By the shut of the Seventies, American motorists—at the least some American motorists—had begun rejecting the model of luxurious being pitched by the likes of Cadillac, and Lincoln. The massive, cushy-riding, velour-lined sedans and coupes that had for many years outlined the premium automotive expertise, was giving option to the managed experience, athletic dealing with, and minimalist inside décor of German and Swedish automobiles. For this we are able to blame Automotive and Driver and Highway & Observe. – Merkur: Forgotten Automotive Manufacturers
Merkur: Forgotten Automotive Manufacturers
And whereas massive American luxurious automobiles would proceed to promote properly all through the Eighties, European automotive sensibilities would more and more affect the design of latest autos. Maybe probably the most jarring instance of this pattern was the Ford Taurus.
Although the Taurus, and its Mercury clone the Sable, weren’t luxurious autos per se, they cleaned up properly, and offered as upscale in larger trim ranges. Extra importantly, the 2 ultra-modern sedans rode and dealt with extra like German and Japanese automobiles, and fewer just like the Chevrolet Malibus and Ford LTDs they had been changing.
Feeling a pattern at hand, Ford developed a brand new model to be retailed via Lincoln-Mercury shops known as Merkur. Merkur, which is German for the Roman god Mercury, could be the primary new Ford model since Edsel—and it will cater to roughly the identical demographic—although 1 / 4 of a century later.
As a substitute of creating new autos to promote beneath the Merkur banner, Ford administration selected as an alternative to import automobiles from the maker’s German arm. Starting in 1985, and out there solely via choose Lincoln-Mercury areas, the Merkur model supplied American buyers one thing completely different.
The fledgling model launched with only a single mannequin, the XR4Ti. A rebadged and tweaked model of the European-market Sierra, the small sport coupe definitely regarded the a part of a premium German sporty experience. As a result of Common Motors already offered autos within the U.S. known as Ciera (Oldsmobile) and Sierra (GMC), Merkur advertising and marketing sorts selected to only go together with the alphanumeric designation, boring because it was.
Although powered by a V6 in Europe, the XR4Ti made use of the turbocharged 4-cylinder engine already employed within the engine bays of the Ford Mustang SVO, and the Thunderbird Turbo Coupe.
Mated to a 5-speed handbook, the turbo mill produced 175 horsepower, however simply 145 when saddled to the out there 3-speed computerized transmission. Typically talking, the motoring press discovered the XR4Ti to be pleasing to drive, however its practically $17,000 base value struck many as a bit excessive, particularly provided that the V8-powered Mustang GT nonetheless began at lower than $10,000.
The XR4Ti could be the lone Merkur till 1988 when the midsize Scorpio sedan was added to the lineup. A tweaked model of a European-market Ford mannequin of the identical title, the rakish Scorpio boasted clear strains, a premium cabin, and a powerful, environment friendly V6 engine. Mated to a 4-speed computerized, the Scorpio’s 2.9-liter V6 produced 144 horsepower, and was thought of fast for the day. However, just like the XR4Ti was expensive, and buyers stayed away. The ’88 Merkur sedan began at greater than $23,000, this at a time when the like-size Mercury Sable began at about $14,000, and a Lincoln City Automotive round $23,000.
Resulting from gradual gross sales, and since each automobiles would should be reengineered to satisfy new, federal side-impact-protection mandates—an expensive proposition for the maker—Ford brass pulled the plug on Merkur after the 1989 mannequin yr.
Between 1985 and 1989, roughly 42,000 XR4Tis discovered houses, with roughly 14,000 offered in 1986, the automotive’s finest yr. Simply 22,000 Scorpios had been retailed in 1988 and 1989, with virtually 16,000 hitting the road in 1988.
As with Edsel, pricing was an issue for Merkur, a scenario exacerbated by the power of the German mark on the time.
Merkur did survive longer than Edsel, nonetheless. Edsel’s three-year run (1959-19610) pales compared to Merkur’s five-year stint (1985-1989). That stated, tenure isn’t every little thing; Edsel moved virtually 120,000 items in its quick time on supplier tons.
And whereas Ford’s European-brand experiment failed, Lincoln did start promoting smaller and sportier rides, together with the redesigned 1991 Continental, and the 1998 Mark VIII. At the moment, Merkurs are powerful to seek out, and the XR4Ti has a modest following as a retro-cool sporty coupe.
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Merkur Photos
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