Among the many unique and interesting models Ford has sold in North America over the years, the Merkur XR4Ti certainly ranks near the top, even if it is just a European Ford Sierra XR4Ti converted for sale in the U.S. After selling quite well early on, the Merkur XR4Ti wound up falling out of favor ahead of its final year on sale in America back in 1989, but we still see nice examples pop up for sale from time to time. That’s certainly the case with this 1985 Merkur XR4Ti, but it’s also a far cry from stock.
This Merkur – which is currently up for grabs at Bring a Trailer – is about as far as one can get from stock, in fact, as the seller has been working on transforming it into a track car since purchasing it back in 2021. That much is evident from the outside, which features a carbon fiber widebody kit, giant spoilers and a big rear diffuser, a side-exit exhaust, Lexan rear and quarter windows, and 17-inch wheels taken from a Ford Mustang Cobra – in this case, wrapped with 315/30 Hoosier A7 tires.
That bodywork is mated to a custom tubular frame, which is fitted with front coilovers and four-wheel disc brakes with Cobra front and Wilwood rear calipers. The interior is all business, as one might expect, sporting little more than a bunch of switches, a single OMP seat with a harness, an AiM digital display, a fire extinguisher, roll cage, and a window net, as the door glass has been removed.
Power for this wild Merkur comes from the turbocharged 2.3L I-4 engine sourced from a Mustang SVO, which features electronic fuel injection and a Megasquirt ECU. It’s mated to a T5 five-speed manual transmission and a 7.5-inch rear end for what we imagine is brisk performance. Now, this wild machine is looking for a new home – and given how cool it is, we imagine that someone will be willing to pony up for it – even if it isn’t street legal as it sits.
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