Forza Motorsport 7: Merkur? What's Merkur?

The whole motoring world had their eyes on the Paris Motor Show but for Forza producers, they completely forgot the memo as they are too busy scourging around the scrapyard in search of the October's spotlight car to be featured in Forza Motorsport 7 and they found one...



Now, here is this unknown bric-a-brac that made me curious; it's a Merkur, and if you don't know what that is, here's a little story;

Ford's short-lived Merkur brand is all about selling European Ford models to the North American market and one such example is the Sierra-based Merkur XR4Ti, a rear-wheel drive fastback made to compete against German luxury cars. After half a decade, the car became a major flop on American roads until it pulled the plug in 1989.

Its biggest shot to fame was when Andy Rouse raced one in the British Saloon Car Championship and took the overall title in 1985 and then the class title in 1986 with 14 wins. Then, in 1986 and 1987, drivers Pete Halsmer and Scott Pruett drove a race-prepped XR4Ti for Trans-Am racing, and with Paul Miller alongside, 1988 was a big year for this car in its involvement in the IMSA GT class.

There is a well-known trivia that Ford used all the teachings from the XR4Ti's involvement in the European Touring Car Championship and the DTM to create the Ford Sierra RS Cosworth, which first appeared in 1987 and then succeeded by the Sierra RS500 half a year later.



Now that I'm familiar with the Merkur, there's so much to talk about a race-prepped version of the byproduct of Ford's short-lived brand that sells Euro import Fords to American roads. As an Americanized Ford Sierra, the XR4Ti is nothing ordinary for a short-lived rear-wheel drive fastback but as a racing machine, it really showcases its touring car potential in Europe's finest racetracks even in a different badge. The signature rear wing that became a template for the Sierra Cosworth and the Escort Cosworth really made some generous downforce on the car, therefore, it's pretty much great to handle for an IMSA GT contender, and because this is the racing car that gave birth to the Sierra Cosworth, the XR4Ti's implementation on the racetrack as a touring car balances what's right and what's wrong about this machine. For an unsung hero of the short-lived Merkur brand, that thing is a legend.

Speaking of which, the producers invited people like me to try the IMSA GT-spec Merkur around the International Circuit section of Silverstone to see if it lives up to its unsung hero status. Let's roll the tape.



At this run, I did it in a 1:11.971. Not fast but it's pretty impressive for an IMSA GT-spec Merkur.



Ever since Ford introduced the fully imported XR4Ti on American roads as a Merkur, they wanted to challenge the establishment by putting the German luxury sports cars in their crosshairs and although the Merkur plan was a complete failure, Ford did try by showcasing some of the world's best cars to challenge the establishment and by taking the #11 MAC Tools XR4Ti for a drive, I finally understand about what Merkur is and this short-lived icon deserves more respect.