Does a 20-year-old car qualify for this series? In the case of the Merkur XR4Ti, I think it does- these things were pretty rare to begin with, and time has not been kind to the few that Ford did manage to sell. Sure, it was actually an Americanized Ford Sierra- common as hell in Europe at the time- but there were Dearborn dreams of the thing seeming exotic enough to swipe sales from the Germans and Japanese on these shores. This example, spotted in Alameda's East End, is in excellent shape- could it be someone has painstakingly restored a Merkur?
Still, the XR4Ti had some cool stuff you didn't much see coming from Detroit at the time. A turbocharged SOHC engine, for example, and something we still don't see on the Mustang 20 years later: an independent rear suspension.
See, folks, this is an import! Ford Werke AG had nothing to do with those boring ol' Tempos you see clogging your local highways, really!
And the double spoilers! Isn't this rig the 80s-est thing you've ever seen? We all need to apply some Hair Product ASAP!
Also incredibly 80s is the vinyl bra protecting that quality German bodywork.