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Author	Message
G-MANN ◊ 2006-04-26 15:32	Isn't this is a Ford Sierra RS Cosworth?
Junkman ◊ 2006-04-26 15:34	No. The side window arrangement was unique to the XR4.
antp ◊ 2006-04-26 15:34	Quote The Merkur XR4Ti was a short-lived American-market version of the European Ford Sierra XR4i. It was sold in the US from 1985 to 1989. It was the first vehicle of the Merkur range. Ford had hopes of importing its top European models under this brand, but the venture was ultimately unsuccessful. source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merkur_XR4Ti
Junkman ◊ 2006-04-26 15:43	antp wrote but the venture was ultimately unsuccessful. ..is actually putting things pretty mildly. The attempt to market European Fords under the Merkur banner in the States must have been the biggest flop for FoMoCo since the Edsel disaster.
Hecubus ◊ 2006-04-26 15:44	Looks like it's probably an '86 (biplane rear wing, with a center brake light).
G-MANN ◊ 2006-04-26 19:56	I've always wondered why Ford has had to design whole ranges of different cars for UK and European markets, I mean the Taurus is roughly the size of a Granada/Scorpio or even or a Sierra/Mondeo, but then something like the Crown Victoria would be a nightmare to park in an English car park. Actually I think the big problem with selling to sell US cars in Europe and vice-versa (I'm talking about Fords mainly, not Mercedes and BMWs, they do very well) is that US cars are too bland and unsophisticated for Europe (no offence to any Americans here, but I've been in a few modern American cars like Buicks and Oldsmobiles (maybe not the finest examples of American cars today) and they have tons of space but otherwise feel dull as ditchwater, have the handling of a battleship and aren't very quick considering their big engines) and their cars are too puny for America (something like the Ford Ka would be laughed at in America). The Cadillac Catera (basically a revamped Vauxhall Omega/Holden Commodore) did badly in America, and not many people wanted a Cadillac Seville STS over a BMW, Jaguar, Audi or Mercedes. Some American cars are pretty successful over here like the Jeep Cherokee and Chrysler Voyager but I can't see things like the Cadillac CTS or the Chrysler 300C or the new Ford Mustang (a nice car) beating the sought-after European marques. -- Last edit: 2006-04-28 11:22:24
qwerty_86 ◊ 2006-04-27 06:35	America has emissions and safety laws that clash with European emission and safety laws. Plus like you said we all have different tastes and applications so it wouldn't be practical. A lot of Americans want the Austrailian Fords like the Falcon and utes, but they wouldn't pass the emission and safety laws and it would cost too much to revamp them. There's always a niche market for the cars overseas. I know there are some people in Germany who love the American Ford Taurus, but it's a small group compared to the whole country. I've also read of some Europeans who love the big American boats of the '60s and '70s which would totally be impractical for a daily driver over there. Then there's people here in the states that import Japanese only sports cars and some other sporty European-spec cars, but that's also a small group. But it's mainly practicality that's the reason for a car (although sometimes with all these SUVs running around I question that reason, but then again, they have the intention of practicality in mind even though they don't practice it).
G-MANN ◊ 2006-04-27 16:25	What are the differences between American and European safety and emmission laws? It sounds funny because the average American car has a much bigger engine than a European car (especially the ones made before the oil crisis in the late 70s) and therefore probably produces more emmissions.
antp ◊ 2006-04-27 16:34	For safety there are lots of difference. Well, there were lots. Now it has changed a lot I think. Look at a Citroën SM made for the USA: they could not use original headlights (small rectangular headlights, that turn at the same time that the wheels, and behind a glass) so it got awful round headlights. Also for safety laws, it was stopped around 1974: Quote Despite initial success, US sales ceased suddenly - Citroën expected (but did not receive) an exemption for the 1974 model year 5mph bumper regulation imposed by NHTSA. The variable height suspension of the SM made compliance impossible. The law as written called for bumpers to be an exact height off the ground at all times, yet according to the laws of physics, cars dip at the nose on braking. Vehicles classified as trucks were always exempt and the entire law was eventually repealed in 1981. The final batch of 134 now illegal 1974 US model SM's were shipped to Japan. (wikipedia) There is also the example of the Porsche 959 which was not street-legal in USA because they did not want to crash few ones for the test. About emission laws, see the example of the Saab Sonett III: Quote Production was ended in 1974 due to stricter automobile emissions control in the USA. (wikipedia) -- Last edit: 2006-04-27 16:34:57
qwerty_86 ◊ 2006-04-27 21:18	I think the emissions have to do with the amount of hydrocarbons and other gases an engine produces rather than it's fuel economy and engine size. I know Europeans have different formulations of diesel than Americians so the diesel engines would have to be expensively retuned in compliance with the laws. Gasoline probably have different forumlations too, but I'm not quite sure about that. I know they banned exotic cars in the US because they were just too fast to be safe. The Lamboghini Diablo could do 55 MPH in 1st gear and that would send the wrong message to people. That's also why most '80s cars had an 85 MPH speedometer. They didn't want people to go fast. Of course those laws were changed and now we have cars that can go 200 MPH.
G-MANN ◊ 2006-04-28 10:58	I didn't know that! The Diablo was really banned? They still had things like the Countach and the Ferrari Testarossa which could do 180mph though, didn't they? Also if cars had speedos that only went to 85mph, what happened if they went above that speed? Most European cars have speedo that read beyond the top speed of the car (in case it gets innaccurate), my 1991 Renault Clio has a 140mph speedo even though 100mph would probably be a stretch for it, although there would have been faster models in the range, like the 2 litre Williams.
antp ◊ 2006-04-28 11:11	See the meter of the DeLorean: http://img92.imageshack.us/img92/8837/snapshot200604070101442wd.jpg the car can do more than 100mph even if it goes back in time at 88
Junkman ◊ 2006-04-28 12:12	G-MANN wrote Also if cars had speedos that only went to 85mph, what happened if they went above that speed? On my 78 Chevy Caprice with the 85 mph speedo, the needle used to climb ever further beyond the 85 mark, then disappeared in the dashboard below the speedo and finally reappeared in the fuel gauge below the speedo at speeds of over 110 mph.
qwerty_86 ◊ 2006-04-29 06:54	Lol, yeah. My Sable originally had an 85 MPH speedometer (I have a police 140 MPH in it now) and some people with similar models have had the needle fly past the end of the gauge and point straight down at 100 MPH! When someone asked the driver how fast they were going the driver would say "D" (hinting that it was pointing to D on the gear indicator). Also, someone told me that in Back to the Future, they had to install a special higher reading speedometer because Deloreans came with 85 MPH speedometers standard.
Skid ◊ 2006-08-07 23:45	My cousin bought a new silver Merkur XR4ti when I was about five (which would have made it an '89). I rode in the trunk once.
explorer4x4 ◊ 2006-08-07 23:51	Skid wrote I rode in the trunk once.
Donington ◊ 2006-08-07 23:52	antp wrote Look at a Citroën SM made for the USA: they could not use original headlights (small rectangular headlights, that turn at the same time that the wheels, and behind a glass) so it got awful round headlights. Weirdly, every SM I have seen has had those round headlights. I actually preferred the stacked headlights on US-spec Mercedes saloons though
antp ◊ 2006-08-07 23:57	You mean SM seen in UK? All those that I saw in Europe had their 2x3 square Euro headlights and not the 2x2 round US headlights...
Donington ◊ 2006-08-08 00:04	Yes, I meant in the UK, although i know they were sold here with the euro-lights
G-MANN ◊ 2006-08-08 20:19	This car presumably belongs to the yuppie character played by Miguel Ferrer.
Kenster102.5 ◊ 2008-02-17 05:37	I know someone in Canada, who had one in White under a sheet, but it had all flats, so I guess he/she didn't like it.
Kazimann ◊ 2009-12-01 17:58	The Americans destroyed the looks of cars for their ridiculous safety laws. The Mercedes W116 was a good example of this. The safety bumpers and sealed beam headlights looked TERRIBLE on the car. I'm glad here in Ireland that we can pretty much import any car from any part of the world into the country with little to no modifications done to it.

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1986 Merkur XR4Ti

1986 Merkur XR4Ti in RoboCop, Movie, 1987

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