Euro Ford Barn Find: 1985 Merkur XR4Ti

This is one of those cars that I find enormously cool, but would struggle to justify the restoration of. But when you see it sitting here, covered in dust but also preserved to a degree that they rarely appear in, it’s difficult to deny the appeal. This 1985 Merkur XR4Ti listed here on Facebook Marketplace was supposedly parked in 2001 and hasn’t turned a wheel since. The seller points out that, as an early model, it sports the desirable “bi-plane” style rear wing, which is a take-it-or-leave-it affair in terms of the appeal factor. This one is an automatic, which likely played a role in its preservation. The seller is asking $3,500.

The XR4Ti should have been a smash hit, with automotive icon Bob Lutz behind its introduction to the U.S. market. Lutz was always a step ahead of most of his peers in the industry, nothing trends that told him a lot about where the American consumer was leaning interest-wise. Seeing BMW and Mercedes-Benz grabbing increasing market share with sporty, entry-level luxury models convinced him that the successful Sierra model made by Ford’s European wing should be introduced to the U.S. market. However, a series of missteps all but guaranteed its failure.

The turbocharged engine had already met with high praise in the U.S. under the hood of the Mustang SVO, and road test editors loved the XR4Ti for both its power delivery and handling (especially with a 5-speed manual.) The trouble was Ford marketed them through its Lincoln-Mercury dealers, not realizing that its luxury automotive buyers were not the same people as the ones stopping by the BMW showroom. The traditional customer at Lincoln-Mercury still expected a floaty, comfortable sedan, and paid little attention to the winged wonder from Europe.

In addition to robbing drivers of a good time, the 3-speed automatic also sapped power from the turbocharged drivetrain. In the manual version, the Merkur produced 175 b.h.p. and 200 lb.-ft. of torque. In the automatic cars like this one, output dropped to 145 b.h.p. and 180 lb.-ft. of torque, representing a significant loss in performance. The seller notes that while the engine still turns over, there are no keys and that it should be properly serviced before regular use. While I love oddball finds like these, the seller will likely struggle to get his asking price.