So, here’s a bit of a brain tease for you: It’s a four-door 1980s era Ford product, wearing wheels you might see on an all-wheel-drive Tempo, sporting a bit of the Aero look that Ford was trying for but in a more early-to-mid 1980s form instead of what you’re used to. You’ve probably seen one like this before, but you probably have never seen one quite like this particular example? Give up? Okay…If you’re American, then you might remember Ford’s strange four-year experiment with an individual make called Merkur. “Merkur” is the German translation for Mercury, and unsurprisingly, not only was it promised to confuse the hell out of the Yanks, but it was a great dumping ground for Euro Fords we otherwise would not get. Actually, it was only two, the Scorpio and the XR4Ti, also known to most of the rest of the world as the Ford Sierra.

For the U.S. market, the hot rod was the 2.3L turbocharged four paired off with a five-speed manual. For Europe, it was the RS Cosworth that used a dual overhead cam 2.0L four with a turbocharger. But if you lived in South Africa, the car you needed to get was the local-only XR8 model. This homologation special was created to legalize Ford’s Group A Touring car and essentially it was a four-door 5.0 Mustang with a hell of a brake package going for it. The Ford Mustang GT’s engine and T5 five-speed manual trans were crammed in, as were AP Racing brakes. So, you could have a four-door machine that would come out stomping in the tradition of South African specials of the past, like the Chevrolet Firenza Can-Am and the Ford Capri Perana.