Thursday 17th April 2014

Ford Sierra XR-8: You Know You Want To

Like an XR4i, with a V8. Why wouldn't you?

---

Interesting cars are virtually guaranteed at a car auction. It doesn't necessarily have to be the super exotica either, but there are always a few oddities lurking in the catalogue somewhere.

We got turbos, South Africans got V8s

Take Coys Ascot auction next Saturday. Along with an E30 325i Touringowned by Phil Collins, a Boxster-engined Beetle and a lovely Maserati Indy, there's this: a Ford Sierra XR-8.

A what? We were equally dumbfounded. Turns out this could be the coolest homologation special you've never heard of. The XR-8 was for the South African market only, produced for Group One touring cars from 1984 until 1988. So it was their XR4i effectively, only a whole lot more interesting. See neither the three-door bodyshell or 2.8-litre Cologne V6 was offered in South Africa, making the European car unviable. But they did have an XR6, powered by the 3.0-litre Essex lump and with five doors. It was decided the Sierra range needed a better flagship though, and so the XR-8 was born.

Apparently 250 were made, 50 more than required by homologation rules. This was to prove it was a production model and not just a skunkworks touring car special, a point Ford reinforced by selling the obligatory 200 before going on track.

Wing looks familiar, rest of it less so

The '8' of course signifies a V8, here sourced from a Mustang. It's a five-litre engine (or 302 cubic inches, as it probably should be referred to), with 209hp. Oh. It's a little disappointing really, isn't it? Contemporary road tests timed the XR-8 at seven seconds to 60 and the top speed was said to be around 140mph. Perhaps not the straight line monster you may expect, but it must be hugely tweakable being so lightly stressed. Supercharger?

According to a South African test, the XR8 wasn't just a leaden muscle saloon either. It only weighed 30kg more than the XR6 and a wealth of suspension tweaks helped it to maintain a semblance of composure on track. The test states: "The tail comes out easily under power [that'll be the 195/60 tyres then] but in an eminently predictable manner, and the understeer is far less than expected. The car is predictable, smoothly responsive and turns in very well."

Not one for the feeble though, with no ABS and manual steering. Sounds like a burly driving experience then.

So a very rare and fast old Ford; must be worth a fortune, right? Well no, actually. Presumably as it's so unknown in the UK, the XR-8 goes under the hammer with an estimate of just £8-12,000. That sort of money even for an RS Cosworth Sapphire now, which would make for a fascinating comparison.

Yes it's more risky, but the underpinnings should be fairly easy to maintain. There's a week to do some research, remember. And it's a production V8 Ford Sierra for crying out loud! Someone take the plunge, please.

---

FORD SIERRA XR-8
Price: £8-£12,000 (auction estimate)
Why you should: Homologation special Sierra that isn't £60K. With V8.
Why you shouldn't: Parts maybe? And fuel.

See the original advert here. Auction catalogue here.

[Test source: AfricanMuscleCars].

[treetops]

Sounds great - I like!

[nagsheadwarrior]

The South Africans knocked up some wonderful things!

Perana Capri in yellow for me please.

[will261058]

I remember reading a road test on one of the mags prob Car, Fast Lane or Motor back in the 80s. I enjoyed it since I had an XR4X4 at the time.

[iva cosworth]

Didn't know only 250 of these made.

Assuming it's the same car,it's been in the UK for quite s few years.

[anonymous-user]

I love that.

[wildcat45]

nagsheadwarrior said:

The South Africans knocked up some wonderful things!

Perana Capri in yellow for me please.

I suppose it was a perverse spin-off from apartheid. The country was isolated from much of the world so had to do its own thing. the BMW 333i being another example.

But not just SA - other nations seemed to be far more inventive with mainstream cars - South American VWs, Aussie GM products.

I am not sure what model it was but back in the early 1990s I spent a lot of time in the Turkish part of Cyprus. they had a strange Sierra/Cortina hybrid thing there.

Sierras themselves are rare cars now. I think the appeal of a car like this at the time it was built was that it was on such an ordinary platform. It was a Sierra, like the one next door, or the one parked down the road. That Q car appeal.

I love it but bet it would not be as good as I imagine.

[Mave]

Nice :-)

[Monty Python]

iva cosworth said:

Didn't know only 250 of these made.

Assuming it's the same car,it's been in the UK for quite s few years.

I thought it might have been this one:

http://www.sierra-xr8.co.uk/default.htm

but the wheels are different (unless they've been changed back).

[iva cosworth]

Monty Python said:

iva cosworth said:

Didn't know only 250 of these made.

Assuming it's the same car,it's been in the UK for quite s few years.

I thought it might have been this one:

http://www.sierra-xr8.co.uk/default.htm

but the wheels are different (unless they've been changed back).

I think I've only ever seen it with the wheels fitted now,not the darker ones.

[Liquid Tuna]

I love it! Quirky production cars!

[ConorE]

Getting parts for it shouldn't be too difficult if it's just a Mustang engine, surely?

[Hooli]

Always wanted one of these when I had a XR4i.

[turboteeth]

Hooli said:

Always wanted one of these when I had a XR4i.

Lucky git, I always wanted an XR4i...by the time I passed my test in 1996 they were non-existant!

Love the XR8 - the rear biplane looks bigger than the XR4i...?

[Alfanatic]

Ah yes, the Animal. Contemporary road test available here:

http://www.carmag.co.za/classic-road-tests/from-th...

[S3Swiss]

I had a short trip in one (this one?) as a passenger while in the car trade in Gloucester sometime around 1986-1989. It lit up the rears when stomped in most gears and had a roar like a tank had just driven up behind you! Would make a great showcar for some XR nut.

[Chris71]

I like that a lot. It's a bit like a five-door TVR with room for your bike in the boot...

That said, I have a hankering for an MG ZT260 as well, so it's probably best not to take my advice on the subject.

[SitCet]

I think "the animal" refers specifically to the Willie Hepburn's XR8 racecar, which competed in Wesbank Modified Saloons series

eg www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYo3zHnpnok

[leon9191]

I would be more interested in lot 149, a low miles Escort Cosworth estimated at £10-15K would be worth a punt.

Also lot 120, a 964 turbo for £90k which would be a steel in my book.

This looks like a hoot though and that motor must be very tuneable.

[Furyblade_Lee]

I met a guy on the way to a Ford show in one of these about 5 years back, had a look over it on the petrol station ( I used to own an XR4i ). He said it was bog standard, but the engines were highly tuneable from the USA and he was going to make a bit of a monster out of it. Not sure if his had the bi-plane spoiler though? Maybe a similar one to our own XR4x4?

[hondansx]

Awesome!