Merkur XR4Ti Walkaround

During the later 1980s Ford Motor Company created a short-lived brand for the USA called the Merkur.  It was sold at selected Lincoln-Mercury dealerships.  The two-doors-plus-hatchback Merkur was an Americanized version of a European Ford Sierra model.  Some Merkur background is here.

Merkurs did not sell well, only 42,464 were built during five model years (1985-89) -- an average of 8,493 units per year.  The Wikipedia link above, as of late October 2023, claims low sales resulted from fluctuating exchange rates for U.S. and German currencies (Merkurs were imported from Germany).  Resulting prices were high, limiting consumer demand.

My reaction in 1985 when the sporty Merkur XR4Ti was introduced had to do with its styling.  The design struck me as being unnecessarily complicated.  I suspect many potential buyers had a similar reaction.

Now that nearly 40 years have passed, we might as well take a second look at the XR4Ti.  Photos below are via Bring a Trailer Auctions.

Gallery

The Merkur logotype badge was not stylish.  Note the broad license plate zone below the bumper -- a carryover needed for those wide European plates.

Frontal styling is disrupted by that license plate zone.  Elements above the bumper do not relate well to those below.

The fussiest aspect of the design is abaft of the B-pillar above the beltline.  I notice a D-pillar behind the C-pillar.  Too many windows for a coupé.

Then there are the dual spoilers on the hatch door, one partly blocking driver vision to the rear.  Perhaps there were aerodynamic reasons for this, but the resulting clutter degraded appearance.

Otherwise, rear end design was undistinguished.

That after side window really bothers me.

Part of its problem is the C-pillar.  It probably needed to be wide for structural reasons.  It could have been less visible by having thin brightwork outlining the entire window set and perhaps painting the C-pillar black or a dark gray.  This might better separate the passenger compartment greenhouse from the lower body.  As things stand, the comparative lack of separation makes the design seem heavier.

Too bad the hood could not have been lowered a little.