Ford Sierra

Ford Sierra
Overview
Manufacturer	Ford Europe
Also called	Merkur XR4Ti (North America, 1985–1989) Ford Sapphire (sedan, South Africa, 1990–1993)
Production	1982–1993
Assembly	General Pacheco, Argentina Genk, Belgium Dagenham, England[1] Cork City, Ireland Lower Hutt, New Zealand[2] Port Elizabeth, South Africa Silverton, Pretoria, South Africa (SAMCOR) Valencia, Venezuela (1985–1994)
Designer	Uwe Bahnsen Bob Lutz Patrick le Quément
Body and chassis
Class	Mid-size car/Large family car (D)
Body style	3/5-door liftback 4-door saloon 5-door estate 5-door car derived van
Layout	Front-engine, rear-wheel drive / four-wheel drive
Related	Ford Scorpio Ford P100 Merkur XR4Ti
Powertrain
Engine	Petrol: 1294 cc Pinto I4 1593 cc Pinto I4 1598 cc CVH I4 1769 cc CVH I4 1796 cc Pinto I4 1993 cc Pinto I4 1993 cc Cosworth turbo DOHC 16V I4 1998 cc N8/N9 DOHC I4 1999 cc Cologne OHV V6 2293 cc Cologne OHV V6 2792 cc Cologne OHV V6 2935 cc Cologne OHV V6 2993 cc Essex OHV V6 (ZA) 4942 cc 5.0 H.O. OHV V8 (ZA) Diesel: 1753 cc Lynx TD I4 2304 cc Indenor OHV I4
Transmission	3-speed automatic 4-speed automatic 4-speed manual 5-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,609 mm (102.7 in)
Length	4,531 mm (178.4 in)
Width	1,727 mm (68.0 in)
Height	1,367 mm (53.8 in)
Chronology
Predecessor	Ford Cortina Mark V Ford Taunus TC3
Successor	Ford Mondeo

The Ford Sierra is a mid-size/large family car manufactured and marketed by Ford Europe from 1982–1993, designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Robert Lutz and Patrick le Quément — and noted for its aerodynamic styling producing a drag coefficient of 0.34, a significant improvement over its predecessors.

The Sierra debuted at the 1982 British International Motor Show in Birmingham,^[3] shortly followed by the 1982 Paris Salon de l'Automobile.^[4] Sales began on 15 October 1982,^[5] replacing the Ford Taunus TC3 (UK: Ford Cortina Mark V). Its aerodynamic styling and the absence of a saloon/sedan configuration was such that many conservative buyers (including company car drivers) did not prefer its design.^[3] A saloon/sedan model debuted in 1987 with the introduction of the facelifted Sierra.

Designated internally under the "Project Toni" code name, ^[3] the nameplate Sierra derived from the Spanish word for mountain range. The car was primarily manufactured in Belgium, and the United Kingdom, although Sierras were also assembled in Cork, Ireland,^[6] Argentina, Venezuela, South Africa and New Zealand.