1984 - FORD SIERRA XR-8

ONLY 250 MUSTANG V8-POWERED SIERRA XR-8S WERE BUILT FOR THE SOUTH AFRICAN MARKET. KEITH MARICICH’S HAS FOUND A QUEENSLAND HOME

-  IAIN CURRY

You hear Keith Maricich’s Ford Sierra before seeing it. There’s a recognisable American V8 rumble, so you turn around expecting a classic Mustang of some type. But no.

Instead, here’s a sensible-looking unfamiliar family sedan with the Blue Oval on its nose. It burbles past and you spot a mighty rear wing and, yes, an XR-8 badge on the boot lid. What is this thing?

The Sierra XR-8 is the rarest production version of the model. And, as is often the case, we have a performance-hungry market and motorsport homologation to thank.

Unlike Falcon-dominated Australia, Ford South Africa sold the five-door Sierra with its flagship having a 3.0-litre Essex V6. The Sierra XR-6 had its fans – Keith’s mum had one when he was a boy – but South Africans are as partial to bent-eights as we are.

The UK sold the hot (for 1983) Sierra XR4i three-door with the Capri’s Cologne V6, but neither this body shape nor engine were available in South Africa. Importing the XR4i was too costly, so Ford South Africa took matters in to its own hands, with ready access to the 5.0-litre (302 cu in) small block V8 from Ford’s Mustang, so you can guess the rest.

In 1984 and 1985, Ford South Africa built 250 Sierra XR-8s. To go Group One touring car racing, 200 were needed to satisfy homologation rules – the extra 50 became export specials. “I believe from the 250 built, 50 went to the UK,” Keith said. “Who knows how many survive, maybe three dozen? Only 10 or 12 of those remain unmodified originals, and I reckon mine’s one of only two in Australia.”