Of the many obscure vehicles Ford has sold in North America over the years, the Merkur XR4Ti is certainly one of the coolest. The hot hatch is actually just a European Ford Sierra XR4Ti converted for sale in the U.S., and those changes included the vehicle’s name, as Sierra was already in use by General Motors. The Merkur XR4Ti ultimately sold fairly well early on, but sales tapered off as the model stuck around from 1985-1989. Today, we rarely see nice examples of this cool little hatchback pop up for sale, but this 1988 model currently listed at Bring a Trailer certainly fits that bill.
With just 71k miles on the clock, this Merkur remains in excellent condition, especially since exterior parts including the lower cladding, front fascia, and rear spoiler were refinished just last year. The seller did remove the car’s Merkur badges and added Ford pieces, but the originals are included with the sale. Otherwise, it’s a pretty period-correct piece, right down to those cool 15-inch “basketweave” alloy wheels.
The interior is quite nice and rather luxurious for this time period, with black heated leather seats, air conditioning, cruise control, and power windows among the Merkur’s many amenities. Overall, the cabin is tidy and a proper throwback to the 1980s with its simplicity and monotone appearance.
While few cars built during this time period are what anyone today would call “fast,” the Merkur was reasonably fun to drive thanks to its turbocharged 2.3L I-4 engine, which was originally rated to produce 145 horsepower when paired with Ford’s C3 automatic transmission (as is the case here) or 175 horsepower when mated to cars with a five-speed manual. Either way, that power flowed to the rear wheels for maximum enjoyment.
Considering how few of these cars we come across these days, it’s pretty much a guarantee that whoever takes this Merkur home will have a truly unique ride they can take out and enjoy without worrying about messing it up because it’ll likely sell for a fairly reasonable price as well.
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Comments
I owned a white one with a double-rear wing.
WORKED ON THOSE AND THE SCORPIOS AS WELL WHEN THEY WERE WARRANTY. THEY WERE LOTS OF FUN.
I want one. Ontario canada
After getn hitched at 22, an ’86 XR4Ti was my #2 car. At that age I will testify it was an absolute blast driving, and the feel of the turbo stole my heart! Had no problems in humid Memphis and the car took car of me through a couple of Boston winters.
The first used car I ever purchased, like a dear friend was there even after the wife had gone!
Back in the 80s I wanted one so bad. Didn’t have the funds for one. Bought a Mercury Topaz XRTi. Fun little car. I was at the Chicago Auto Show and won a Mercur branded jacket. I still have it hanging in my closet.