How many merkur xr4ti were made

Lutz suggested offering the performance hatchback version, the XR4i, in the United States through a new dealer body that understood the car and its intended clientele: yuppies. Ford had played this samba before with the German-built —78 Mercury Capri. The car was constructed in Germany by Karmann, and meeting U. Though the same cast-iron 2. Ingesting 14 psi of boost, it was rated horsepower at rpm and lb-ft of torque at rpm with the five-speed manual.

Equipped with the three-speed automatic, the engine was dialed back to horsepower. People thought New Coke was a good idea. The Merkur XR4Ti is still a fairly appealing moderate-duty sporting car. We liked the Merkur's shape, ergonomics, ride, and highway performance.

We criticized its handling and engine characteristics. Also, we noticed that steering feel was in very short supply. If the Merkur XR4Ti appeals to you but you find it lacks a certain piquancy you expected, Russ Harness has opened a spice shop for you. Harness has been recooking cars for years. A former co-owner of the Quickor aftermarket suspension firm, he's now in partnership with Dick Landfield, who, among other things, owns a network of Southern California Ford dealerships.

The most important Rapido addition is an air-to-air intercooler, which drops the temperature of the pressurized intake charge from about to degrees Fahrenheit, according to Harness, and this raises its density. On the SVO, the cooler sits atop the engine and is fed by an asymmetric hood scoop. Rather than duplicate this arrangement, Harness has chosen to mount his cooler low in the nose, below bumper level, a solution that adds about six feet to the length of the intake passages.

A disadvantage of adding an intercooler to any car is that its internal passages can cause a flow restriction, sacrificing some boost pressure. However, Harness says he has managed to "trick" the engine's sensors to get the boost back to its normal 15 psi.

He has also added a pressure-relief bypass that dumps intake-manifold air back into the intake side of the turbo whenever the throttle is closed, thus keeping the turbine spinning more freely and reducing lag when the throttle is reopened. On the prototype we tested, the intercooler was located on the starboard side and fed by an ugly handmade scoop. Rapido Merkur number two has the cooler in the center, behind an existing intake slot and ahead of the bottom of the radiator. Frustratingly, many XR4Ti shortcomings could have been rectified if sales had justified the cost.

Later European Sierras offered a four-door notchback body style, a 2. Plus, there were the wild, homologation-oriented Sierra Cosworth and RS The XR4Ti received only minor changes, including inch wheels , a less-ostentatious spoiler and 5 more hp and standard cruise control Ultimately, the XR4Ti was the victim of muddled, unrealistic expectations.

Car Life. Type keyword s to search. Today's Top Stories. An ergonomic interior complemented a plush ride. The XR4Ti dropped its exotic double rear spoiler in ; early sales literature promised.