Ford’s Merkur model was one of many shortest-lived North American marques of the late twentieth century, present for simply the 1985 by means of 1989 mannequin years and comprising simply two fashions: the XR4Ti and the Scorpio. Of the 2, the Scorpio is the toughest to seek out in the present day; I used to be excited to find this ’89 in a automobile graveyard in Carson Metropolis, Nevada.
Dearborn had introduced over some automobiles from its European operations in a long time previous, with various levels of gross sales success. Hundreds of left-hand-drive Prefects, Consuls, Zephyrs and Anglias confirmed up in the course of the Fifties, with the Cortina out there right here all through the Sixties. The West Germany-built Ford Capri was bought in North America by means of Mercury sellers (although with neither Ford nor Mercury badging) for the 1970 by means of 1977 mannequin years, adopted by the equally West German Ford Fiesta for 1978 by means of 1981.
American automobile customers turned more and more obsessed with sporty European equipment in the course of the first half of the Nineteen Eighties, and Detroit tried to push a few of its fashions in a extra European path throughout that point. Ford was already a gross sales behemoth in Western Europe and had been so for many years, although, so why not deliver over precise Euro-market machines from the Blue Oval Empire? Thus was the Merkur (the German phrase for Mercury, pronounced “mare-KOOR”) model born.
First to reach was an Americanized Ford Sierra XR4i, powered by the turbocharged 2.3-liter straight-four from the Thunderbird Turbo Coupe and Mustang Turbo, badged because the Merkur XR4Ti. It went on sale as a 1985 mannequin. For 1988, the Ford Scorpio (itself primarily based on the Sierra) arrived because the Merkur Scorpio.
The engine within the Scorpio was the nice outdated Cologne pushrod V6, on this case a 2.9-liter rated at 144 horsepower and 162 pound-feet. Members of the Cologne household went into every part from Pintos to Mustangs to Rangers in North America over the a long time, however had a a lot wider vary of functions in Europe.
A five-speed handbook was base tools, however this automobile has the $550 elective four-speed computerized ($1,427 in 2024 {dollars}). That is the fourth discarded Scorpio I’ve documented, and all have been two-pedal automobiles.
The MSRP for this automobile was $25,167, or about $62,292 after inflation. That was cheaper than the smaller BMW 325i four-door for 1989 ($25,450) and a lot cheaper than the $37,000 525i sedan. The 1989 Volvo 740 GLE sedan with computerized transmission listed at $25,045, whereas the Mercedes-Benz 190 sedan began at $31,840.
Regardless of being an honest deal for a European rear-wheel-drive sedan, not many American automobile customers wished a brand new Scorpio; it was out there for simply the 1988 and 1989 mannequin years.
This one simply barely squeezed previous the 100,000-mile mark throughout its life.
Jackie Stewart preferred the cozy again seat.
It realized to run within the Black Forest of Germany.
Go forward, drive a Ford Scorpio from Germany to Paris!
Or sleep in a brand new Scorpio in England.
