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 big, 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 Automobile and Driver and Street & Observe. – Merkur: Forgotten Automobile Manufacturers
Merkur: Forgotten Automobile Manufacturers
And whereas massive American luxurious automobiles would proceed to promote effectively 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 offered as upscale in greater 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 have been changing.
Feeling a development at hand, Ford developed a brand new model to be retailed by means of Lincoln-Mercury shops referred to 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 an alternative of creating new automobiles to promote beneath the Merkur banner, Ford administration selected as a substitute to import automobiles from the maker’s German arm. Starting in 1985, and out there solely by means of choose Lincoln-Mercury places, the Merkur model provided 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 seemed the a part of a premium German sporty experience. As a result of Normal Motors already offered automobiles within the U.S. referred to 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 guide, the turbo mill produced 175 horsepower, however simply 145 when saddled to the out there 3-speed computerized transmission. Usually talking, the motoring press discovered the XR4Ti to be fulfilling to drive, however its almost $17,000 base value struck many as a bit excessive, particularly on condition 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 traces, 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 dear, 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 Automobile round $23,000.
As a consequence of gradual gross sales, and since each automobiles would have to be reengineered to fulfill new, federal side-impact-protection mandates—a dear 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 automobile’s finest yr. Simply 22,000 Scorpios have been retailed in 1988 and 1989, with nearly 16,000 hitting the road in 1988.
As with Edsel, pricing was an issue for Merkur, a state of affairs exacerbated by the energy 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 part; Edsel moved nearly 120,000 models in its quick time on seller 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. Right this moment, Merkurs are powerful to search out, and the XR4Ti has a modest following as a retro-cool sporty coupe.
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