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 method to the managed experience, athletic dealing with, and minimalist inside décor of German and Swedish vehicles. For this we will blame Automobile and Driver and Highway & Monitor. – Merkur: Forgotten Automobile Manufacturers
Merkur: Forgotten Automobile Manufacturers
And whereas large American luxurious vehicles would proceed to promote properly all through the Eighties, European automotive sensibilities would more and more affect the design of latest automobiles. Maybe essentially the most jarring instance of this development was the Ford Taurus.
Although the Taurus, and its Mercury clone the Sable, weren’t luxurious automobiles per se, they cleaned up properly, and introduced as upscale in increased trim ranges. Extra importantly, the 2 ultra-modern sedans rode and dealt with extra like German and Japanese vehicles, and fewer just like the Chevrolet Malibus and Ford LTDs they have been changing.
Feeling a development at hand, Ford developed a brand new model to be retailed by Lincoln-Mercury shops referred to as Merkur. Merkur, which is German for the Roman god Mercury, can be the primary new Ford model since Edsel—and it could cater to roughly the identical demographic—although 1 / 4 of a century later.
As an alternative of growing new automobiles to promote beneath the Merkur banner, Ford administration selected as an alternative to import vehicles from the maker’s German arm. Starting in 1985, and obtainable solely by choose Lincoln-Mercury areas, the Merkur model provided American consumers one thing totally 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 bought automobiles within the U.S. referred to as Ciera (Oldsmobile) and Sierra (GMC), Merkur advertising and marketing sorts selected to simply go together with the alphanumeric designation, uninteresting 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 obtainable 3-speed computerized transmission. Typically talking, the motoring press discovered the XR4Ti to be fulfilling to drive, however its almost $17,000 base worth struck many as a bit excessive, particularly on condition that the V8-powered Mustang GT nonetheless began at lower than $10,000.
The XR4Ti can 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 traces, a premium cabin, and a robust, environment friendly V6 engine. Mated to a 4-speed computerized, the Scorpio’s 2.9-liter V6 produced 144 horsepower, and was thought-about fast for the day. However, just like the XR4Ti was expensive, and consumers 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 Automobile round $23,000.
As a consequence of sluggish gross sales, and since each vehicles would should be reengineered to fulfill new, federal side-impact-protection mandates—an expensive proposition for the maker—Ford brass pulled the plug on Merkur after the 1989 mannequin 12 months.
Between 1985 and 1989, roughly 42,000 XR4Tis discovered properties, with roughly 14,000 bought in 1986, the automotive’s finest 12 months. Simply 22,000 Scorpios have 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 state of affairs 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 the whole lot; 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. As we speak, Merkurs are powerful to search out, and the XR4Ti has a modest following as a retro-cool sporty coupe.
Hearken to the Automobile Stuff Podcast
Merkur Footage
Click on under for enlarged photographs