now theses cars in the UK are around £40 to £50 grand. The Cosworth is worth anything from £60 grand plus.

[@xrmerkur]

Merkur was an early adopter of front heated seats and optional ABS Brakes.

[@bobkonradi1027]

The Wizard mentioned that this same customer recently had another Merkur, a Scorpio, in for service. I worked for a subsidiary of Ford for around 20 years in a field rep capacity, and as a part of the job we were given a Ford car for our field travels. One year I was given a Scorpio as my company car. Not many people went out of their way to praise this car, but I am one of them. Over a period of time we were given everything from Escorts to Lincoln Continentals and Mark VIII's. The first year that the Taurus SHO was available, I had one of them. Yamaha V6 and manual trans. Out of all the cars I drove over this 20 year (+/-) time, I enjoyed driving the Scorpio more than any other car I ever was provided with. On the road, it just ate up the miles like it was eating lunch. It had a 2.6 liter V6 and 4-spd auto transmission., leather interior and all the bells and whistles. Got very good mileage, caused no problems, rode like a dream. That I could see, its only problem was it was given an MSRP that was a little higher than its Bimmer and Mercedes competition. I had a chance to buy the car when I turned it back in, and I tried to find a way to keep it, but just couldn't make the numbers come out in my favor. As I say, it was my most favorite car, and this is even comparing it to the 1st generation Taurus SHO and 1st year Lincoln Mark VIII that I also drove.

[@aussie2uGA]

Very cool! I remember all of those well. Had 3 xr4ti, one Scorpio, one LSC, business partner had the sho Taurus. I was always jealous of that Yamaha engine, even front wheel drive. Fun times.

[@barrywebber100]

In the UK these were called Ford Sierras back in the 80's. Thanks for posting Wizard!

[@DavidBugea]

At 2:50 you state that the 2.3 Lima in this Merkur is used today. Not so…the 2.3 Ecoboost is a totally different engine, and debuted in the 2015 Mustang and Lincoln MKC, 14 years after the Lima was discontinued. The only things the two engines share is their displacement.

[@jaspal666]

Well, he called it an ecotech... 😂😂

[@MN12BIRD]

Yeah I caught that too I don't think this 2.3 has anything to do with Mazda or the new 2.3EB (didn't it start with the Pinto?) but that said the new 2.3EB design was somewhat borrowed from the 2007 Mazdaspeed3 MPS wasn't it? Again nothing to do with this 2.3 turbo though other than the same displacement and FI of course. That said simple mistake on the Wizards part and I gotta say I love this car!

[@ppeters480]

Great video, great car ! I'm not sure the correct pronunciation for Merkur is but I can tell you that fudge came from the island pronounced "Mack - in - Naw " Keep up the great videos !!!

[@dhinds5927]

I owned one just like it, a really fun car to drive and a great highway cruiser. Wizard, be sure to check the clutch cable.

[@drewpickard554]

Wow thats a very clean Merkur, I had a 85 red one almost exactly like that one. Super fun and cool cars. Couple quick history notes, Wizard was right it kinda looks like a Escort, because it is a Euro escort! The famous version of that was the Escort Cosworth that rocked Group B rally in the 80s with a amazing Cosworth 2.0 Turbo engine. Cool thing about the 2.3 Turbo in there, they actually put it in the 85 Mustang SVO but stopped because it was faster than the V8 of the time. Also thats not a Stock intercooler setup, its probally off the Turbocoupe. His Headlights and grill isnt stock either, but they look really good. I think you need to give the owner of that car a gold star for keeping it so nice and making good and classy choices with mods. I do pronouce it Mer Coor but whatever theres few enough people who even know they exist say it however you want if your going to make a video about it hahahaha.

[@willb3018]

I still remember seeing my first Mercur back in the 80s. Always thought they were cool. The double spoiler was unique.

[@chefjefe68]

Thanks for sharing that oh so clean Merkur XR4Ti. I remember seeing a few of them on the roads of NorCal back in the late 80s. As much as you want to say it is stock, Wizard, the car is not. The XR4Ti did not come from the factory with an intercooler, so that intercooler is an aftermarket unit (Forge Motorsports?). Also, the wheels are aftermarket as well. None the less, the mods are done well enough that it is easy to think car came that way.

[@flacjacket]

I believe the intercooler is rapido. Also it has glass headlights off a euro sierra and a 160 mph speedo, the original only went to 85.

[@osvaldovidela6466]

These XR4 Merkurs/Sierras had 14 inch pepper pot style wheels, but these turbine like fit quite nicely on it honestly.

[@altergreenhorn]

It is basically Euro Ford Sierra with funny bumper

[@TheJohn8765]

@@altergreenhorn yup. Those awful US bumpers need to go.

[@derekgardin1512]

Likely all Rapido gear. Intercooler, exhaust, front grille isn't stock etc.

[@MEWilliamsEsq]

My father before he died when I was 15 was planning to have me start driving with one of theese. I always wanted to see if any still were in decent shape. This is great to see.

[@paul9874]

At 12:10 it appears there is a bolt missing in the sway bar at the front of the engine. I expect it will be addressed when work gets underway. Nice video

[@carlbentley80]

I was looking to see if anyone else spotted that.

[@DirtE30]

Man… that is probably the best looking original XR4ti I’ve ever seen! I’d love to have one again. My wife unfortunately rolled mine 20 years ago.

[@Marshallld]

The intercooler setup is from Rapido. This came with a different ford computer module from mustang SVO. The ford computers were not reprogramable. The exhaust was also from rapido, a borla. The Borla twin exhaust really let the turbo spool up much faster the. With the computer replacement and intercooler I put out significantly more power than the stock Rapido sold a T5 transmission modification kick, this car might have the T9 installed but in the day Rapido sold the T5. As someone else said the the front grill was sold by Rapido so the car would have the grip of the European Ford Sierra Cosworth. The stock twin wing, on the first couple XRTi model years was similar but upper wing was much smaller than the Sierra RS500 Cosworth. Rapid also sold the hood vents used on the Sierra Cosworth. The Merkur was a repowered Ford Sierra two door, in Europe the car also came in a 4 door and was the standard form midsize.

[@MrDuncl]

The Sierra remains the tenth most popular car ever to have been sold in Britain, with 1,299,993 registered over an 11-year production cycle. The car wizard will hate it but the type of people who used to buy Sierras buy BMW 3 series now.

[@davidestate]

Yeah, the T9 is the stock transmission whereas the T5 is the stronger transmission from the Mustang. Who ever installed the inter-cooler should have mounted it higher as well as the pipes but they didn't for some reason. I converted my Xr4Ti into a Sierra Cosworth in my teen days. I found a engine in Europe and had it shipped to Canada.

[@Marshallld]

@@davidestate I bought one new, it was my first new car. My understanding was the reason the boost was limited from the factory was the t-9 could take the extra hp/torque of higher boost or the inter cooler/ soviet computer.

[@kilgree]

I'm glad someone else noticed all the Rapido parts on the car!

[@johnbeierl5925]

Russ and Renata at Rapido 😊 What a great company.

[@randyhayward9880]

It’s pronounced “mare” “cour”. I had two of them, both 88 models. One with a manual that I bought new and the other that I bought used with an automatic. I still have the factory sales brochure. I also saw what appears to be a missing bolt on the passenger side front sway bar at 11:25.

[@philtucker1224]

They were such great cars when they first came out. Over here in the U.K. they were called Ford Sierras and came in an enormous range of engine and performance levels as well as station wagons. The U.K. XR4s and XR4x4s all had V6 engines and were great for towing as well.

[@stewartmckinley7058]

Were they ever used in rally car racing?

[@tronotrond]

@@stewartmckinley7058 i believe the Sierra Cosworth was used quite a lot. Amazing cars, especially the 80s models with the whale tail.

[@JamesParus]

@@stewartmckinley7058 kzbin.info/www/bejne/r2exZ4aMntxrqZI

[@philtucker1224]

@@stewartmckinley7058 Hi Stewart, (as Trono has mentioned here) they were occasionally used for the odd rally but were a little large and the Ford R/S and Cosworth engined Escorts were dominating the rally scene in those days. However the Sierras were very successful on track across the whole British touring car and European touring car championships during those years with the Sierra Cosworth RS 500 cars regularly dominating the field. They are still raced now with considerable success. Best regards buddy.

[@MrDuncl]

@@philtucker1224 The Sierra RS Cosworth was built specifically for Touring Car racing. They had to sell a certain number (5000 ?) in order to be homologated.

[@scottimusgarrett15]

I've always liked these cars. In Canada, they were sold under the Mercury banner, and were really kind of common, but still cool. I don't know if it was ubiquitous, but we called 'em Eurostangs. This one's mint! I want it! Thanks for another unique review, Mr. and Mrs. Wizard! ✌️❤️🙂🇨🇦

[@01TA]

When I owned my '88 XR4Ti (single spoiler in the rear) I also pronounced it like you. I bought it new in '88 and had it 6 years. A wonderful running I4 turbo that took us on many road trips in FL. The FL heat literally destroyed every plastic interior piece over the years and the a/c failed as well. Outside of these issues, we enjoyed the German Ford very much. I wish I could post some photos here.

[@aussie2uGA]

I was right there with ya. Had 3 of them 85, 87, 88 in Jupiter during high school. Finally sold the last one when I moved to Miami. You’re right, all the plastic cracked, especially if we armorall’d it. I used lexol on the seats and it helped them from drying out. Fun times

[@01TA]

@@aussie2uGA Very cool, even though it wasn't the Armorall as I used that with no issues on other cars. That plastic would have cracked with any product. Not designed for those 120+ degree interior temps in the summer months.

[@AruMaLyon]

Wish they'd make cars like this again. I'm no fan of modern technology, hybrid or electric. Just want long term reliability and the ability to repair with relative ease.

[@OzarksWildman]

I think those engines were in the SVO Mustang and Thunderbird turbo coupe

[@jeffgriffith7003]

Swapped one into my 91’ Mustang that I daily drive.

[@OzarksWildman]

@@jeffgriffith7003 Nice! 👍 I swapped a big block in my 89 hatch.

[@2W3X4YZ5]

South Africa could get a V8 Sierra, called the XR8. I liked these cars, sold them new. The only real letdown for me was interior quality. Lincoln Mercury told us to call it a “mare coor.” Thanks for showing it to us. Hope the repairs go well. Have a good day.

[@lloydtucker]

in South Africa it had the Mustang Engine, due to sanctions we were not allowed to import the Mustang, so Ford SA did the next best thing. I had a 1990 Sapphire Sedan version 2.0L

[@Andyc351]

@@lloydtucker The XR8 was built to homologate the car for touring car racing in SA, they only built 250.

[@stevedotrsa]

Basil Green did the XR8s

[@majormanfredrex]

In South Africa we did not have a coupe version, but a four door with a big hatch called a Sierra, or a four door sedan called a Sapphire. These came in 2 litre, 2.3 litre and 3 litre, the latter being a V6. The Sierra was also available as the XR8 and had a 5 litre V8 Mustang engine and the wing as we see on the Merkur.

[@jamesbossio7134]

Thanks for sharing Mr and Mrs Wizard. Brought back memories of my virtually identical 88 Merkur! FYI-my heated seats never worked either and the dealer couldn’t fix them despite numerous attempts. Good luck!

[@dittmerg]

Without a doubt my wife’s absolute favorite car of all time. Still raves about it. Parts were the only issue and the reason we sold it. Beautiful example. Thanks for sharing.

[@Christoph-sd3zi]

How many times did she listen to Phil Collins' "No Jacket Required" on the Blaupunkt cassette deck? If you bought a sporty car in the 80s I think that it came with the car.

[@shado3811]

Hi, Over here in the UK that body type was known as the Sierra, which was built by Ford Europe from 1982 to 1993. It was designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Robert Lutz & Patrick le Quément, the code used during development was "Project Toni". (Its name came from the Spanish word for mountain range) Regards

[@dieguerrero]

In Argentina it was also called a ford sierra. However the 2.3 liter was carburated with a double barrel solex. The engine is as solid as an anvil, extremely simple and easy to work on. It was also used in the ford taunus and ford falcon.

[@forjasgarage9563]

Here in Venezuela it only came with a 3.0 (maybe a 2.9) V6, it came either carbureted or if you get the XR4i fuel injected, but sadly, no turbo

[@philkipnis740]

I leased one when they first came out (black over black} 'cuz they were drop dead gorgeous! I really enjoyed the car. It was fantastic with no problems. Sadly ford refused to allow me to buy it or extend the lease, they weren't the car back. So I sent the car back and bought a Sable instead. What a let down! Not that there was anything wrong with the Sable mind you, but it wasn't in the same league as the Merkur sadly, it was the last manual transmission car I owned. Your show brought back sorrowful memories of a time gone by...

[@gabrielexplores4931]

"Mare-core" is how we use to say it. Had one years ago. Amazing handling on dry Korean no name tires. I couldn't figure out what Ford did to make it handle so well.

[@Schnorbitz]

They had it developed in Europe!

[@srsalhany]

I have always loved these Merkurs, such a cool and unusual car. Scorpio was cool as well.

[@fboomerang]

Front engine rear wheel drive stick shift, fairly easy to get 300hp+ and it's slightly lighter than the SVO. Fun!

[@flacjacket]

Also IRS unlike the SVO.

[@danielwebster8019]

@Robert Anna yes

[@fboomerang]

@@flacjacket Excellent point

[@froopty1854]

You can just call it a ford Sierra since that's what it really is

[@sq1rlsqu4d]

It was never called the Sierra in the US...

[@froopty1854]

@@sq1rlsqu4d yeah but it's a rebadged ford Sierra

[@watershed44]

@@sq1rlsqu4d It was called that in the home market, and in the rest of the world.

[@ShawnSJames]

One of the most underrated cars of the 80s.

[@jonathangrunig8288]

Not in Europe. We know how good it is

[@drewpickard554]

@@jonathangrunig8288 You guys got the Cosworth version in Europe! Merkurs are amazing, but the Cosworth is drool worthy. Always find it funny Europe gets better/cooler Fords than we did in America lol.

[@jonathangrunig8288]

@@drewpickard554 even the 1.8 turbo diesel is a good car. But yes, we have the best Fords (XR, RS, ST)

[@michaelhawkins5530]

When the car was introduced here in the U.S. back in the day, I believe that either the writers at Car and Driver or Motor Trend said it is pronounced Mare-KOOR. Some people may think it somewhat cool today, but even with predicted sales volumes of about 15K per year (as I remember), it turned out to be a sales flop with volumes below even that. I personally thought it was a pretty interesting car.

[@vw5056]

Why not just buy a Mustang? That's why these flopped.

[@christopherboyle1479]

The steering wheel is a Nardi product, the “Personal” being a particular line with endorsement by the great Georgetto Giugiaro. With all due respect to Uwe Bahnsen, it is probably the best piece of design on the car. Wizard, are you right about the engine? That in the Merkur is derived from the Pinto engine that dates back to 1970. It is a single overhead cam design with two valves per cylinder. The more recent Ford/Mazda 2.3l engines are twin-cam, quad-valve designs, are they not? Surely it’s not the same bottom end? The performance end of the European Ford Sierra of course used the Cosworth YB engine, with twin cams, four valves, and turbocharging. They dominated touring car racing everywhere the Group A regulations were in force.

[@rogerbarrett9920]

Agree - It's definitely a Pinto based motor, we had many variants in Ford's in the UK

[@williamjones4483]

The body styling is strikingly like that of the Ford EXP which was manufactured from 1982 - 1985.

[@hfvhf987]

It's a Ford Sierra. A car designed and built in the UK

[@veryrancid3128]

thats a lovely car too. wish we had exp in europe

[@williamjones4483]

@@veryrancid3128 It is not a Ford EXP. I said that the body styling is strikingly similar.

[@williamjones4483]

@@hfvhf987 I know what it is. I stated that the styling is strikingly similar.

[@Christoph-sd3zi]

@@williamjones4483 I learned how to drive in an EXP - it was a stick shift to boot

[@samfuller6273]

I've always had a weird fascination with that car. Ford's funny they spend the money developing rear independent rear suspension but then put drum brakes on it.. weird.

[@tl1024]

I wonder if the rear IRS axle is similar to the independent rear suspension used on V6 Thunderbirds starting in the late 80s (would have a 7.5" ring gear)?

[@chriscollins550]

There's a new ford jeep style in the uk and they still use drums on the rear of them lol. None of the sport car line has. When someone is spending 30 to 40 grand on a new car and it still has rear drum brakes. It's one of the only cars sold with them.

[@jeffgriffith7003]

Drum brakes really aren’t all that bad, they tend to be lighter in weight and have excellent gripping power contrary to popular belief. The main issue with drum brakes is their poor heat dissipation characteristics and visual looks.

[@pajdorian6669]

I remember in the 90's seeing lots of normal version of this car, called Ford Sierra here in Europe. And I also remember that it looked cheap and poorly made even for 90's standard. Although, Sierra RS Cosworth had really nice look for the period, and engine sound was really nice.

[@XB10001]

That wasn't the case in South America. Interesting ... 🤔 Even the standard L trim looked fine. I had a Ghia, which had better looks and interior.

[@Chriswales]

The Sierra was first released in 82 so I'm not surprised it didn't live up to 90s cars. Had one of the run out 91 models that had most of the extras bolted on and was a good car. The Mondeo was a much better car as was the Sierra when it replaced the Cortina. Do still miss my Sapphire GLX with it headlight washers and wipers.

[@XB10001]

@@Chriswales yes, exactly. We had a Mondeo v6 after the Sierra. That engine was a monster.

[@juststeve5542]

Just remember, what you might call poorly made compared to a BMW/Merc would be standard fit and finish in USA!

[@richardbaumgart2454]

@@juststeve5542 yeah after all this was made by Ford, I think the quality was par for 80's Fords

[@TDIMAXDIESEL]

The most beautiful car that Ford haved ever make, made in Germany !

[@xrmerkur]

12:09 track / sway bar is loose from the front passenger subframe. Wizard please take a double look to assure it is secured with a proper bolt. love these cars!

[@brutonstreettailor4570]

A friend of mine here in the UK had a black Xr4i with the Turbo Technics conversion. Most Xr4i owners over here i seem to remember were fitted with alloy wheels, the ones on the car in the Wizard’s shop look like covers, though i could be mistaken. Amazing vehicles though.

[@marcusjosefsson4998]

The wheels are very typical 80's aftermarket aluminum wheels. The design was common on rally cars.

[@brutonstreettailor4570]

@@marcusjosefsson4998 yes i think they were compomotive based on the split rim designs.

[@anasevi9456]

I had no idea Merkur's were rear wheel drive, and independent at that. What a great little ripper for the beginning of the FWD dark era.

[@jfv65]

yeah, this car competed head on with BMW e30, Mercedes 190, Opel Omega, Peugeot 505turbo, Volvo 240turbo, 740turbo, Alfa Romeo 75turbo. All similar sized front engine RWD cars.

[@alastairward2774]

@@jfv65 the Ford Sierra came first and it went up against some pretty basic fare, so basic Ford thought nobody would want FWD.

[@79huddy]

My dad had one that was completely worked over and made 425hp he used to take it to scca invites and race it against the Porsche guys I can remember not being able to move when my dad would lay into it just be stuck in the seat when he'd take it ripping through turns he sold it to some guy who bought it for his son for a graduation present in 1992 the kid totaled it and tore it in half on a telephone pole and messed himself up pretty bad my dad tried to talk the guy out of buying it but he insisted his son would be fine because he raced go carts

[@Gordanovich02]

Random fact about the Merkur XR4Ti: Ford selling it allowed them to homologate the 2.3 litre turbo engine for touring car racing in Europe, even though it was never offered in the European Sierras. But it only lasted a couple of years until the Sierra Cosworths came in.

[@bertholtappels1081]

Really? The 2.3 was never available for sale in Europe though. Perhaps that didn’t matter.

[@monsterkillsports3499]

Sierra Cosworth .. a True Legend In Europe...

[@kattcasel9730]

Highest speeding ticket over the limit I ever had (it was 55MPH then) was in an '84 XR4ti. These things out-ran most every car of the day. They had handling and aero for the Autobahn and the Ford XR series was the rally car version. Truly an example of judging a book by its' cover, people were not impressed by the looks and never drove these to see what it could really do!

[@oqmdnt392]

That's a Ford Sierra! The escort was the XR3i and the Sierra the XR4i. I Guess the Ti was the turbo. The front is just a bit diferent, but the back is the same, down to the dual wings, that the escort also had. It was also a good rally car :)

[@markhealey9409]

Don't forget the little XR2i Fiesta!

[@JS-1983]

Let's just say Ford Sierra, easier to say 😄 Sierra had quite a model range, you can have Sierras even with 1,3 engine up to Cosworth models and diesels too. And even pick up version p100 😄

[@marsgal42]

Nice car! I've seen an XR4ti around town and spoke to its owner once. He was pleased that I recognized that it was special and knew that it was a U.S.-spec Ford Sierra. His only complaint is parts availability.

[@tl1024]

When I worked at a ford dealer in the late 90/early 2000s, apparently our lead guy was a Merkur expert locally, because I saw him working on several of them. I always thought they were quirky, but cool cars. Way cooler than the run-of-the-mill stuff I was doing as a newer tech. Firestone tire recall wasnt nice to us, trust me.....

[@studnick10]

I bought one of these new in 87 at a lincoln dealership for a steal. They couldn't sell these. Mine was a darker red, fully loaded. They were awful in the snow regardless of any kind of tires and used to keep in the garage during the winter. I did drive it one day in April (in Central PA) and they had a snow storm and totaled the car. They were a ton of fun back in the day for the $$.

[@Christoph-sd3zi]

Rear wheel-drive turbocharged cars and snow don't mix - I learned that the hard way in a '95 300ZX Turbo

[@SirTrinculo]

This guy is in our merkur club, its definitely a clean car, rare with Rapido stuff and no sunroof.

[@bassntruck]

You need to teach him how to pronounce the name of the car correctly. I cringe hard every time it is said so incorrectly. I owned 8 XRs/Scorpios back in the early Y2Ks.

[@flacjacket]

@@bassntruck same, as the owner of two (one full Cossie clone one mostly stock) it ground me the wrong way that car wizard was going to insist on saying it wrong. Mare coor dude, Mare coor!

[@SirTrinculo]

@@bassntruck Iv owned 3 of em as well, with my Blue 85 being my current, and i feel the exact same lol

[@mprime6807]

That car must've spent its life protected in a garage. It's rare to see one without the double wing droop.

[@Christoph-sd3zi]

If it had sat outside for any amount of time all of that black plastic trim would be dried and faded as well

[@heavenhelpus479]

Not one, but two of my friends back in the day, bought one of these when they first hit the dealers. Funky looking, quick, but that turbo lag is a mother! When I drove one of them, the rear end always came around.

[@jabbalechat7910]

That's a Ford Sierra XR4i as was sold in Europe, standard came with the Ford Cologne V6 2.8L engine whilst later editions came with Cosworth tuned engines etc., popular with boy racers...

[@chuckford5927]

I've always had a soft spot in my heart for the XR4Ti. Loved the styling. Had a chance to drive one back in the '80's with a auto trans. When you floored it, It took off. Wish they would have marketed it better. To me it deserved a longer life in this country.

[@DuffusMonkey]

My buddy had a eXRatti (XRTI) in 88. He put in a larger turbo and it was crazy powerful compared to other new cars available at that time. Performance was hard to find in the 80's

[@endall39]

Had nearly the exact car back from new. Always wanted to add an inter cooler to address the heat soak issue, but didn’t get around to it. You could feel the power level drop once you started to really have fun. Loved the old turbo lag, because power came on with a wooosh. Made it more fun to drive that my more modern turbo cars.

[@aussie2uGA]

I added a “Group 6” chip to mine and that woosh would really hit hard. Had so much lag but when it finally came on...

[@Blue-moon12]

This was an Ford Sierra XR4i in the UK less the turbo. Baby brother to the Sierra RS Cosworth

[@tardeliesmagic]

Don't forget the RS500 :)

[@sq1rlsqu4d]

It wasn't the baby brother to anything, it was the predecessor to the Cossie.

[@golden.lights.twinkle2329]

Gorgeous example in the best colour! I wanted one of these for many years and even decades ago I never saw one this nice. I just don't know where people find these cars. All the Merkur dealers disappeared years ago and I can't imagine where you find parts and service for them now.

[@bobnorton3713]

My friends mom had one back in the day and it was awesome. 🙂

[@martinjulecki2728]

Love to see this from the wizard himself! I’ve got a xr4ti and I’m turning it into a rally car!

[@harveyglenn230]

This is a Ford Sierra XR4 in Europe. Some had a Cosworth engine (the Sierra Cosworth which was brutally quick)

[@sq1rlsqu4d]

The XR4i never had a Cosworth engine, only the Cologne V6. The original RS Cosworth used a standard (strengthened) 3-door Sierra hatchback bodyshell, as did the RS500. ETA: The Scorpio received a Cosworth 2.9 liter version of the Cologne V6.

[@Lotuswolf14]

Have to comment, this is my personal favorite car! Been trying to buy one of these forever, awesome to see one in such a good condition!

[@Christoph-sd3zi]

My Big 80s Ultimate Garage would include this Merkur, a T-Bird Turbo Coupe, a 944 Turbo, a Lotus Esprit Turbo, a Testarossa and an Iroc Z w 5.7L V8

[@steveauston6020]

I've owned a few Ford 2.3l, absolutely AWESOME! Bulletproof Engines! I currently drive a 2.3l, 94 Ranger. Holds up good to the Minus - 30 weather here in Canada🤙Lol Gets around 28 mpg....Not bad!

[@theufoexperience3859]

Great car! I remember wanting one years ago when I had an 84 Scirocco. One of these blew me away at a stop light. It was and is an amazing car.

[@roheetpatel8378]

Oh wow... in the UK its called a Ford Sierra RS Cosworth. The window layout looked quite different. But this is what you would call a holy grail and a sought after car in the UK. A good example goes for a lot of money.Jeremy Clarkson had one and I think one year his annual car insurance cost 25k. Regards to youboth Mr and Mrs Wizard at Team CW.

[@marcusskidmore7290]

Wrong. It's a Ford Sierra XR4i. We had a different engine here 2.8L Ford Cologne. Sierra RS Cosworth is a different car.

[@gavinmellon9313]

It's an xr4i in UK. Stick to your Datsuns.

[@FourGreenFields]

That's what we knew as a Sierra xr4i.big brother to the ford Escort xr3i and baby brother ford fiesta xr2i

[@kattcasel9730]

When I lived in Germany, the XR series cars were the rally car version. Too bad they did not succeed in USA.

[@otarsulava]

Very early 90's , Republic of Georgia - my neighbor had car just like this - FORD SIERRA ! I guess for European market, companies make same cars as US market but w/ a different name ... example: VW Jetta MK4 , we had as VW BORA... ✌

[@alasdairhompstead7950]

Understatement of the week goes to the Car Wizard... Some Ford parts... 🤔 Nope it is ALL Ford parts. Probably built at the Ford Europe Cologne plant. First XR4Ti I saw was parked in front of a house on Clearwater Beach in 1989, and I remember thinking 'that's cool, someone imported a Sierra' Late '86 on V6 models had rear discs, same as the Scorpio, although they weren't particularly reliable as the hand/parking brake self adjustment mechanism within the caliper was prone to seizing. The XR4i left the factory with 14" 8 hole alloys, although those ones look pretty 😎

[@cliffordkinnear9705]

The marketing of the Merkur was flawed at the beginning. The Merkur looked almost like the less costly and almost as many options as the North American Escort GT from 1986 through 1989. Ford should have sold it through the Ford Dealers not the Lincoln-Mercury Dealerships. The American Motors SST Ambassador had vertical heater controls. I can hear the Flock of Seagulls in the background!

[@DBerwick]

I'm seeing a lot of misinformation in the comments. The XR4Ti was based on the Ford Sierra XR4 from Europe with US bumpers, lights, minor safety items, upscale interior, and the engine from the mustang GT turbo and Thunderbird super coupe of the time. Bob Lutz, later of Chrysler fame, wanted Ford to take on the BMW 3 series and capture some of those euro buyers. The car was handicapped from the start because the Ford execs, specifically the mustang brand manager, were afraid of stealing mustang sales if the car was too powerful. The Scorpio was Ford taking aim at the 5 series. Most Sierra parts bolt right on and the mustang SVO's engine drops right in. Despite the badge on this car, the XR4Ti did NOT come with an intercooler, part of the handicap mentioned earlier. The one from the MGT and t-bird SC basically bolts in. This car also has the Cossie grill which never came on this car in the states.

[@watsonlr]

Mrs. Wizard, while I appreciate you dating the car based on cell phone cubbies "20 years in the future". The timeline is a bit tighter than that. I was rocking a Motorola MicroTac in 1990! Great content BTW. Loved this car when I was younger.

[@Lesterslaser01]

Wow ! Ford Sierra XR4i, over the pond here in England, it was a 2.8 v6 injection engine no turbo ! When the sierra came out early 80’s it was nicknamed the jelly mould ! Looks awesome 👍🏻

[@nicksothep8472]

The old Sierra! I have no idea why in the US they rebadged them as Merkur, makes very little sense. Anyways, this is one of the very few instances where these type of car had a better engine option in the States than in Europe, where they came with the awful cologne V6, one of those boat anchors that are a nightmare if you want to add hrspwr, as the aftermarket is very limited, and even after extensive work you are lucky to reach 250hp and still have a reliable engine. I never understood those cologne, the 3.0 Essex was far superior if you were one of those "there's no replacement for displacement" kind of guy, because being 100% honest, the good old pinto, which for many years was Ford Europe engine of choice, other than being close to indestructible, could be tuned easily, with a wild aftermarket, and could be made to reach 200hp with not too many tricks, and way more once you decided to start swapping internals. I know Americans hate 4 cylinders and think they are weak stupid engines, but it ain't true, and in light cars such as these old Fords were, particularly the older ones like Cortinas, Capris, Taunus and Escorts of the late 60s to late 70s, were fantastic fun! I had a 72 Taunus with a Sierra 2.0l pinto, with just a cam, carb, headers and I'm not sure what little else (it was almost 20 years ago), I had a fun little ripper, at about a ton in weight, around 150hp rwd, I remember smoking the tires more often than I cared for, doing numerous sideways entries in roundabouts or motorway and generally having more fun than with more modern and more powerful cars. They are very agile too, both the MKIII Cortina/Taunus and the Sierra platforms were well tought out, with a super smooth rack and pinion steering since 72, a well geared and bulletproof rear end, that when paired with the famous T5 trans were great fun, in fact as soon as I can I want another one. I had my fair share of old cars, VWs, Opels, Benz, Bimmers, etc, but none as smooth and fun as the old 'tina/taunus.

[@unstablebobgable]

If I could make the videos about the Merkur XR4Ti with The Car Wizards and Mrs Wizards I would drink the shot of whiskey and puff on the Cannabis Cigars with them and get all schmoked up

[@billyrayvalentine5220]

Had a customer on my paper route in 78 buy one, said the name just like you. Was the first I saw, then they faded away. The front resembles a Mustang/Avanti mash up. Nice car, fun video!👍🏻

[@Muddymikey]

Is that the same engine as the SVO Mustang had? SVO Mustangs also had the biplane rear spoiler. Very nice XR4Ti.

[@sicknessuntamed]

Hey Wizzard, little heads up, I worked at a Merkur dealer and my father has owned a couple of them. It is pronounced like MareCoor (mercur) it is an european version of the escort group b rally car. but yes it is pronounced as Merecoor. The thing is a bitch to work on anything hvac related, blower botor replacement will cost you the better part of $1200.00 the blower is a standard ford part but it is the labor to do it.

[@lilredexptsc]

That’s cool he brought you some Michigan made snacks. Michigan is my home state and one of my good friends here in WV loves to try new snacks so I had bring her some Better Made chips, some Vernors, Meijer cheesy popcorn, and some Jones soda. I was hoping to find some fudge but we didn’t see any at the Meijer we stopped at. Great looking car. I’ve always loved these. Used to see them around a lot in the 90’s but it’s been a while now.

[@jlang8213]

Hey Wizard, fyi 8:07, Mackinac is pronounced "Mackinaw". if you ever get a chance, you should visit. No cars are allowed on the island and it smells of fudge and horse crap.

[@racer193wr]

The car of my dreams back when I was in my early 20s. Also the car of my nightmares when my dreams came true in my early 20s. Spent many many dollars and much much time on mine only to send it to the junk yard in a fit of rage. Still I would love to have a black/redstripe on charcoal example. Think I'd do a eccoboost swap with some kind of dual clutch..

[@HyperHorse]

THAT'S A FORD SIERRA!!!! IT WAS USED IN TOURING CAR RACING IN THE LATE 80s/early 90s.

[@maxsager139]

6:51 Why in the US do cars have those stupid alarm sounds like buzzers??? What function does that have other than to annoy human beings??? Only in the US did they use those things.

[@Darwinion]

When the Sierra (UK name for this model) first came out it wasn't a great seller as it succeeded the three-box shaped Cortina. The jelly mould shape was considered too futuristic in 1982 and it took a while to catch on. The one you have there has an early front end (for UK anyway) with the headlamps sunk in a little. It actually looks better today imo to the later front end styling that was more flat.