The Ford Sierra was a mid-size family car manufactured and marketed by Ford of Europe from 1982 to 1993. Designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Robert Lutz and Patrick Le Quément, its aerodynamic styling was considered controversial when compared to its more angular but less dynamically accomplished Cortina 80 predecessor. The Sierra was available in three and five-door hatchback versions as well as an estate and, in time, a four-door saloon in the form of the Sierra Sapphire. In 1983, the high-performance Sierra XR4i was introduced. It used the 2.8-litre V6 fuel-injected Ford of Germany-derived ‘Cologne’ engine in a three-door Sierra bodyshell with a large, ‘biplane’ rear spoiler. Two years later, it was replaced by the XR4x4. The new model had four-wheel drive using the same V6 engine with a smaller and more sensible rear spoiler. Most XR4x4 models were five-door, but a limited number of special-order cars used the three-door body. By the end of its production in 1990, a total of 23,540 Sierra XR4x4s had been produced. The standard Sierra lasted three further years until its replacement, the Mondeo, was launched.
.png)
