The car was to be sold at selected Lincoln-Mercury dealerships, and so they decided to call the car Merkur (pronounced "mare-coor"), which is German for Mercury (although I have it on good authority from a German friend that this isn't true). The Sierra name couldn't be used, as Oldsmobile already had rights to the name, despite being spelt Ciera. The car was based on the XR4i, and so it was badged XR4Ti, the T referring to the turbocharged engine. Ford fitted the 2.3 Lima engine, the same as used in the Mustang SVO and Thunderbird Turbocoupe. This helped to motivate the heavier car (300lbs more than the XR4i), and it also would meet the American emissions standards of the time.

From the start, the Merkur XR4Ti faced problems. In 1985 it was priced at around $16,000 which later rose to over $20,000. This put it in competition with BMW, Saab and Audi, which was what Ford were hoping for, but who knew what a Merkur was? Like a bad joke you have to explain, the name Merkur didn't do the car any favors, and it had difficulty establishing its credentials despite rave reviews. Even the XR4Ti badge was strange. In Europe, the Sierra XR4i was part of a group of high performance Ford vehicles, namely the Fiesta XR2 and Escort XR3i. But in the US, the XR4Ti name was just a collection of letters and a number. Some may also suggest that the Lincoln-Mercury dealers were more used to selling Town Cars and Continentals, and had no desire to sell a strange looking German sports sedan. The entire European Sierra range was facelifted in 1987, but the Merkur was still made with the old body style. By 1989, the Merkur was an old design at Ford, four wheel drive Sierras and the mighty Sierra Cosworth had surpassed it. Only 45,748 XR4Tis were imported from 1985 to 1989, and the second Merkur model, the Scorpio didn't do any better, lasting only two years (1988-1989).

Now the cars are in the hands of a dedicated band of enthusiasts. Despite their limited production numbers, it is not uncommon to see them in large numbers at car shows such as Ford Carlisle. They are cheap to buy and fix up, and the engine can be modified to produce serious power. Merkur specialists exist to help provide the spares your local auto shop can't supply, and there is a Merkur mailing list and forum where help and advice are only a mouse click away.

Click on the pictures to see more details on each car...

"Every measurement tells us the Merkur XR4Ti is the best sedan Ford sells in the US. It is one of the quickest sedans available here, yet it is reasonably economical. It can achieve cornering speeds that few sports cars can match. It's also a quiet and comfortable car. Somehow though, the Merkur is not what it could be, and it is not exactly what we were hoping for. A great idea it is, but the Merkur is also a lesson. It is a demonstration of what occurs to a car as it is transformed from a German sedan to an American sedan. During the interval from first announcement to present, the car has become less appealing. Since our first drive in a V6 European model, the Merkur has gained 300lb and in a variety of ways it has become less pleasant to drive. Lots of horsepower is nice, but that's not all that matters. What the Merkur needs is more refinement. And a better name wouldn't hurt either." - Road and Track magazine