A vehicle that’s been in the family for years can easily become an heirloom, an item that we hope to pass on other members of our respective clan. However, not everyone respects those wishes, or the efforts made to preserve a car for the long haul. This 1986 Merkur XR4TI has been in the seller’s family since new, and after an unfortunate experience with a local shop, the son of the original owner has put it up for sale here on craigslist for $4,600.
The Merkur has long been a favorite of both domestic and import enthusiasts alike, with the XR4TI occupying a unique spot in between both camps. The European Ford origins certainly jive well with fans of overseas makes and models, while the brand’s reliance on the same turbocharged powerplant that powered the likes of the Mustang SVO and Thunderbird Turbo Coupe endeared it to car enthusiasts who prefer not to stray too far from the blue oval fraternity.
The seller’s car is equipped with the less desirable automatic transmission, and this is really where most of the issues begin. The seller recounts in his listing that he was not in the same locale as the Merkur when he decided to leave the car with a local shop for a transmission rebuild. Unbeknownst to him, the car was pushed outside and left to rot in the sun, ruining the dashboard and the seats and leaving the paint caked with dirt and dust.
The turbocharged powerplant is a treat to hustle through the gears, but unfortunately, you’ll be exploiting the performance potential of this Merkur at the mercy of the automatic gearbox. That gearbox, by the way, was never rebuilt and remains in need of one. The seller notes it will still drive onto a trailer, but it doesn’t sound like it can be counted on for much more than that. Overall, this looks like a survivor Merkur in need of some love, and a better fate than being left outside. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Rocco B. for the find.
Interesting, ambitiously priced. No pics of seats or dash as these are big concerns?
At that price I’m surprised its still available seller should consider posting it on cars and bids or bring a trailer. They would probably double their asking price I haven’t paid close enough attention to the barn finds auction site to see how well it would do here.
a friend had one of those over in the UK. He said everyone there knows the ones made in Germany are decent but the ones made in England were all garbage. I don’t see it stated where that one was made but the ad was long with blah blah blah so I may have missed it.
It was made in Germany.
All if the Merkür cars were. They were built on their own assembly line in a different Ford factory, though
XR4Ti assembly was contracted out to Karmann in Rheine, Germany, which largely hand-built them from bodyshells and other components shipped over from the Ford factory in Genk, Belgium that was too occupied building Euro-market Sierras to carve out any spare capacity for the relatively low-volume Merkur variant and its numerous differences from the Euro versions.
Hi, have you not listened to Jim Rome show?! former friend bought one…oopps!! he also had a vw scriocco! don’t buy these cars!!!!!!!!
Maybe a candidate for a stick transmission swap?
Would love to have it, though the logistics just won’t work for me at the current time. These are fantastic engines, durable and proven. Same as the Pinto engine from Lima Ohio casting, only difference is the turbo version has forged pistons, hardened valve seats and oil provisions in the block. My son and I put one in his ’90 Mustang and it’s a blast to drive ! Have a spare to build for the right Pinto, Ranger, or any old N/A 2.3 Ford in the right condition/price. Never driven an XR4, but heard good things. Maybe someday…
My thoughts exactly! The 2.3L in turbo form showed up in the T-Bird Turbo Coupe and the SVO Mustang, but these has a full IRS setup in place of the live axle in the T-Bird or Mustang from this era. If the transmission could be sorted out for short money, it could be a sleeper, running against 3-Series BMW’s. I’d want to talk to a transmission specialist before spending money, though, for thoughts on whether it is better to rebuild the gearbox or replace it with something else, possibly a five speed manual instead of the slush box.
Tragic story, but overpriced by about half, in the current condition.
These just have no value – too much $$ to fix up.
And the seller is right, dump the auto tranny because these were dogs with them.
I had an ’85 manual that was about 2 years old, paid only $6500 for it, talk about huge depreciation! Lots of issues, mostly expensive.
Forgettable.
How many years did the guy leave it at the transmission shop? Or was the shop on the planet Venus?
I always thought that model was a mouthful to say, so I nick named them a Zerforty. We often see an “X” pronounced as a “Z” so, why not. 3 syllables vs 5. Had a friend with one when these were somewhat plentiful, and he always had a smile driving it.
My friends called mine an Xrati because the 4 looked like an A.
These had the weaker C-3 auto trans. I don’t know if any performance parts are made to strengthen this trans. But a rebuild and a shift kit with a cooler would be adequate. I disagree that these were dogs with the auto trans. The torque convertor worked to keep the boost up when accelerating vs. the manual that lost boost every time you shifted. Great structural integrity and they handled well. Parts were expensive when new, compared to American made Mercs. Definitely a niche car, but worth loving…
Having grown up in Europe with the fearsome Cosworths, this seems like a poor man’s version. ‘Jellymould’ body shape but Mustang engine? No thanks. Not surprising they’re not really sought after. You should see what Cosworth Sierra prices have done.
In 1985 I was looking to buy my first new car. BMW’s were in eta engine mode and I narrowed my choices to a Saab turbo or a Merkur. We had driven a Sierra all over Europe in 1984 and it had a great balance of size, comfort and adequate performance so it was on the list. We got one of the first ones imported, bought off the showroom floor: good performance, nice leather interior, amazing ability to swallow cargo through the hatchback. Then, the fun began: a/c components failing, seat stitching popping, many other small things until the transmission became a problem. Ford took the French-built Capri tranny and tacked a 5th gear on the back, a la electric overdrive. Except the trans would pop out of gear on liftoff, made for unwanted excitement. A local dealer rebuilt the trans, no help, so my fix: a bungie cord. I could shift into fifth and bungie the shifter to hold it engaged. The best solution showed up later. Russ Harness was running Rapido, with Ford SVO, Merkur and Scorpio parts and upgrades. I got his first upgrade kit: a T5 tranny and new bell housing and solved the trans problem with the help of my local hardware resources. (Rapido group website appears to be gone now, don’t know what happened to Russ and his delightful wife Renata.) I sold it to a guy who didn’t know how to drive a manual transmission, saw it it about 20 miles south of me in San Jose a year or 2 later. Turbo rebuilds were available from Ford Motorsport; it was, potentially, a great car for its day but Mercury dealers had no love for it.
EDIT: in about 1988 Ford invited us to Sears Point for a Trans Am race. We had a paddock got to meet Scott Pruett when he was thriving a “Merkur” in Trans-Am and were assured that “…Ford would not abandon us.” Edsel Ford was the empty promise guy. Soon after that they discontinued the line. 35 years later I have not, and will not buy a Ford product.
How can I contact this seller to maybe make an offer?
Rob, look at the Craig’s List add that is linked in the article.