Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, Ford, RR of the Day Merkurs are some of our favorite cars. Flickr pool member sncollins has a nice '88 XR4Ti he's been wheeling around for the last 20,000 miles or so. Powered by the tough-as-nails 2.3 liter turbocharged four that also saw service under the hood of SVO Mustangs and other Fox-platform cars, even a stock XR4Ti is a hoot. Of course, with the owner being an engineering student and car guy, this XR4Ti didn't stay stock for long. The nice thing about the Merkurs is their chassis was far more modern than anything else Ford was offering at the time. The aforementioned Fox-based cars were live-axle deals that would get all crossed up trying to claw out of a bumpy corner. The XR4Ti would spank BMW E30s hard, and with a Garrett T3 bolted to the side of the engine, a quick trip underhood with an open-end wrench would turn up the wick that much more. Sncollins's car is currently huffing out 23 psi from a modified turbo (the stock T3 would be in serious surge territory at 23 psi). The pressurized charge courses through a SAAB intercooler and tweaked intake manifold. The Civics are wary of this car now, due to the past smartings it's dished out. The rorty custom 3" exhaust doesn't help you fly under the radar, either. More info, pics and a short mod list can be found after the jump, as well as instructions on how to submit your own ride for our RR of the Day. Continue reading RR Of The Day: Merkur XR4Ti Permalink | Email this | Comments BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time More...
Think they forgot to say they overheated in the south, burned the paint off the hood over the radiator...but ran great!!
there's one of those about 12 miles from me. and could prolly be bought for about 300..... but god they're ugly (lol)
A former SVO owner myself, I can tell you first hand that those little XRs are a hoot to drive. I drove one down at a cruise-in for a turbo group...fun to drive and it was bone stock. The IRS really is a good match to the chassis...though not particularly strong, they'll hold up to the 2.3 as long as it's left alone. Same for the transmission. Engine though, is a serious powerplant. With the stock T3, 300 HP is easily attainable. I've seen a 2.3 turbo car go as fast as 5.88 in the 1/8 mile..but it was nowhere near stock...in a '91 Mustang hatchback that was pretty well stripped down and 14 pt cage added. That was a stock crankshaft, stock block engine...and the owner says a newer, better stroker (3.7L) is in the works. The SVO I had...was a blast to drive. Even when it was stock it was fun. Top speed around 130 mph give or take, and once you learned how to drive with some lag, it was easy to dust off V6 mustangs. Then came the mods....NPR intercooler, 3" exhaust no cat, disconnect the knock sensor (which is a POS), bump the timing to 12, LA3 computer with a J3 adapter, Holset turbo from a Dodge pickup (replaced the T3), custom tube header, 3 1/2" downpipe leading into a dual 2 1/2" system out the back....etc. With the ported stock head, it would easily take a stock GT mustang (4.6 or 5.0) and would seriously surprise a lot of crapmaros and firechickens. Fun ride....only thing I don't miss about it is the trouble I had with it. I worked on it more than I drove it seemed like.
