Sorry Mike...incorrecty information supplied.
The Merkur XR4Ti is not a European Escort, but rather a Ford Sierra. A real POS that I would not touch with a 10 foot barge pole. It has a terrible reputation for low build quality, reliability issues and on and on.
It was released also as the Sierra XR8, which came with a 302ci V8. My Dad raced one very successfully for several years.