Re: The ULTIMATE cure for those Quattro blues

["Andrew Jackson (CCC-REO)" <Andrew.Jackson@digital.com>]

[Phil Payne wrote..]

>They're pretty much 'in your face' type vehicles - the company rep's
>Sierra with a Landrover welded underneath and a two-storey picnic tray
>on the back.

Ah ha - your preducdices are showing Mr Payne ;-)

While it IS the "company rep" body shell, it has uprated ... virtually
eveything.
Lets face it, a "company rep" sierra shell is also used for Cosworths and
RS500's. OK, they're SIGNIFICANTLY better than XR4x4's, but the point is
that the SHELL does not really define the car.
And I don't think XR4x4's ever had the picnic trays.  They were on XR4i's
(2.8, 2wd), and the RS/Cosworth Sierras.
The late XR4x4's looks are VERY subtle (well, as subtle as any Sierra can be
;-)

>Exciting compared to a 90Q but no match for an ur-quattro -

I accept this 100%.
I've not been in a ur-quatrro - but I gather that they are rather swift.
BUT they're also a darn site more expensive.

>despite being a fair bit more powerful.  We have one in the village -
>goes very well in a straight line.  In the dry.  He can drag away out
>of the village to the north and get almost 100 yards lead in a mile.
>When we get to the traffic island he just waves me by. 

This really does sound much more like a 2wd XR4i or RS/Cossie 2wd

>and the back end seems to get very lively.

Ah, well its a question of interpretation.  I'd replace "lively" with
"entertaining" ;-)


Best Regards sir,

Andrew Jackson (Berkshire, UK)