Scorpio intro	Styling	Design & engineering	Manufacturing	Marketing	Service & maintenance	About my Scorpio
1988, 1989	1995	Variants	(Future)	(Future)	(Future)	(Future)

For a hard-core Merkur fancier, walking into a European Ford dealership these days can be a disorienting experience. You'll have to ask someone to point out the Scorpio to you, because Ford did a complete redesign on it. Gone forever is the world's loveliest 5-door sedan. "Liftgate" has been struck from the vocabulary. Now the Scorpio marque is represented by a 4-door saloon and an estate. That's "sedan" and "wagon" to us Yanks. Here are some photos from the 1995 UK showroom brochure as an overseas Scorpio spotter's guide.

I've also compiled a comparison of the specs for the two models....

Scorpio Specifications Comparison
Item	1989	1995
Dimensions
Overall length	186.4"	190.0"
Wheelbase	108.7"	109.1"
Width w/o mirrors	69.5"	69.3"
Height	54.6"	54.6"
Weight (pounds) w/ auto transmission	3244	3054
Accommodations - front
Headroom	38.5"	38.1"
Leg room (max)	41.3"	42.0"
Shoulder room	56.4"	56.5"
Accommodations - rear
Headroom	37.6"	37.5"
Leg room (min)	38.6"	38.5"
Shoulder room	56.4"	56.0"
Cargo space (cu ft) w/ seatback up	19.7	16.4
Engine (V6, 2.9 litre, EFI, 12-valve)
Horsepower at 5500 rpm	144	150
Torque (lb-ft) at 3000 rpm	162	169
Control computer	EEC-IV	EEC-V

There is also a 2.9 litre 24-valve V6 Cosworth engine that develops 207 hp at 6000 rpm and 202 lb-ft at 4200 rpm.

The 1995 Scorpio range consists of three levels of features and appointments: Executive, Ghia, and Ultima. With the exception of features developed since 1989, the Merkur Scorpio seems closest to the Ultima specs, although our heated seats and power for the passenger's seat are Ultima options. The new features correspond roughly to those of the new Lincoln Signature series in the US (CD changer, remote keyless entry with memory for the power seat: that sort of thing). A unique touch is the no-cost option of a free mobile phone and line connnection for the owner who'll commit to a 12-month airtime contract. The phone has a special button that dials the 24-hour trouble line at the Royal Automobile Club. Is it just me, or does that "extra" suggest Ford's lack of confidence in the car?

I inspected the 1995 Scorpio in London. A salesman told me there was considerable resistance to the new styling. He personally was recommending the high range of the Mondeo (Contour in the US) as an alternative. He'd heard that Ford was undertaking a hasty revision of the Scorpio's appearance to improve the public's acceptance, and he expected it to depress the 1995's resale value. I have no independent confirmation of that report.

Go to the top of this page.