Merkur (1985-89) and Sterling (1987-92) were introduced to America with the intent of competing with European entry level luxo-sports cars like the BMW 3/5 series and the Baby Benz. Unfortunately for Merkur, it failed. Fortunately for the American public, Sterling failed.
0:07. Saab? The establishment?
0:14. The 2.3 liter turbo four mated with the manual transmission had 175hp. Did you know Ford once shoved a 3.0 liter SHO V6 (220hp) in a Merkur XR4Ti (and a Ford Ranger)?
0:23. Ah! You're gonna crash!
0:27. I think an XR4Ti rental car would be even cooler than a Hertz Mustang.
0:30. Ford actually sent a memo to all 800 of its dealers, making sure reps pronounced it MARE-koor.
Merkur Scorpio:
0:01. The Osterreichring hosted the Austrian GP from 1970 to 1987.
0:09. That guy has tartan everything. Okay, we get it, you're Scottish.
0:14. *Rear seat leg room disclaimer: Jackie is three feet tall.
0:21. Reclining rear seats! That's some BMW E32 750iL action right there.
Sterling 827:
0:12. John Davis was so easy going back then. He's like a loud, obnoxious, sing-songy robot now.
1:14. I HATE those passive seat belts.
2:00. I cannot imagine ever taking a Sterling on vacation.
2:27. Pushing that button turns your Sterling into an Audi S4.
2:47. I just spilled my cup of tea.
2:51. Front looks like Ferrari 400/412.
3:09. 27,000 1990 dollars for that?!
1 comment:
I worked at a car rental agency back when the Sterling was introduced to the US market. The agency bought several of these for upscale rentals and the quick elation was replaced by a serious hangover as these seemed trouble prone for the get go.I could never figure out how the English could completely destroy the reliability of the Legend platform.
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