Merkur
Merkur, the German word for Mercury, was an automobile brand which was briefly marketed by Ford Motor Company in the United States and Canada during the mid-1980s. Sold through Lincoln-Mercury dealers, Merkurs were in fact German Fords and were thus a form of captive import. Advertising and PR materials strongly urged the proper German pronunciation, "mare-coor," but practically no one used it and the cars were generally called Merkers.
Only two models were sold under the Merkur badge?a performance-oriented coupe version of the Ford Sierra called the XR4Ti, and the Ford Scorpio sedan, which kept the Scorpio name. Neither model was particularly successful. Exchange rate fluctuations were one explanation; another was the generally odd styling and peculiar name. Also the Scorpio bore a strong resemblance to the similarly-sized and then-new Mercury Sable, which sold on the same showroom floors and was considerably cheaper.
Merkurs have not so far generated much interest in the collector market, although their relative rarity could change that in the future. There is, however, an active owner community, and parts can still generally be found.
