1985 Merkur XR4Ti WRC Replica

Rallying has always fascinated me. In my opinion, it could very well be the most demanding of motorsports. It has also brought us some of the most legendary sporting cars to hit the streets, including the Audi Quattro, Lancia Delta Integrale and Renault R5 Turbo. A lesser known example to hit the circuit was the Ford Sierra RS Cosworth driven by Didier Auriol in 1988. An enthusiast in Canada has a replica of this very race car for sale, albeit based on the North American Merkur version of the Sierra.

The seller states:

1985 Merkur XR4Ti, 2.3lt Turbo 300+ HP, 5 Speed, Quaif LSD and much more. Replica of Didier Auriol’s WRC winning Panach Sierra Cosworth in ’88 Tour De Corse. Street legal & passes Ontario E-testing and safety inspections. Car was built to 2006 CARS rally regulations. Minimal upgrades to bring up to current rules.
This car ran in the ’07 & ’08 Targa Newfoundland tarmac Rally in Open Class. Car is amzingly fast and an absolute blast to drive and could be even faster and finish higher with an experienced crew. Never crashed or wrecked.

Car is highly modified. Car was featured in the January 2010 Performance Ford Magazine and been shown at the All Ford Nationals in Carlisle many times. This car can easily be configured to run gravel with only a few minor changes and it fits in the Group 5 class, Max Attack as well as the Classic division. This would be an excellent car to campain for the 2WD championship. Car comes with many many extra parts, 8 tires (Michelin Asphalt), 20 wheels, spare body pannels&glass, mechanical components, trans, diffs etc. Never been wrecked or crashed. Car has less than 3,000 miles on it since it was built!

Specs;

-Ford 2.3 lt Lima turbo block .020” overbore, balanced and knife edge crank, shotpeened con-rods, Sealed Power coated pistons, compression lowered to 7.5:1, modified oiling system with external cooler, ARP hardware throughout, Esslinger aluminum flywheel.

-Cast iron head, extensively ported with larger valves, Ford Motorsport A237 roller camshaft, Race Engineering adjustable cam gear, custom made engine mounts.

-SC50 T3/T04e Turbo, ATR downpipe with Tial external wastegate, full 3” front to rear exhaust with catalytic converter in place, Turbosmart dual stage boost controller, Turbosmart Supersonic blow-off valve, RS500 style Intercooler, Custom C&R aluminum dual pass racing radiator w/dual fans, Custom made Phil Marshal intake manifold, Walboro 255 fuel pump, 42 lb/hr injectors, SDS programmable stand-a-lone engine management system from Western Motorsports with A/F ratio manual adjust & A/F readout with data logging, engine HP is estimated at around 300 @ 15 psi boost (low setting) and turbo is rated to 30 psi but never run at that level. Sorry no dyno sheet available as it was road tuned.

-Ford Ranger serpentine belt conversion for simplification and ease of obtaining replacement parts. Also allows for much better & larger alternator options.

-Mustang WorldClass T5 5-speed trans, Goldstar 4 puck racing clutch, MGW racing shifter, 1 piece HD Mustang driveshaft, David Godfrey billet aluminum clutch quadrant and manual clutch adjuster.

-7.5” XR4Ti/Sierra diff with 3.64:1 gear on a Quaif LSD, MC2 HD poly diff mount, Powerflex Polly bushed throughout.

-Rear disk brake conversion using Thunderbird Turbocoupe cross drilled rotors & Calipers, front Mustang PBR 2 pot brake conversion with Contour SVT cross drilled & grooved rotors, EBC Red-Stuff pads all around, David Godfrey master cylinder adapter with a Thunderbird master cylinder, Willwood manual bias valve mounted to the hydraulic handbrake, hydraulic handbrake from Demon Tweeks.

-Front Leda coilovers with 500 lb springs, rear Gaz shocks with 750 lb inboard springs.

-Larger Ford Sierra Cosworth swaybars f&r

-Custom David Godfrey front strut bar with Caster/Camber adjuster plates

-Fiberglass body kit from MC Rally (mostly RS but RS500 wings)

-8xFactory Ford 16×7.5 RS wheels with 8xMichelin PilotSport Cup tires (4 used, 4 new), also 12×15” Mustang 10 hole rims for mounting of Gravel tires.

-Custom made skid plate with copies of original Ford 909 WRC cross member & front tow hooks
Interior

-1x Sparco Rev Racing FIA Cert seat, 2xSchroth 6 point harnesses good to end of 2010, Sparco quick release steering wheel, Custom instrument cluster with all Autometer gauges (tach, speedo, fuel, coolant temp, oil temp, exhaust temp, oil pressure, boost, voltage), Terratrip 303+ Rally computer with remote display & reset

-Terraphone Intercom system + 2 TerraPhone practice headsets, wired for 2-way radio with Motorola antenna mount on roof, video camera mount, Custom roll cage by CSC Racing in Newmarket- Ontario (will need 1 additional roof cross brace added to comply with latest rules), Sparco co-driver foot rest, 2 Fire Extinguishers, Triangle kit and more.

-Euro Ford Sierra headlights, fog lights all relayed. Panel switches for auxiliary lights . Air horns with additional co-driver foot switch. Moroso battery box mounted in rear seat area with new sealed Optima Yellow Top batter, battery kill switch in dash & labeled. 3 or 4 sets of vehicle keys.

-Many boxes of spare parts, engine parts, f&r subframes, body parts (doors, hood), diffs, , Factory shop manuals, and much much more included with car.

The seller states the vehicle was appraised at $35,000, so I’d guess the reserve is north of $20,000. Race cars are never an easy sell, but given this vehicle is street legal, it may just fit the bill for a certain buyer. It certainly is a nice tribute to an important part of WRC history, and would make a great conversation piece for vintage race events.

-Paul