Trying to look European has long been a dream of North American car makers. I can’t really say I get why; if you compare a ’69 Renault to a ’69 GTO, I can’t help but think most people would opt for the goat. However, be that as it may, the need to have “import fighters” became increasingly important throughout the painful days of the Automotive Dark Ages.
One car that was actually European, and very stylish, even if polarizingly so, was Ford’s Sierra XR4i Sport Coupe. This car was brought over to North America, but was given the Ford Turbo 4, and didn’t sell as well as hoped. Still, in Europe, the car was quite a hit; it was big enough that Tamiya decided to kit it! Check out my completed 1/24 Tamiya Sierra XR4i on the Cars page, and remember, in 1985, this was pretty breathtaking stuff!
