TTAC Project Car: Coming to America!

by Sajeev Mehta

Published: November 28th, 2011

In our last installment, our Sierra was found by one of TTAC’s Best and Brightest. Now our brown-hued “Salesman’s Spaceship” gets lost in shipping space for a few weeks, crossing a very large pond. Don’t worry little British Ford, America will be very, very kind to you.

Captain Mike Solo’s European USAF adventure is now over, but Citizen Solo (actually he’s in the Air Force Reserves, but Citizen Solo sounds epic) might go back to the land of small meal portions and super trick road courses built around quaint German towns. Not so for my Sierra. A more clever man than I would insert a Bertel Schmitt-ish Euro-Asian Corporate Marriage reference, but I am too lost in Ford’s cutting edge past to think about most anything else.

And yes, that low mile, super clean Peugeot 205 GTI (1.6L*) belongs to our Captain Solo…and it will be Texas bound along with the Sierra. More on that later, as we are here to celebrate the insanity that is the importation of a Ford Sierra Ghia. Importing a 205 GTI actually (kinda) makes sense, relatively speaking. And don’t we all hate being normal? Normal-ish?

Going with the Sierra’s story is a change of shipping venue, chosing a USAF-backed shipper that made our lives easier…except that the delivery changed from the nearby Port of Houston to somewhere in Dallas! What kind of magic boat docks in landlocked Dallas?

I suspect I will find that out later. For now I am getting ready for my Sierra’s arrival. Make no mistake, I am super pumped. In true TTAC Piston Slap form, I bought a decent (i.e. not factory) shop manual from a UK bookseller via eBay. Two more are on the way…perhaps landing at the same time as the Sierra?

You might ask yourself, why not get a USA Merkur shop manual? Cost issues for one: I paid less for three UK books (including shipping) compared to the Merkur stuff I found on eBay. Not to mention the 1983 Sierra is significantly different from any Merkur, so the proper UK manual is needed. Too bad I might need a translator for some of this:

“Dampers and their upper and lower mountings differ between saloon and estate models.”

Well hot damn, son! Can you please tell me that in American? I thought this Sierra is like my friend Bubba’s Ford Pinto!

Was that even mildly entertaining? I certainly am giggling. And from the moment it arrives to the moment the project finishes off with a trip to the local Cars and Coffee parking lot, owning a Rio Brown 1983 Ford Sierra Ghia will be an absolute hoot. I can’t wait to begin the lunacy, stateside.

More to come. And more to the point, Merry Christmas to…well, ME.

*Our Pug savvy readership will note the 1.9L wheels, but rest assured, they were added after the fact. This is the 1.6.

#Dallas #FordSierra #Germany #Houston #Importing #Nurburg #Peugeot205GTI #Shipping #Texas #TTACProjectCar

Sajeev Mehta

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5 of 15 comments

Jimbowski on Nov 29, 2011

Just don't peel out and drive over the curb when leaving the Cars & Coffee.

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- Lorenzo on Nov 29, 2011
  
  Why would you say that? Have you actually seen Sajeev do that in his panther? You CAN do that in a panther - my late uncle Gilbert used to do it all the time, just before they took his license away. All his Marquis needed was a front end alignment.
  
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- Sajeev Mehta on Nov 29, 2011
  
  @Lorenzo You can...but if you do it at Cars and Coffee, you just look like the stereotypical car show loser that can't drive but thinks he's a real hot shoe. Nobody wants to be THAT guy.
  
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- Jimbowski on Nov 29, 2011
  
  @Lorenzo It was a reference to the corvette videos Jack Baruth posted on Friday. One of them was a guy leaving Cars & Coffee. The driver managed to jump a curb after romping the gas pedal and barely missed some photographers...who happened to film the whole thing.
  
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Iamwho2k on Nov 29, 2011

Captain Solo? Please tell me his call sign is "Han"...

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