1988 Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth - 13,985 Miles

The original Ford Sierra RS Cosworth was the first Ford to wear the Cosworth badge and was presented to the public at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1985. It was introduced as a means of homologating the Sierra for 'Group A' Touring Car racing, with a requirement that 5,000 cars were built and sold. Launched for sale in July 1986 and based on the three-door Sierra bodyshell, it was designed by Ford's Special Vehicle Engineering (SVE) and was powered by a Cosworth-designed 2-litre turbo engine of now legendary repute. At this time, the Sierra Cosworth was a new kind of performance car - a 'blue-collar hero' able to humble true sports cars! In total 5,545 cars were produced - of which 500 were sent to Aston Martin Tickford for conversion to the Sierra RS500 Cosworth. If the RS Cosworth was an homologation car, the RS500 was an evolution special. Once Ford had built the requisite 5,000 RS Cosworths, 'Group A' rules allowed an upgraded evolution model to be launched. This could carry changes focused on improving its racing potential, provided Ford sold 10% of the original number as road cars, hence the 500. The RS500 was announced in July 1987 and had a mechanically uprated Cosworth engine (more similar to the one to be used in competition), with power boosted to 224bhp, upgraded brakes, modified bodywork and the cachet of being hand-assembled - the RS500 really is the ultimate 1980's Fast Ford! Indeed, during the model's 30th anniversary year in 2017, the RS500 was named the 'Ultimate Cosworth' by one of the UK's biggest one-make car shows.

On offer here is a very special, UK-supplied, right-hand drive example presenting in wonderfully original condition and was showing just 13,985 on the odometer at the time of cataloguing. Finished in black with a grey cloth interior, the V5C details four former keepers and the car was formerly a resident of the renowned Bonkers Collection of low-mileage performance Fords.

The Sierra is accompanied by its original owner’s manuals, maintenance invoices, stamped service booklet, an original sales brochure, a selection of magazines, an original first aid kit and an additional set of four genuine alloy wheels fitted with period correct Dunlop D40 tyres (for concours display only). Pleasingly, the seller is including the appropriate number plate, E500 YBD, in the sale.

Cotswold Prestige carried out a lot of the maintenance work in recent years and we encourage and welcome all interested parties to go through the history file at our Documents Desk at the auction and see how much has been invested in this fabulous RS500 to keep it in the condition it's in today.

On offer from a significant private Collection, this low-mileage, original car has been the proud resident of some serious Collections of notable Fords. Trying to find classics like E500 YBD is getting much harder, let alone examples as rare and as sought after as an RS500. What an opportunity this is, for a car that is considered the 'high-water mark' in Ford’s enviable back-catalogue.