Sunday eBay Wouldya: Restored 1986 Merkur XR4Ti

It's Sunday, which means I have another tantalizing eBay car for you.  This one's a bit weird, too.  For your consideration today, we've got a 1986 Merkur XR4Ti that's recently been treated to some aesthetic refurbishing, for sale in New Mexico.

For those not familiar, the Merkur brand was Ford's attempt to sell German Ford products in the USA, lasting from 1985-1989.  There were only two: the XR4Ti, featured here and based on the Ford Sierra, and the even rarer Scorpio, which was a top-trim Granada.  While the XR4Ti looked similar to the Sierra XR4, there were some major differences.  While the European Sierra XR4 was powered by a 2.8L SOHC "Cologne" V6, the American XR4Ti utilized the same 2.3L turbocharged powerplant as the Mustang SVO and Thunderbird Turbocoupe.  Assembly on the XR4Ti's was done by Karmann, with engines from a plant in Brazil.

Merkur was one of Bob Lutz's many "import to success" ideas over his long career- he's also the guy behind Pontiac selling imported Holden Monaros and Commodores as the Pontiac GTO and G8 - and the Merkur brand was just as much of a flop as the Aussie Pontiacs were.  An unfavorable exchange rate hiking prices up, nearly nonexistant marketing, early build quality issues, and uninformed and disinterested Lincoln/Mercury sales staff all conspired to bring Merkur to a halt in '89.  Well, that and the upcoming need for passive restraint systems.  Much like the Holden Pontiacs though, they were great cars - and brought something unique to our market.  Especially so in the case of the XR4Ti.

With a 175bhp turbo engine (with the five-speed manual; autos were restricted to 145bhp for longevity), independent rear suspension, a luxuriously trimmed cabin, and unique styling, the XR4Ti was a cool car - a Euro hot rod express pitched at the BMW 325i and Volvo 740 Turbo, among others.  It was reasonably quick: 0-60 in the 7 second range, with a top speed over 130mph.  Today, it's nigh on impossible to find a running XR4Ti - much less one in great condition.  Which brings us to today's car.

This 1986 XR4Ti has a recent paint job, new suspension and tires, and other cosmetic upgrades.  The seller isn't exactly forthcoming with mechanical details, but he does confirm the odometer has only rolled over once (this was back in the day of 5-digit odometers!) so there's 124,000 miles on the shell.  It's the more desirable 5-speed manual model, and goofy styling details abound: the biplane spoiler, the red inset trim stripe circling the body, the twin hood vents, the phone dial wheels, etc.  The interior looks to be in fantastic shape (which is quite unusual), and the car apparently won an award at a local Mustang show.  The seller's reason for sale: he'd like to move onto something different to restore, like a Z3 M3 Coupe... or a 1991 Lotus Elan?  This guy has balls.

Anyway, at the current time bidding is up to $4,400 with 3 days remaining on the auction - cheap by modern standards, but a nearly absurd amount of money for a Merkur.  This might be the cleanest XR4Ti ever, but would that be enough to make you want to pull the trigger?  Vote in the poll below!