1988 Merkur XR4Ti

The Merkur brand was marketed by the Lincoln-Mercury division of Ford Motor Company from 1985 to 1989, selling imports produced by the German division of Ford of Europe to the North American market. Its presence in the U.S. was brief, lasting through September 16th of 1989, making it one of the shortest-lived automotive brands of the modern automotive era. Their portfolio consisted of the three-door XR4Ti hatchback and the five-door Scorpio hatchback. Although similar to their European counterparts, the models differed in order to comply with North American safety regulations, including the addition of 5-mph bumpers, an instrument panel with non-metric gauges, and FMVsS 108-compliant headlamps.

Merkur XR4Ti
The XR4Ti hatchback had a similar size as the Ford Mustang hatchback and a similar performance-oriented pedigree. While the European version was equipped with a 2.8-liter V6 engine with 148 horsepower, the American version was equipped with a 2.3-liter turbocharged inline-4 to satisfy emissions regulations. This engine was shared with the Mercury Cougar XR7, the Ford Mustang SVO, and the Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe. With an automatic transmission installed, the engine offered approximately 145 horsepower, while the manual unit boosted output to 175 horsepower.

Styling remained similar to the European version but several important updates were made for the American market. Its body, shared with the Sierra XR4i (the 'Sierra' portion of the name was dropped in the U.S. as General Motors used the GMC Sierra and the Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera nameplates) had a unique side profile. The European version had long rear quarter windows, while the American version had the C-pillar windows of the five-door Sierra, with rear quarter windows behind the front doors. Similar to the Ford Mustang SVO, the Merkur XR4Ti wore a large biplane rear spoiler.

The adaptations for the North American market were performed by the specialty manufacturer Karmann in Rheine, West Germany.

Merkur XR4Ti IMSA GTU
Dave Kent and his shop, Kent Racing, constructed cars for the IMSA GTU (Grand Touring Under 2 Liter) category for Mazda. The Mazda RX7s had won the GTU Makes Championship on several occasions, including in 1981 when Lee Mueller won the GTU Driver Championship. Mueller was a four-time SCCA National Champion, a winner of the 12 Hours of Sebring, and had won the 24 Hours of Daytona three times.

Kent Racing was commissioned to prepare the Merkur XRTi for IMSA GTU racing, and its introduction followed a similar timeframe to the Merkur introduction into the United States market. Its first race was on February 24th, 1984, at the Camel GTU in Miami, where it was driven by Lee Mueller.

To prepare the XR4Ti for competition, Kent Racing began with a custom tube-frame chassis, retaining some of the original steel body panels, coupled with custom fiberglass panels. The chassis design and construction were overseen by Robert Riley who worked for Ford and later was the 'Riley' in Riley & Scott. The engine development was by Drake Engineering who prepared the Ford four-cylinder turbocharged engine for the rigors of competition.

The Merkur XR4Ti raced under the Ford banner in the GTU category during the 1985 season before it was switched to the Trans-Am series through Jack Roush. The XR4Ti continued to be campaigned in the GTU category during the 1987 and 1988 IMSA seasons by privateer Dave Kruse. The Jack Roush Merkur XR4Ti's accolades included winning the 1986 and 1987 Trans-Am series, and the Lincoln-Mercury-Merkur won the 1988 IMSA GTO Manufacturers Championships.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2021