Never had a chance to drive one. I did have a real nice 1988 T-Bird Turbo Coupe. It was a blast ! The secret was the smaller turbo that spooled faster ,it was intercooled plus turbo bearings were fed engine oil pressure. I ran mine stock....changed the oil....let the turbo spoon down for a minute before shutting down. I never had any big problems......keep up the great work I love this old stuff.....cause I'm kinda old and the girls in the 80's were smokin hot .
@@bstfordchannel923 yea they had a bunch of recalls ....I caught mine from the first owners. He babied it and only 140,000 KLMS about 80,000 miles. He did all the recalls so when I got it was clear sailing. Mine was Canadian spec so it had the 140mph speedo as standard. 5 speed as well. Road and track reports straight of the showroom floor they got 143mph out of it at the speedway. Also I did all the work on it I suspect if you took it to the wrong garage they would have messed it up and done some harm. Clean fresh oil ! All turbo's need that.....Fords oil change interval was BS.
My first one had 150,000 miles on it before I got rid of it. Synthetic oil changed often and letting it idle for a minute and no issues with the turbo. It even had the original clutch in it. My second one had the C-3 in it. I tore up the transmission twice in 60,000 miles. My current one has an Esslinger aluminum head, everything ported, T3/T4 hybrid turbo, T5 World class transmission,, Superchip, K&N under fender intake, 3" exhaust and custom radiator/intercooler. The lag is awful, but when it spools it screams, literally. The huge amount of air makes a sound like Chewbacca. Puts you back in your seat with 20lbs of boost too.
Had an 87 XR4. A hidden gem. There were a few quirks. The 5s tranny had slow synchronization on the 1st to 2nd shift. You had to drive it carefully. Coking on the turbo required cooling down before shutting down, and frequent oil changes. Hot rodded mine with support from Rapido Group. SVO engine kit with intercooler Borla exhaust Revised belt system Rear disc brakes Koni struts and urethane bushings 230hp, near 50/50 weight balance, they were Fast, fun, and different! Legally stolen from Lincoln! They were not selling, so a savvy buyer could drive a good deal. Great fun.😊
@@bstfordchannel923 I wish!!! No, I was getting ready to post a comment having read about those South African XR8s many, many years ago. You were all over it! Stay safe.
I bought my first one in 88. Great car. Still one of my favorite cars to the point I still own one. But yes the information in the video is mostly correct. No real racing exposure in the US. Rousch racing ran a very successful team in IMSA here in the US but Imsa didn’t get any tv time to speak of. Then there was the mistake Ford made by offering them at Lincoln dealers. They followed GM when the latter brought Opel and Vauxhall to Buick dealers. Who buys Lincolns and Buicks? Grandparents. It’s fun even with the sorted history and because of the sorted history.
very detailed comment spot on, with that said I am working on this car let me know what you think ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-0JweZqQb0oU.html
BST! Thanks for the Shoot Out :) It always seems the Aussies doe a better job at building Fords/Mercurs for racing! Jack Rousch did some amazing things with XR4Ti and the South African XR8Ti for Trams Am IMSA racing... an then switched to the Cougar??
yes that was a strabge times in racing.. thus why they did not really sell cars like they should cars was not classics like they once was,,, No race history no connection unless your grandpa owned 1
There was an adjustment period in 80's to FWD, 82.5 Ranger2.0Diesel 2.0,2.3 computer carb to EEC4 fuel Inj. The electric fan operation circuit was Allien to 80yrs of belt fans, consequently cars would overheat if fan didn't activate or just 1with AC on. Come winter with AC off & no Engine cooling fan at 192-5° Emmisions Thermostat temp, the cooling system steam would Warp, crack& Blow the head gasket. Thats one example of how 1980's American cars got such a bad Reputation. I miss the easy money of HG jobs. Another problem was intank fuel pumps failed because Ethenol in late 1990's turned Rubber hoses connecting fuel pump to sending unit in tank to Black Goo and then couldn't draw fuel. The 2000's have brought us Muliplex ellectronics, Body Control modules, Drive by wire elec throttle body, Programable Key fobes ignition switches. Beyond my do it yet self diagnostics 🤯
We had more then just the El Camino and Ranchero. There was the Rampage / Scamp. Ford Durango. We also had the Volkswagen "Caddy" Rabbit Pickup built in Pennsylvania.
Forgot the Caddy Vw thing lol... I think it would work ONLY with cars guys there are not many of us.. More regular point A to point B people out there..
Hey man I really loved your video - especially the Dick Johnson segment. He really got the most out of both the Fox Mustang and the Sierra. At one stage his Sierras were the fastest in Group A worldwide. I think a major reason why the Merkur failed was because in most guises it looked very plain or even bubble-like. Didn't look classy at all compared the BMWs and Mercs of the day. For me the only one that looked the business was the RS 500 Sierra. And that's coming from a FORD fan. Cheers!
Very true statement for abroad ( maybe ) but here the car gain traction in the 90s if they made a New Merkur it would have done better cause the older cars started to show up ( self promotion ) in the 90s you can ask any urban kid what is a Merkur and they knew and that alone ( may people did not know ) this. while abroad the car was HUGE it was just liked by the those that think outside the box.. Great write up by you brother on this
It wasn't until the Fall of '88 that I remember seeing one of these. (I remember thinking "How Uninteresting") I had moved back to Michigan where the brands are better represented than in the boonies. Keep in mind that everyone was offering a specialty car back in the 80's. Pontiac had the Fiero, Buick had the Riata, Olds had the Trofeo, Cadillac had the Alante, The Merkur of course. The Ford Probe was new. Chrysler badged one of their senior citizen mobiles as a Masaratti (Laugh worthy). Turbos were being found under the hoods of "Luxury Sport" models turned sport, all to compete with the "Euro-sport" sedans and coupes. Back then, the generation of young'ns was the kind to pay entirely too much for a pair of import jeans, Fancy brand shirts, tenny-bops and were the sort to beat up a kid and steal his leather jacket and/or Air Jordans. They grew up to be yuppies who paid too much for everything just to impress people they couldn't stand. They also bought weird cars and paid too much for them. Perhaps the Merkur wasn't exciting enough to be popular with Xers. Being a Boomer, I wasn't interested (And am still not) with cars I didn't grow up with. To me, the Merkur wasn't a Ford or Mercury. It was a weird German car that you couldn't have paid me to be interested in.
lmao very true sometimes some cars are better after they are gone ( 240sx ) for example or even a Crown Vic. Its a strange concept UNTIL someone does 1 cool . Then everyone will follow. look at the Vic now look at the Ls now. We just follow instead of going against the grain ( going against the grain ) cost in many cases.. now that Chrysler badged one of their senior citizen mobiles as a Masaratti now that was a f n odd still to this day
I was a buyer at the time. I thought the XR4Ti was beefoo (BFU), you guys figure it out. lol I also knew what the drive train was, and could tell I'd rather have a Mustang GT. I bought a Shelby Charger instead, and loved that car despite knowing it was just an Omni with tuned suspension and better lines. I liked the way it drove, and the water cooled turbo sold me. Maybe the Shelby stickers played a part to. And it was the cheapest of those being considered by thousands. The ol lady liked that part. And like all of my new cars she stole it from me. I almost never got to drive it. I credit Dodge, Shelby, and Goodyear Gator Backs with saving my bacon once. But that is another story.
you said something very very cool... It was the price and the Shelby name and ( that was a better turbo car ) Glh and Shelby Chargers IFFFFFFFFF Shelby touched on it it would have been cooler ( engine wise ) suspension was beat i will say that
@@bstfordchannel923 Rough figures that might be off a bit. Sticker on the Dodge was like 9500, the GT was 11 or 12ish, and the XR4Ti was not even considered. It was very pricey, and ugly, with a Mustang engine. A buddy from HS bought one. He said in a phone call he liked it. He worked for Ford, and got a deal, and said I got the better car due to the price. They made absolutely no waves, and were forgotten after the media moved on to the SHO. I've had 2 of those by the way. That was the Beamer beater.
The XR4Ti never had an intercooler. The Scorpio went under the Granada name for a while in the UK after it replaced the previous Granada. It was a Scorpio elsewhere in Europe. Erratic idle was from the idle sensor, not the turbo. There was little to no maintenance that needed to be done on the turbo.
@@bstfordchannel923 yep and Ford even had a prototype tested with a DOHC engine, TMIC putting out 270HP but never released it. Putting on an SVO or Turbo Coupe intercooler isn't unheard of. Some add the Cosworth FMIC. Mine has a custom FMIC. But none came from the dealer with them.
I gotta agree with you on the title, but I still like & respect the car. P.S. Ranchero,Elcameno & the forgotten GMC Caballero...(78-87) I say,if they brought a Ranchero/Elcameno out today,it WOULD SELL!
I drove an ‘85, back in 1991. A friend fooled around with the waste gate, and I could drift the car around our local roads, before I even knew what drifting was. I once made a 9hr trip from my place in Florida, to my girlfriends in Alabama, in 4hrs. Left Florida, at 2am, and ran 130 to 140, for the entire trip.
GREAT story Jake ( a wonderful read ) These cars where great the Mustang version was cool also SVO. Kinda the same styling kinda.. Pre drifting I acalled it ( rallying ) lmao
Yes sir, I’m familiar with the SVO. The same friend later built one, with the Cosworth whale tail, that was faster if you took off, from a dead stop, in second gear. He had the T5, an air to air, piggy back fuel pump, and injectors sourced from another type of Ford. His quarter mile time dipped into the 12’s. In those days, that was fast. We left for that Alabama trip, at 2am, because we knew traffic would be light. Surely one of the dumbest things I’ve done, but boy was it fun.
@@xrmerkur the price was crazy but it was hit in the early 90s in the urban strange i seen more there than anywhere. Drug dealers love them very wild to see that just think seeing a 15-17 year old driving one
The Ford Sierra was also built i Argentina from 1984 to 1993 in sedan, coupe and Station Wagon trim. Its XR4 version d 2.3 litres engine, no turbo, no fuel injection and 120HP.
A big RWD Escort(as the concurrent Escort was FWD). Funny you should say that as the 90s Cosworth Escort was built on an altered Sierra Cosworth chassis, so it was an inherently rear drive vehicle.
Like the other commenter said, the Merkur was REAR wheel drive whereas the Escort was FWD. Two completely different chassis hardpoints, just can't swap them. It's like comparing a small Chevy Colorado to a Ford F-150. It's just a big pickup? 😅 Or comparing a windmill to a wind turbine. I guess they work off the wind but do completely different things!
thank you for this comment thank you for the support., The svo where cool they just needed the price to be lower during the time and it would have been something diffrent today
they destroyed the original face of the car. it was dominant in australian races, BTCC races, Rallying, they made a evolution of the rally car for public which extra 4 fuel injectors because of the FIA regulations. they raced againts the NISSAN R 32 GTR in austrialia races. now they are hard find.
A guy in my city had a XR4Ti back in the '80s. That dang thing smoked like a freight train! There was a quarts worth of spent motor oil covering the rear bumper cover.
that turbo was bad... very typical cause they did not change oil and bad turbo or never checked oil..Very early stages of turbos in cars... Ebay turbo ( of now ) where better than that new turbo of that era
Ford mishandled it. You are right about the badging. What was that symbol?, and the word Merkur was not even an English word Back in the day it just seemed weird. I met a guy in 2007 whilst riding my motorcycle cross country. He was filling up his Merkur at the same gas station. I walked over and we talked awhile. He said he was on his way to a Merkur meet up. He claimed there would be 1400 there.
I bought an XR4ti in ‘86 and proceeded to put 65,000 miles on it in one year. No problems at all. I loved that car. I still have a lot of hate for Lincoln Mercury for the shitty way they marketed it and killed off the brand so prematurely. I’ve never owned another Ford product.
BST Ford Channel that would have been a Bitchin!!!! Little Ride for Sure, but that 4 Cylinder which If I'm not mistaken was just a Pinto engine with a Turbo, wasn't no Slouch.
I drove an '87 model in my teens. As a hand me down from my mom it was the automatic, such a disappointment. My friends nicknamed it the Mercuda. Good times!
I find it a little amusing that the XR4Ti had a smaller engine than the Sierra XR4i (2.8 V6). Usually its the other way around. Also, I didn't think that the Merkur brand was a great idea. Why not just call it the Ford XR4Ti (and Ford Scorpio?). American car companies like their complex array of brands. Sierra XR4is and other classic Fords command strong money on the used car market in the UK.
very true we got the smaller engine but here in the states we needed a v8 no matter the hp lol.. We like our hp to be v8 vs hp from any engine... we lack that love over here..
Because Ford Scorpio and XR4Ti sold at Lincoln Mercury wasn't happening, they wanted traffic there, not Ford dealers and Ford wanted a brand to compete with the Euro brands. They could have dropped the brand name altogether like they did with the Euro Capri. In fact, I have literature for the 1990 Scorpio with no Merkur mentioned. Better transmission, HO Cologne engine, mono colors. It would have been epic. But they pulled the plug completely.
@@hotrodray6802 must have been your state. All of mine have been titled as Merkurs. The titles from the out of state sellers also listed them as Merkur.
I like it cause it was diffrent it was aimed to those.. I like the Scorpio way more.. They has issue , but people beat on them FROM the factory and dealerships
@@bstfordchannel923 she had the car for 4 year's. I beat the hell out of it never- had any problem. She traded it for a Mustang GT I love that car to. I I talk you into it. LOL
grand tour on amazon made whole episode of FORD shutting down in Europe. u should check it very rare ford cars for Americans. they had many people gathered in church for ford shutting down in Europe they also featured this car too.
8:30- The intercooler didn't fix "soot" actually coking of super burnt oil in bearing! But the addition of a A/R Garrett water cooled bearing center section cured most bearing issues🔥 Popular fix used to be a turbo timer to allow water to cool down turbo after engine shut down. Russ at Merkur Depo said "You can read a news paper by the turbo🔥glow". Usually after high rpm boost run.😎 Most cheap online Turbo kits aren't Water Cooled. Always after running it hard, let her idle to let oil or oil&water cool her bearing&turbo🤑
I added a mechanical Water temp gauge in block Allen head plug. This shows disparaty between rapid climb of head temp under lower gear (1&2) Boost as to Block temp rises very little (Iron Head). I now keep to second in slow traffic as 370 rear & first is Jeep creeper. Unfortunately the vid gives props only to Cossy4&SA V8. Lima 2.3 Turbo is the most durable and with BV head 🔥 boost 👍 In an endurance test between new Ford 2.3T & YeOld Lima of same Dyno HP in race track Conditions, the new Alum 2.3 vill Chernobyl 💥
Social Distancing You Allllllll @11:31 in your video. Like BMW equals Blo99y Massive Wave. The Merkur just missed out on the Sierra XR8s Mustang engine and both it and the Sierra RS500s T5 transmission. The T9 is available as an aluminum case aftermarket transmission today, and its as strong as the best factory Borg Warner T5 and Tremec T45s. Bob Lutz took a lot of heat at BMW, then Ford, then Chrysler, then GM. He is to be commended as always being a Car Czar. The BMW 6 series, the Fotd Explorer, Merkur, the Viper, the captive import GTO Holden based Pontiac and the last G8s...all his efforts. ALL WAYS THE PRODUCT. The Merkur just needed to have a Motorsport SVO or SHO type connection. Like the de Tomaso Pantera, and Early 71 to 78 Capri, the Lincoln Mercury and eventual Merkur dealers kinda didnt know what kind of aweome stuff that Ford dropped on the market. Great Video man. Great mash up!
thank you for you comment it made it all the worth to do... I really think they really could have made the car something, but as you say they made spin offs of the car Taurus, Escort Gt, and Temp and even the Foxbody Mustang got a taste..
I had a red 85 XR4Ti as in the video. It was a super fine car. Smooth, quiet, peppy. Lima 2.3 turbo could have been better, but it did well and modified well. Zero problems in 100,000 miles. The 302 fit perfectly and it was bad azz but nose heavy. OK for 90% of USA driving. 👍 4 drunk teens in a Chevy pickup hit me head on. XR4Ti didnt make it
The SVO mustang was a sales flop and someone at ford really thought the xr4ti with the same engine and similar design features on an even uglier car would be a sales success somehow. Maybe they hoped it’d catch on after 87 when the aero designs were introduced and helped it blend in a little better. I still maintain that Ford needed to get rid of excessive amounts of 2.3 turbo engines somehow so they shoved them in these for the American market just to get rid of them. Ford intended to build 30k SVO mustangs but sold less than 10k total in 3 years so guesstimating there was an overstock of 20k 2.3 turbo engines plus supporting parts they had to get rid of right?
ohhh you guys had a 500hp one ( sweet! ) I like these i like the scorpio version with the rear seats that recline . Those where so nice... A guy over has both of those cars CLEAN as can be David Cheers mate
I imported an AWD Sierra Estate. I'm intending to swap the engine fairly soon. I'm not sure if I want to go Ford 2.3 turbo or 302 or Cosworth YB but the Cosworth is much more expensive than the others.
wow what is in it now? I would just build on what is in there and keep it AWD if its possible ( build a low budget Cosworth ) 302 would be best and easy to do, but that awd maybe lost
@@bstfordchannel923 The engine is shot. The engine is also is pathetic 2.0 4 cylinder. Parts are expensive because they all have to come from Europe, there isn't much aftermarket support also the engine doesn't have much potential at all for mods. It is a solid runabout fuel saving engine. That kind of was its purpose.
@@PanzerPlatform Yes designed for that certain demographic ( those wanting to be different ) when it hit my way in the 90s well drug dealers lusted over them cause it was odd car that cool
If you live in Southern. CA, It was probably my Sierra RS Cosworth you saw. Currently fixing some bumper damage, but should have it back on the road soon.
You speak of lack of advertising by Ford around this car didn't help it succeed. That seems to be the Ford way. The 2011 Ford Mondeo (in Australia) did so well in many car magazine reviews and comparisons, but do you think Ford could have promoted it in any way? Not on your life. Never saw any advertisements for it, and they just let it wither on the vine, so to speak. Useless company.
Well thse cars where loved ( during the drug era ) so they where shown there, The issue is Ford had issue internally .. People dont want OTHER good ideas to win... And thsi suppose to be team? Thuse they pulled advertising dollars ect... Its just crazy Gee Em
2.3 had poor reliability. They did a terrible job of marketing both cars. Logo was worst imaginable. I think that lutz pushed it hard but his underlings had no clue what they had. They were too “Olive Garden”
very true what they did was they beat the car to $hit ( from the dealer ) and those non-intercooler version where the worst. Marketing was the WORST it was well planed.. all they wanted to do was sell 20k of the car per year THAT was the goal and they did not even do that.. They should have called it a Mercury... You are very Right Martin Olive Garden for real