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  • Scorpio

    First, a history lesson. This is my '89 Merkur Scorpio, essentially a euro Mk3 Ford Granada, These cars were imported for two years - '88 and '89. They're RWD with semi-trailing arm IRS, and all North America-market models were equipped with an iron 2.9L pushrod V6.

    I purchased this car in a desheveled state for $500 in November 2010, and immediately started dismantling it. Fortunately, this particular model was equipped with the rare T9 5-speed transmission, so I was able to offset the purchase price of the car by selling the drivetrain.

    I have had an '85 XR4Ti since high school, and had modified it extensively. The XR is a Ford Sierra, and shares its suspension and engine bay with the Scorpio. The next step was a no-brainer: rob the XR of its 2.3L 16v Ford/Volvo hybrid setup, Borg-Warner T5, 8.8IRS differential, and other goodies.

    Building the XR was very much a learning experience; I had no automotive knowledge or experience when I began, and had to teach myself everything, as nobody in my family is into cars. As a result, that car was full of all kinds of shoddy and embarrassing fabrication. What was intended as a quick drivetrain swap turned into a 2.5-year build, with the Scorpio finally emerging from the shop in spring 2013.

    I'll spare you the entire mod list, but I'll say very few components were left untouched, aside from the exterior, which only received a good clay bar/buffing, euro lighting, and a Ford Ranger valance. Practically every custom piece you see was homemade from raw materials, including the header, intake plumbing, exhaust, harness bar, receiver hitch, strut tower brace, headliner and seat upholstery, etc. And what wasn't homemade was made to my exacting specifications, such as the set of seven braided hoses from Pirtek and the carbon fiber instrument bezel I drew in CAD. The car runs a Ford 2.3 bottom end with a Volvo B234 cylinder head, a Holset HX35 turbocharger, Isuzu NPR intercooler, and Megasquirt 2-Extra, which i assembled and am in the process of road-tuning.

    The suspension consists of a set of built-to-spec 325 lb/in Gaz Gold coilovers up front, a pair of Hyperco 750 lb/in springs out back, and urethane bushings throughout, with the exception of the nylon semi-trailing arm bushings. The wheels are ESM 009 in 16x7.5 and 16x9.0. They were redrilled to 5x114.3, to which I also converted the car from its original 5x112mm PCD in order to accommodate Mustang and RX7 rotors in the front and rear, respectively.

    The car gets driven often and is not a garage queen - the image below depicting the car on grass, for example, was taken in Carlisle, Pennsylvania in June.

    Here she is:























    (I fabricated a well-hidden class 2 receiver hitch so I could pull my quad to MAPerformance's Proving Grounds event at Brainerd Int'l Raceway.)
    Last edited by Colin; 07-22-2013, 01:06 PM.

  • #2
    well this is awesome. love seeing cars like this. i didnt even know they existed

    IG: Nick475

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    • #3
      Very awesome, nicely done sir

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      • #4
        Thank you, mentlegen.

        This is how the car looked when I bought it - it had been sitting outdoors behind a repair shop for years, and supposedly was last registered in the late 90s... in Pennsylvania, oddly enough.












        Dear lord.

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        • #5
          Glad to see more people finding interest in these. looks great!



          99 VW Cabrio "bitch basket"(SOLD)/88 325iS(Cam'ed m20)
          IG: @ratherbefisting

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          • #6
            lol this is awesome.

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            • #7
              Here's the old XR4Ti I mentioned in my first post:



              This was my third car and the project upon which I cut my teeth. Got it when I was 17 years old (May 2003) and still have it. The latest incarnation of this XR will be a GM L33-powered drift car. At the moment, it's completely gutted and awaiting a cage, the goofy C-pillars have been removed so it looks reminiscent of a 3-door Cosworth, and I'm working on solid-mounting the rear subframe and welding the diff.

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              • #8
                damn, thats badass man!

                Instagram: @half_lung

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                • #9
                  Where the hāters at? I was expecting a slew of comparisons to the Sable and "Fix Or Repair Daily" remarks.

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                  • #10
                    More pics of the rear seats? They look interesting!

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                    • #11
                      Sure! i took a sample of the Sparco cloth to the fabric store, matched it up, then my girlfriend and I painstakingly seamripped the stock leather split bench and transferred all the shapes onto the new cloth. She sewed it up, I wrapped the cushions, and installed the pieces. We skinned a spare pair of removable Sparco thigh cushions and used that material to reupholster the rear headrests. I used the same cloth on the door cards and center console armrest.

                      I only have horrible phone pics:





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