Enjoy lap from 2014 Mercesdes F1 V6

[cosworth151]

NASCAR's growth as a major national sport is widely accepted to have started with the 1979 Daytona 500. Indy car rating began there drop just about the same time. NASCAR passed CART in popularity in the early eighties and never looked back.

American racing fans have no more interest in watching turbos than American drivers have in buying them. IndyCar is dooming itself to go the way of the Olds Jetfire and Merkur XR4Ti.

[lkjohnson1950]

Which doesn't explain why NASCAR and the NHRA are slipping in the TV ratings and looking at increasingly empty bleachers, despite running big noisy V8s.

[cosworth151]

Both are using that ridiculous "Race to the Chase to the Cup for the Thing" format where they throw out the first part of the season, and many teams, and start over for the last part of the season. 

[Monty]

Outstanding ride, Monty!

I only posted the vid because I knew I would get great comments from contributors on GP Wiz. Let's face it, for people like us - It is fast, noisy, and has a big capacity motor - what's not to like? 
Here is another picture of it parked outside my house 

[Jericoke]

NASCAR's growth as a major national sport is widely accepted to have started with the 1979 Daytona 500. Indy car rating began there drop just about the same time. NASCAR passed CART in popularity in the early eighties and never looked back.

American racing fans have no more interest in watching turbos than American drivers have in buying them. IndyCar is dooming itself to go the way of the Olds Jetfire and Merkur XR4Ti.

My mom had the XR4Ti.

It was a nice car, my parents loved driving it (alas, she traded it for a Mercury Sable before I got my driver's liscence)

I didn't know what the difference between turbo and super chargers was at the time.  I just liked the double wing, the 60/40 split seats, retractable moonroof and a joystick for controlling the stereo.

[John S]

Outstanding ride, Monty!

I only posted the vid because I knew I would get great comments from contributors on GP Wiz. Let's face it, for people like us - It is fast, noisy, and has a big capacity motor - what's not to like? 
Here is another picture of it parked outside my house 

Looks more like the building where you pay speeding fines Monty. 

[cosworth151]

The XR4Ti would have been great if Ford hadn't been going through one of it's turbo tantrums at the time. That 140 cid sohc 4 was a fine little engine. I built a number of race cars around them. Ford would stick those stinking turbos on them and put them in otherwise great cars (XR4Ti, Mustang SVO, T-Bird Turbo Coupe, Cougar XR7). The only thing those cars were good for was to buy them cheap once the engine blew and swap a real powerplant into them.

[Monty]

I saw a few XR4Ti's during trips to the US but hadn't realised that they were different to the UK Sierra XR4i which used the 2.8 fuel injected V6. I guess using the 4 cylinder engine with a turbo provided lower weight and better balance than the iron V6 used in the UK.
I have to agree with Jeri that the double wing was fairly spectacular for the time but the UK Sierra only became a serious 'performance' car when they produced the Cosworth versions.

[F1fanaticBD]

Now surely it will enrage Cossie, not only Ford tried to market 4 cylinder Turbo which is a sin in his eyes, but they refused to bring the car with Cosworth name. Jeez if Cossie could have managed  a Tommy-Gun, we know where he would have emptied it, of course in Ian's back, because he would have been so enraged, he would have thought Ian is the one who came up with such brilliant marketing plan. Lucky you Ian 

[Ian]

     I'll get you for that BD. 

[Monty]

If Cos never had the opportunity to drive a Sierra Cosworth I sympathise. I briefly had a Cosworth 500 Whaletail. What a car! However, if I remember correctly it had an enormous Turbo to create that awesome power. Sorry Cos! 

[John S]

All the Sierra RS Cosworth cars had turbos.