1985 Ford Sierra Cosworth Group N Rally Car

When Stuart Turner was appointed head of Ford Motorsport in Europe in 1983 he quickly came to the conclusion that the company was no longer competitive in motorsport. Walter Hayes, having instigated the Cosworth DFV engine and Fords assault on Le Mans with the GT40, was still the driving force at Ford. Not surprisingly Hayes was enthusiastic about Turner's plans to produce a turbocharged Cosworth 2.0 litre engine that would power a Ford saloon in motorsport. Cosworth already had a cylinder head design that fitted the bill which used the Ford T88 Pinto block. So they agreed to produce the 2.0litre turbo engine, but only if Ford signed-off a production run of 15,000 units. The introduction of the Sierra in 1982 required a marketing boost so it was allocated to become the platform for Ford's new competition aspirations. It was rear wheel drive, it had good aerodynamics, albeit being prone to lift at high speeds and it was available as a three door. The new body kit and rear spoiler would sort out the lift issues. But Ford still needed to build 5000 units for homologation; this was somewhat worrying when Turner's initial approach to the dealer network came back with an estimate that suggested they could sell around 1500 units! The success eventual sales record is of course history. Ford went on to sell 5545 three-door cars including the RS500 and the Cosworth engine also found its way into nearly 30,000 Ford Sierra Saloons (Cosworth 3dr, Sapphire 2wd and 4wd).

The Sierra Cosworth comfortably exceeded Ford's wishes and it went on to become one of the most successful Touring Car racers of all time, winning races all over the world. In rallying the Group A Sierra, on tarmac, was equal to all the four wheel drive opposition, particularly when Didier Auriol won the 1988 Corsica Rally outright.

Offered here is what must be the most successful GPN Sierra Cosworth in British rallying history. C234 HVM is a Ford 'Works' registration number , as ten of the early Sierra Cosworths were used to launch the car to the world's press. These ex-press cars were then converted at Ford's Competition Dept at Boreham. Seven of them were then assigned to the 1986 Securicor Sierra Challenge rally series. C234 HVM went to Ford dealer Peacocks to be driven by Chris Mellors, who took it to second overall in the Championship in 1986. This car then had many category wins between 1986 and 1988. It took part in The Lombard RAC Rally in 1987 and 1988, driven by Gwyndaf Evans. In 1988 he went on to win the Shell Oils British Rally Championship (GPN). It also contested the 1987 Manx International Rally driven by Bertie Fisher.

This important piece of the British 'Eighties' GPN rallying scene is 'on the button' and beautifully finished in its 1988 Ulster Rally livery. Recently, renowned rally preparers BGMsport, have engineered and checked over the Sierra and report that all the compressions are correct and that the car is "rally ready' with an impressive 291bhp on tap. The buyer would however be well advised to make sure that all the safety equipment, even though it is "in date', still meets current MSA and FIA regulations. There is a very comprehensive history file containing important period documents and logbooks.