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No one fakes an XR4i – partly because it’s far more cost-effective to build a dodgy Cossie, but also because the XR4i four-pillar bodyshell is unique to that model.
Still, it’s vital to ensure the Sierra you’re buying is the car it
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■ Athree-door Sierra that’s still affordable, the XR4i has achieved classic status, with factoryoriginal examples ranking high on desirability lists – following in the slipstream of its biggerwinged brothers.
■ ABlue Oval muscle car for the European market, the XR4i is all about old-school appeal – with rear-wheel drive, lairy styling and an oversized normally-aspirated engine.
■ The XR4i laid the foundations for the mighty Cosworth, and achieved widely-overlooked competition success – Roger Clark rallied an XR4i, and Andy Rouse’s XR4Ti won the 1985 BTCC.
■ It’ll always be called a poor-man’s Cossie. No matter where you go or who you meet, they’ll ask if your XR4i is a Cosworth and/or say you should’ve bought a Cossie instead.
■ Controversial when new and perhaps still a bit tacky, the XR4i’s styling is simply too brash for the performance on offer.
■ XR4is fell into a low-rent dad-racer trap many decades ago, from which many examples suffered massive neglect. It’s tricky today to find a car without extensive rot and bad mods.
PROJECT: £2500 TO £8000 You might get an XR4i for less, but it will be absolutely rotten. £5k should bag a runner, although it’s certain to need welding, mechanical repairs and replacement trim.
GOOD: £8000 TO £14,000 Expect to find a roadworthy XR4i at the lower end, rising to a useable show-worthy Sierra for £12,000 upwards. Beware of horrors hiding beneath the surface, and ensure any rare XR4i parts are present and correct.
CONCOURS: £14,000 TO £25,000+ Restored cars are starting to fetch decent money, and an original low-mileage XR4i is a sound investment – providing it’s unmodified and includes relevant history. Mint examples have sold recently for £25,000, but a sub- 10,000-miler would fetch vastly more.
No one fakes an XR4i – partly because it’s far more cost-effective to build a dodgy Cossie, but also because the XR4i four-pillar bodyshell is unique to that model.
Still, it’s vital to ensure the Sierra you’re buying is the car it
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Strange But True Tales of Car Collecting: Drowned Bugattis, Buried Belvederes, Felonious Ferraris and Other Wild Stories of Automotive Misadventure
byKeith Martin