One of the more unusual parts of Ford’s history is the appearance of the Merkur brand of automobiles in Lincoln-Mercury dealerships. Plucked from Ford’s European offerings, the Merkur coupe and sedan were intended to compete with the offerings of… more»
XR4Ti
Nov 20, 2023 • For Sale • 20 Comments
Mercury in German! 1988 Merkur XR4Ti
In 1982, Ford introduced the Sierra in Europe as the successor to the Cortina/Taunus product lines. The then-head of European operations thought there would be a market for an Americanized version and spearheaded an effort to bring the XR4Ti… more»
Sep 14, 2023 • For Sale • 58 Comments
No Reserve: 1986 Merkur XR4Ti 5-Speed
Show of hands if you remember the Merkur XR4Ti (it’s that XR4Ti part that I can never recall). They were all over the place in the ’80s (’85-’89) and then just seemed to disappear overnight. Today’s find, courtesy of… more»
Dec 1, 2022 • For Sale • 19 Comments
Rebadged Import: 1986 Merkur XR4Ti
Ford in the U.S. has been known to borrow from Ford of Europe over the years for cars to market on these shores. Case-in-point is the Mercury Capri which was built and sold under the name on both continents…. more»
Oct 25, 2022 • For Sale • 43 Comments
A Poor Selling Jellybean: 1987 Merkur XR4Ti
While BMW has had a presence in the United States for decades, the 1980s was when the brand really became a force to be reckoned with. With models like the 318 selling like hotcakes, BMW tapped into the young… more»
Nov 28, 2020 • For Sale • 34 Comments
Parts Or Restore? 1987 Merkur XR4Ti Turbo
They were popular, and in a flash, gone and mostly forgotten, certainly by me, until I spied this 1987 Merkur listing and thought, “Oh yeah, one of those”. While limited in production numbers, the Merkur was still a common… more»
Jul 7, 2019 • For Sale • 10 Comments
Euro Turbo: 1987 Merkur XR4Ti
For a car that had the potential to be a market success, circumstances contrived to see the Merkur XR4Ti actually wind up being something of a failure. This was a shame, as the potential was certainly there, but a… more»
Jun 21, 2019 • Sightings • 37 Comments
Junkyard Sighting: 1986 Merkur XR4Ti
To the untrained eye, this might just look like any other late ’80s econocar, but this is actually a limited production performance Ford. Well, technically it’s a Merkur XR4Ti here in North America. Our readers on the other side… more»
