Welcome to Holy Grails, a new series here on the Autopian! If you’ve been reading our bylines for a while, chances are you’ve caught David talk about some obscure Jeep, me talking about a Smart or Volkswagen, or Jason doing a deep dive on a car you’ve never heard of from a country you’re not even sure ever existed. We’ve often called these cars ‘holy grails’ and it seems that you dear readers love it. Our inboxes have been getting filled up with you sending us your holy grails, and honestly, these cars are pretty awesome. So in this new series, we’re going to be highlighting the cars that you think are holy grails. To start, we have the Mercury Tracer LTS, a performance sedan that I bet you’ve seen before without even noticing.
Back in the 1930s, Ford engineers began work on a vehicle to fill a hole. This vehicle would have more features and styling than any existing Ford product, but not quite on the level of a Lincoln. Created in 1938 by Edsel Ford, Mercury’s existence was that of a middle child, filling Ford’s gap for a mid-range premium vehicle.
Mercury was a hit right out of the gate. The first Mercury was the 1939 Mercury 8. It sported a 239 cubic-inch V8 making 95 horsepower under the hood and sold for $916 ($19,419 today). More than 65,000 Mercury 8s were built the first year, cementing Mercury as a popular brand.
Despite being the middle child, Mercury did manage to produce some desirable cars like the Eight, which eventually became a popular canvas for lead sleds. And don’t forget the outrageously aggressive Cyclone that Jason recently wrote about. I mean, how many cars look like they have a huge gun hiding behind its nose? And then there’s the Cougar, Marauder, and oh, the attempt to sell captive European imports as Merkurs.
Less famous than all of these cars is one of the automaker’s efforts to build an upscale, sporty sedan with the Tracer LTS.
The Tracer was first marketed for the 1987 model year. A compact, the first-generation Tracer replaced the Lynx, a rebadged Ford Escort. Behind the Tracer’s badge were the bones of the Ford Laser, a compact sold in markets outside of the United States. And the Ford itself was a BF platform Mazda 323 underneath. But we aren’t here for the first-generation. Instead, we want to take a peek at the second-generation.
Launched in 1991, the second-generation Tracer gained a counterpart. The Mazda BG platform found itself underpinning the Ford Laser, Ford Escort, Mazda 323 (Protegé), and the Mercury Tracer. In America, the standard Tracer and its Escort counterpart got a Ford 1.9-liter four making 88 horsepower. Given that it’s moving a 2,468-pound car, we’re talking about gradual acceleration, here.
That’s where the Tracer LTS, or Luxury Touring Sedan comes in, featuring a 1.8-liter Mazda four punching out 127 HP. And, reader Chip says, this is the one to get; the holy grail of these forgotten cars:
Sold between 1991 and 1996, the second generation of the Ford Escort (and sister Mercury Tracer) were based on the BG platform, shared with the Mazda 323 and Protege. This was a very stout chassis, and was well received by the rally community and the SCCA. The biggest letdown of the Ford Escort and Mercury Tracer was the engine, which put out a measly 88 horsepower. This was enough for most, but for those with a thirst for more, there was a “GT” version of the Ford Escort that had a 1.8 liter DOHC engine that put out 127 horsepower. Now we’re talking! That engine was only available in the 3 door hatchback version of the Ford Escort…. Or was it?
Ford made a couple 4 door versions with the 1.8 liter engine. One was the Ford Escort LX-E and the other was the Mercury Tracer LTS. Both of these cars had all the running gear from the GT (including 4 wheel disc brakes) but in a 4 door chassis. Now dad could take the kids along while out enjoying the twisty roads. These cars didn’t sell well unfortunately, because they were a bit of a premium over the normal cost of the regular Escort and Tracer.
Indeed, our reader is correct when they say that opting for the performance-oriented GT means losing out on doors and space. If you wanted your Mazda-based sedan with the mightier engine, you had three choices. Mazda itself gave you the engine with the Protegé LX, you could also pick up the Ford Escort LX-E, or you could get the Mercury Tracer LTS.
The former two brands might have been more popular, but the Tracer was and still is worth a look. Check out the lovely cabin of the Merc in this retro MotorWeek review:
For those of you counting, Hagerty says that the performance specs of the Tracer LTS actually made it slightly faster than the 1992 Honda Civic EX, a sedan with similar weight and power numbers. Buying a Civic EX in 1992 set you back $13,775 ($29,605 today), but the Mercury? It was cheaper at $12,023 ($25,840 today).
The Tracer didn’t just impress the friendly John Davis of MotorWeek, but it also blew Car and Driver away. Its testers summed it up as:
This Tracer appears as other models, and in a quite similar form as the Mazda Protegé, but the Tracer LTS gave us more of what we like in a small sedan. There’s excellent fit and finish, enough room, a reasonable price, and a twin-cam four-cylinder engine that takes Tracer driving out of the humdrum and into the high-grin world.
Built at Ford’s plant in Hermosillo, Mexico, the Tracer joins the Honda Civic in providing strong evidence that workers on this continent have no difficulty building high-quality small cars, even if large companies have difficulty making profits on such items.
Tracer drivers will profit nicely, however, from the pleasures delivered by this quick, crisp sports sedan.
During 1991, the showrooms at Lincoln-Mercury dealers will be among the rare places where you’ll find two Ten Best winners on sale.
And yep, this car made the magazine’s 9th Annual 10Best award. By all accounts, it seems like the Mercury LTS is the best of the siblings of these cars based on the same Mazda platform. While I could not find production numbers drilled down to specific trim levels, I was able to find total model production. The Tracer didn’t have horrible sales, but the Protegé beat it by a decent margin, and the Ford Escort sold more than twice as many Tracers and Protegés combined.
At any rate, the Tracer never made it to the new millennium, getting axed in 1999 at the end of its third-generation, just a few years sooner than the Escort itself did. And Mercury itself didn’t survive 2011. In an obituary of sorts, Hagerty notes that the Tracer LTS could have been a Civic fighter, but given the competition from its own siblings and the fact that Mercury wasn’t really known as a performance brand back then, it never really stood a chance.
As I sometimes do when I write a car history piece, I tried to find a Tracer LTS for sale. I was sort of surprised to see zero running examples for sale. And the only one that I found on Bring A Trailer sold two years ago. Zero of them have been sold on Cars & Bids. If you find one, I reckon it’ll be cheap. Hold onto it, because who knows how many of these are left out there.
Do you know of a ‘holy grail’ of a car out there? If so, we want to read about it! Send us an email at tips@theautopian.com and give us a pitch for why you think your favorite car is a ‘holy grail.’ A lot of you have already sent us emails, and you bet that we’re looking them over!
Love this idea as a feature, these rare odd-ball Holy Grails. Keeping it with the early 90s Ford Motor Company, I nominate the 1992 Ford Tempo GLS (and related Mercury Topaz XR5/LTS). In 1992, Ford finally wedged the 3.0L Vulcan V6 (from the Taurus/Sable and Probe) into the Tempo, and gave it the same 5-speed manual from the Taurus SHO/Probe. The “sporty” models GLS/XR5/LTS were discontinued in 1993, making 1992 the ONLY year for the combo of V6/5spd manual with factory ground effects, fog lights, and 15″ wheels (from the 1st gen Escort GT).
I had a 1992 GLS with the V6/5-speed and it was a quick little car, very fun.
This. I’d forgotten all about the GLS!
Back then, I remember reading the specs on the brochures for the various models and thinking whoa *this one* isn’t what I usually think of when I think Tempo. IIRC the interior shot pic was from the GLS just so they could show the stick.
I know, I know we’re not talking about the 1st Gen, but!
I bought a first gen from a coworker who was returning to the Netherlands, $400.
Not long after I was relocated to Austin TX and the company transported the vehicle (lol$$)
The car ran like a top, only needing one repair (outside consumables) being a new distributer.
One day I was driving along 38th 1/2 (yes 1/2) in Austin, it had just rained. The left lane was hung up by a light way up ahead, but the right was clear and I was going 30 or so, a newish S70 Volvo popped though a gap to take a left into a parking lot, I stepped on the brakes with both feet (automatic) but still creamed him Perfect T-bone from the front quarter panel to the rear passenger door. the Tracer? Not a scratch, literally. I had just plastidipped the bumper and it wasn’t even scuffed. That is until later leaving the parking lot after exchanging information, my brakes weren’t working, got home and it turns out I burst both front brake lines. Replaced them and kept going, I drove that car all over Austin, put things in the hatch people swore would never fit, and daily drove it.. Then one day tragedy struck, the alternator had been throwing it’s belt (unknown why at the time), so I didn’t panic when the dash lights all came on, a sign it was running on battery. Then the car died at a light, and overheated. Being in Austin when it was still nice, the guy in the pick up behind me sussed out the issue and gently pushed me through the intersection into a trailhead parking lot. Sure enough the alternator belt was gone, and the alternator was locked up, because coolant was dripping on it, because the the water pump failed, oh and I could see the head gasket bubbling. I was mentally tallying up the cost, as I poured a gallon of water I had in the car into the radiator. Hmm I was gonna need more water. “What’s the worst that could happen” I thought and went down to the creek to refill the gallon jug, as I walked back to the car I noticed the rivulet of water coming out from under the car. Sure enough as I poured in the water it was coming out of the block. Only fitting a car that served me so well, treated like dirt, never washed, yet tirelessly got me from Oak Hill to North Austin and around town, the killer of Volvos, would go out in a blaze of glory; Alternator, water pump head gasket and block all in one go. Best $400 I have ever spent.
I have one that I think only existed in brochures: 1st generation, pre-facelift Legacy turbo FWD.
Does the neice / nephew of the Mercury Tracer LTS count as a Holy Grail?
The 2001 Mazda Protege MP3 seemed like a pretty cool option for its day. I guess it was quickly overshadowed by the WRX that came out the next year.
I feel like you may have scooped someone’s Mercury Monday.
I figured this car existed but never looked into it. We had a 95 Escort for years and the 1.9 CVH was its weak spot, noisy and wimpy compared to the Mazda twin cam in my mother’s 91 Protégé LX. On the plus side the Escort had good ergonomics, decent ride and handling and the 5 door hatchback held an enormous amount of stuff. I think my ideal for this platform would be an Escort GT wagon.
1. Dodge Omni/Shelby GLHS
2. The Hirohata Merc is quite possibly one of the coolest cars to ever exist.
I remember these things. I would tell people when looking for used cars to consider one of these because they were basically a rebadged Mazda and so reliable and yet usually really cheap since everyone else thought they were a crappy Ford.
I had a ’93 Escort for a stint, so I’m abnormally fond of these. Even with the measly 88hp and automatic, performance was still reasonably adequate up to about 50mph as I remember (it was a momentum car after that, which is why I managed to push it hard enough on a cloverleaf to fuel starve the engine on a low tank of gas). As others have said, just that much greenhouse is amazing, it’s fun to drive, and the automatic belts were a great novelty. I’d love an LX-E or LTS if I could find one, but I suspect they’ve mostly rusted out at this point.
My Holy Grail has always been and always will be one car.
The South African BMW 745i. The only factory produced 7 series powered by a true M series engine.
This insane car has many things going for it:
1) insanely rare – there were 5x more Ferrari F40s produced than SA BMW 745is made. Between 209 to 249 depending on who you ask. If you can find a manual transmission one then it’s 1 of 17 made.
2) it’s based off the original 7 series, the E23.
3) it looks almost entirely stock from the outside…. Other than larger mesh wheels and a subtle air dam it looks like your average 728i. The interior is covered a unique in hand stitched leather design. The seats, dash, door panels, console, a/b/c pillars… all hand stitched leather.
4) it was created for one specific extremely limited market – it was developed specifically and solely for the South African market. They couldn’t fit the turbo charge engine from the European only 745i but South Africa wanted a top tier 7 series… so they slapped a 286hp M88/3 engine into the 7 series that they built from CKDs.
And the best for last…
5) It was the only version of 7 series to be entered into touring car championships as a factory sanctioned race car… and it kicked ass.
Very cool car – I never heard of the LTS version. I developed a deep respect for the regular version after a friend of mine drove his ’95 Tracer to 383,000 miles while taking minimal care of it. He had purchased it with around 100,000 and put minimal work into it during ownership – just oil changes and a fan relay at one point, didn’t even change the timing belt. It finally died when a chunk of one of the pistons fell off. He was still able to drive it to the junkyard.
I still have a regular bare-bones ’95 Escort that my wife has decided we must keep around as she really likes it for in town errands. It only has 57,000 miles on it, but I’ve had to fix all kinds of stuff on it and I’m currently in the middle of doing the heater core, blower motor, and head gasket all at the same time.
I had a ’98 Protege ES which got that year’s version of the 1.8 liter DOHC engine. Except for a few bits here and there, it’s the same engine that the Miata had for a good portion of the NA and NB run.
A high-school friend had one of these, manual trans in a sweet purple color. It was the “fast” car of the social circle for a while.
Weirdly, there’s quite a few Tracers still around my area, no Escorts though. Most of them seem to wagons, so I suppose none of them had the LTS engine. My guess is the local Ford dealer sold a bunch of Tracers to old folks, who babied them, and that’s why they’re still on the road.
The first new car I bought just after college was a 1994 Mazda Protege LX, cousin of the holy grail car above (and mentioned in the story). It was such a great car. The 127 hp was enough for me to chirp the tires up through third gear. It was fun and functional. I drove for about eight years, when a cracked radiator caused it to overheat and blow the head gasket. Replacing it was my first major attempt at wrenching on a car. It ran really well for a couple more years, before I finally sold it. Seeing this write-up really brought back memories. Like, just how many people couldn’t figure out the automatic seatbelts.
I actually found one of these on the street a few years ago! Had completely forgotten the LTS even existed and I was excited to just find any sort of Tracer, which have all pretty much disappeared by this point. Fun-looking car, but very much a what’s-the-point purchase over the equivalent Escort that was emblematic of Mercury’s terminal decent into irrelevance.
I hope it’s OK to link to my pictures: http://roadsiderambler.com/2022/10/19/1993-mercury-tracer-lts/
Too bad they didn’t offer it on the wagon 😛
Agreed. My mom had a 91 Escort LX (1.9L 5-spd) and several years later my brother had a 93 Escort GT. I always wanted to snag a wagon and drop in the 1.8L/5-spd from the GT into the wagon.
My wife’s first car was one of these, except it had the correct number of pedals. That thing could really get up and move when you wanted it to. It was in great shape too until it met its untimely end when it met up with a deer.
Thanks Mercedes for this article, there is a whole community for these cars on Facebook. I own a 1995 Mercury Tracer Wagon, the basic version. 55K miles, clean interior. Has some small issues but I love driving the car, so much open space, no rust. The seatbelts still work lol
It’s a shame there was never an Escort GT or LX-E or Tracer LTS wagon.
Except for the mouse belts, I miss simple clean interiors like that. And low cowls with great visibility.
I love this feature! It’s a great reminder that mainline car companies aren’t all committee suits, and that there are plenty of enthusiasts there who dare to ask “but why not?!”
I had a girlfriend who owned a late ’90s Tracer, and my favorite part by far was the comically downsized tach.
It did have one standard, so props there to Ford, but…unlike with ones of this gen, it was shrunk to roughly the size of the fuel gauge.
I would love a Tracer LTS, a Prizm GSi, and a LeMans GSE in my dream garage. Close competitors that only seem to have existed in price lists – I spent years looking for used ones (of any of the three) 20-25 years ago and never ever came across a single one of either. I did get to test drive a Dodge Colt GT, at least.
Cool idea for a new feature! I love it when you guys spotlight quirky, unknown, or obscure cars on here. Usually good for at least an hour of Wikipedia deep-dives into weird tangents.
I’d love to see a writeup on those mid-to-late-90s GM mid-sizes with supercharged 3800 engines. Grand Prix GTP, Regal GSX, Bonneville SSEi – you know the ones, they looked like your mom’s sedan but had two doors and 240 HP.
“Step on the gas and the whole car moves.”
Yes that’s generally how things work.
I caught that too, such an odd choice of copy.
Perhaps suggesting that the non-LTS version would split apart under heavy acceleration?
In theory you’re correct.. looking at my list of previous vehicles it might not be quitteee 100% true..
“Step on the gas and the whole car moves.”
Yes that’s generally how things work.
Well, uh, she does hang out with David Tracy for Pete’s sake, and if you get right down to it I think she has at least a couple of vehicles in her personal fleet where you couldn’t count on that either…
Just sayin’
“If it doesn’t have a…ready-to-go-when-you-are engine…get one”.
Such awe-inspiring advice using reasoning well above my paygrade. Too bad I like my engines to operate only when they damn well feel like it.
I knew I had to add that the moment that I found it in a brochure. I’m not quite sure what Mercury is trying to say, there. 🙂
Back then Ford was known as Found On Road Dead as well as many others. This could have been their marketing fun beings this is Mazda powered.
Wow, bonus Mercury posts that aren’t even on a Monday! I love this holy grails concept and look forward to future installments.