1986 Ford Sierra RS Cosworth

At its introduction in 1982, the Sierra's revolutionary new shape proved a touch more divisive than Ford had anticipated and some serious marketing became a priority, so it was the obvious choice to become the platform for Ford's new competition aspirations in conjunction with Cosworth. It fitted the brief well as it was rear-wheel drive, had good aerodynamics, albeit being prone to lift at high speeds and was available as a three-door. The new body kit and rear spoiler would sort out the lift issues but, more importantly, Ford still needed to build 5,000 units for homologation, somewhat worrying when the company's initial approach to the dealer network came back with an estimate that suggested they could sell around 1,500 units! The eventual sales record is, of course, history. Ford went on to sell 5,545 three-door cars including the RS500, of which only 500 were built, and the Cosworth engine also found its way into nearly 30,000 Ford Sierra Saloons (Cosworth 3dr, Sapphire 2wd, and 4wd).

This lovely Sierra RS Cosworth was supplied new on 15th May 1987 finished in desirable Moonstone Blue and appears to have been looked after all its days which is not always the case with these cars. It was kept in dry storage for 11 years between 2006 and 2017 when its owner, at the time, moved the car to his business premises and began a gentle tidying over a period of months. The interior was completely stripped, painted internally, refreshed and put back together, the underside was cleaned and the wheels were refurbished. We understand that within the car's history file there are over 100 images of this work being carried out.

The car was purchased by our vendor in 2020 and, although its cosmetic condition was fantastic, it had hardly been used since going into storage in 2006 and consequently was in need of mechanical recommissioning. At an indicated mileage of 63,995, it was entrusted to specialists Obsessive Car Care in Northampton who, in addition to carrying out a full cambelt service, fitted new cam pulley seals, phase sensor, distributor cap, rotor arm, full set of high-quality ignition leads, crank sensor, water temp sensor, coil, ignition module and an air charge sensor. Many parts were from Burton Engineering or Graham Goode Racing. At this point, a tiny core-plug leak was detected from the rear of the engine, so a new core-plug was fitted along with a top-of-the-range new original-spec clutch from Graham Goode Racing. As leading Cosworth specialists, Graham Goode were asked by our vendor to thoroughly inspect and road test the car and recommend anything they felt was necessary. Most of this work was carried out in 2021 and we understand around £8,000 was invested in bringing the 'Cossie' back to full health.

The history file also contains the original Ford service books, stamped to 30,000 miles, over 100 images of the car, including the underside showing it to be in very good condition, photos showing the interior being stripped, refreshed and put back together, and an original instruction manual in a ring binder. Presenting very well and driving even better, this is a fabulous all-round example at a reasonable guide, especially looking at the trajectory these desirable Cosworths have been on in recent years.