Oddball Import: 1989 Merkur XR4TI

Ford's decision to import the European Sierra XR4i is often attributed to the automotive icon known Bob Lutz (Swiss born, but American through and through).  Lost in history is the half-brain behind the decision to brand the vehicle as a Merkur and sell it at Lincoln-Mercury dealers. Just what the hell is a Merkur anyway?  The German spelling of Mercury, you say...so what...the bottom line is that buyers had no idea what it was or why they would want one and it was a bust.  Oh yeah, in case the "MeeerrrKURRR" name wasn't pretentious enough, there was a issue with the model name...the unpronounceable and unremembered XR4Ti.  Of course, Maximum Bob Lutz went on to work at Chrysler before the bean counters at Ford realized this European import thing with the bizarre name was a financial disaster, but it would have at least made a bit more sense to sell it at a Ford dealer with a name like Pinto or something. Anyway, a few decades later I do like them on the used car market because they are cool oddball machines. Find this 1989 Merkur XR4Ti here on eBay bidding for $4181 reserve-not-met with 4 days to go, located in Palm Harbor, FL. Tip from Dave.

Twin Spoilers: 1985 Merkur XR4Ti

DT E-i-C Vince: Sorry that DT postings have been a bit light for the past few days -- first, I was travelling for work in Dubai the other week (lots of interesting cars over there, but mostly newer stuff) and now I'm on vacation on a cruise ship in Alaska...so internet access isn't exactly great.  However, I did notice that most of the cars in Alaska seem to be either rusting or preparing to rust (winter is a nasty beast up here), so it was interesting to see a car in Alaska from the mid 80s that hadn't yet succumbed to the tin worm.  Find this 1985 Merkur XR4Ti offered for $1300 located in Anchorage, AK via craigslist. Tip from Zach.

German Classic: 1987 Merkur XR4TI

If I told you that I had a turbocharged rear-drive 80s German-built classic that was just in need of a little TLC -- you'd probably open your wallet to the tune of a quite a few grand for something like a Porsche 944 turbo, but you'd be WRONG.  This next German built 80s time machine will cost you less than 8 Benjamins..and that ain't bad. Find this 1987 Merkur XR4TI offered for $795 in Irvine, CA via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!

Track Puffer: 1985 Merkur XR4ti Terminator Swap

The euro inspired Merkur XR4ti was similar to the SVO Mustang in size and purpose.  Both cars shared the 2.3 turbo 4 cylinder Lima engine which was a capable performer in its day.  However, today's feature track car ditched it's 2.3 engine for a 4.6 supercharged V8 from a 2003 Mustang Terminator which was the Hellcat of it's day at 390hp.  Seeing that going fast and having a competitive car costs real money, buying a proven car that needs a bit of TLC could potentially save the buyer a lot of coin.  Find this 1985 Merkur XR4ti for sale in Newtown, CT for $9,000 via craigslist.

Auction Watch: 1989 Merkur XR4Ti

Find this 1989 Merkur XR4Ti here on eBay bidding for $1275 with one day left to go, located in Cookeville, TN. Tip from David.

Off Target: 1988 Merkur Scorpio

The Merkur Scorpio was an abject sales failure for a number of reasons -- first it was sold at Lincoln-Mercury dealers to elderly and confused Lincoln & Mercury buyers who had no idea what a Merkur might be and zero interest in something with a hatchback.  Put my groceries back there?...I'm not letting my servants drive this car, now show me something with a landau top and curb feelers please. Find this 1988 Merkur Scorpio offered for $3,995 in Suwanee, GA via craigslist. Tip from Matt.

Auction Watch: 1988 Merkur XR4Ti

Find this 1988 Merkur XR4Ti here on eBay bidding for $1,575 with auction ending Sunday at 7:03PM Pacific.

Myrrhkur: 1988 Merkur Scorpio

This post is part of DT's 2016 Epiphany celebration.  The next wise man is named Gaspar, and also hails from the wilds of Germania, but is cleverly disguised as an American.  My best theory is that Gaspar is trying to avoid being detected by one of Herod's folks as he returns to his homeland via another way.  Find this 1988 Merkur Scorpio here on eBay bidding for $820 with a few hours to go, located in Forest Grove, OR.

A Basket of Arkansas Fords From RyanM

DT regular tipper/commenter/contributor and RX-8 fanatic RyanM sent in a collection of sweet Fords found on his local Arkansas craigslist -- the best of the bunch was a Ford Travel Wagon but the listing was deleted (shucks!).  However, the rest of the set was so good that I couldn't just feature one of them...so here they are along with RyanM's comments:

Strange Marketing: 1985 Merkur XR4Ti

There is something about the combination of unpronounceable name, bizarre marketing strategy, and sketchy technology to make a cool car a complete sales loser.  Imagine if today Ford took their European built Focus RS and badged it as the Lincologne F0TRS.  It doesn't matter if it was equipped with some awesome turbocharged engine and a 6-speed manual gearbox, but it would languish in the back of Lincoln dealers because frankly anyone who stumbles into a Lincoln dealer is either a drunk or lost.  Potential customers would stumbled past it and in a moment of lucidity say "I don't know what that is but it'll take too long to explain it to my friends, I think I'll go buy something from a Ford dealer."  This is exactly what happened to the Ford of Germany built Merkur XR4Ti 30 years ago, and today you can buy one without getting drunk or stepping in to a Mercury dealer.  Find this 1985 Merkur XR4Ti here on eBay bidding for $2,010 reserve-not-met with a $3,250 buy-it-now.

Seller Likes Fords: '87 Merkur XR4Ti, '88 Thunderbird TC, 90 Taurus SHO

By and large, people tend to be creatures of habit, specifically when it comes to stocking their garage with vehicles from a particular manufacturer.  Sometimes when the habit gets out of hand, the seller needs to thin the herd, and today's seller is offering a trio of late '80s Fords for a decent price.  Find them here: a 1987 Merkur XR4Ti for $6,900 CAD ($5,731 USD), a  1988 Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe for $7,200 CAD ($5,981), and 1990 Ford Taurus SHO for $7,000 CAD ($5,814 USD) all located in St John's Newfoundland, Canada via Kijiji.ca. Tips from Grumbling by Lotus.

1k: LeMons Ready: 1988 Merkur XR4Ti V8

 Ford's decision to import the European Sierra XR4i is credited to the Swiss born automotive icon Bob "LOLZ" Lutz who looked at the European imports being purchased by Americans and said "Hey, we (Ford) have got European cars to sell, give 'em what they want."  Lost in history is the buffoon behind the decision to brand the vehicle as the Merkur XR4Ti and sell it at Lincoln-Mercury dealers.  Buyers would head to their Lincoln-Mercury dealers, take one look at a Merkur and say "wow, the quality in the badge department at Mercury is really atrocious, I'm going to go buy me a Saab."  Today, the XR4Ti is dirt cheap and can be found pounding the pavement at your local 24 Hrs of LeMons, Chumpcar, or AER race for $500 crapcans.  Find this 1988 Merkur XR4Ti V8 offered for $1,500 in Concord, CA via craigslist.

5k: German Mustang: 1989 Merkur XR4Ti

Among the great list of cars with seemingly unpronounceable names, there is one that stands out for its alpha-numeric naming mish-mash, multiple side windows, and "Maximum" Bob Lutz connection.  The special version of the Ford Sierra was inexplicably badged as the Merkur XR4Ti for the US market and sold for a few years before common sense prevailed the external market conditions made it unprofitable.  Today, the XR4Ti seems like a great option for the motoring enthusiast who wants an SVO but loathes the idea of driving a Mustang.  Find this 1989 Merkur XR4Ti offered for $2,500 in Los Angeles, CA via craigslist.

5k: Rock You Like A 'Murican: 1989 Merkur Scorpio

It was rumored that the German hairband rock group Scorpions didn't speak much English when they released their first major US album(s), and consequently, some words sound sort of oddly forced in their songs.  The same can be said for the classic Merkur Scorpio --it was a German built 4-door rear drive sedan, sold in the US market ('88-'89) at Mercury dealers.  The reason for its spectacular failure was that it didn't know what language it was supposed to speak.   Find this 1989 Merkur Scorpio currently bidding for $3,000 reserve-not-met with 5 days to go.  Tip from Rene.

15k: What Were They Thinking? 1989 Merkur XR4Ti

Ford's decision to import the European Sierra XR4i is often attributed to the Swiss born automotive executive known as Bob Lutz.  Lost in history is the nincompoop behind the decision to brand the vehicle as the Merkur XR4Ti and sell it at Lincoln-Mercury dealers.  Just what the hell is a Merkur anyway?  The German spelling of Mercury, you say...so what...the bottom line is that buyers had no idea what it was or why they would want one and it was a bust.  Of course, Bob went on to work at Chrysler before the bean counters at Ford realized this European import thing was a financial disaster, but it would have at least made a bit more sense to sell it at a Ford dealer.  Find this 1989 Merkur XR4Ti offered for $15,000 in the LeHigh Valley, PA via craigslist.  Tip from David.

10k: Der Vetter der Pferde: 1988 Merkur XR4Ti

In the 1980s Ford Motor Company decided to try importing some of its European spawn from Ford-Werke GmbH in Germany...back home to the US. The only semi-successful fruit of the so-called "Merkur" brand program was giving the US buyer access to the Ford Sierra, an aero-styled RWD replacement for the Cortina and sort of the more sophisticated cousin of the Fox body Mustang. In the US, the turbocharged version was sold as the Merkur XR4Ti to make it sound fancy and German, and today represents a cool alternative to the Mustang SVO for the turbo-four RWD Blue Oval fan. Find this 1988 Merkur XR4Ti with uberlow-mileage  for sale in Barberton, Ohio with bidding over $7k on ebay. Tip from Rene.