RE: Turning Trader?

["Ian J Haseltine" <Jim_Haseltine@msn.com>]

If the MERKUR XR4Ti is the model that I'm thinking of, they were basically a 
Ford Sierra XR4i with a turbo'd engine. In the UK the standard XR4i was a 
three door with a 2.8 V6, but I think that the Merkur was V8. Ford did a XR8 
for South Africa, 5 door with a 5 litre V8. 
The main problems with the Sierra were side winds, you could find yourself 
crossing 2 lanes trying to stay straight, the 5 door shell rotted around the 
rear wheel arches as you looked at it, and low speed impacts (<10mph) would 
bend the floor pan.
The rear suspension had a habit of winding up even on low mileage cars, I 
owned one where moving away from a dead stop was quite amusing at times, the 
car would stay still for a second and then launch itsself down the road, on 
anything other than a dry surface this was accompanied by loads of wheel spin 
- and this from a 1.6 litre car.

Jim Haseltine
88 Ur quattro