*Iconic sporting Ford
*Highly sought after
*Circa 120,000 miles from new
*Desirable 2WD variant
The sight of rival manufacturers reaping the rewards of successful circuit racing programmes prompted Ford to renew its alliance with engine builder Cosworth to create the eponymous Sierra. Assembly of the minimum 5,000 required for Group A homologation commenced in June 1986 at the company’s Genk plant in Belgium. Based on the three-door Sierra bodyshell, the RS Cosworth combined the standard 1,993cc Pinto engine’s cylinder block with a forged steel crankshaft and connecting rods, the first time this combination had been seen in a production Ford engine. Topping it off was a Cosworth-developed, twin-camshaft, 16-valve cylinder head fed by a Garrett AiResearch turbocharger, the latter being deemed necessary to achieve a competitive power output for racing, which in time would amount to over 500bhp! Even in standard road trim the Sierra RS Cosworth produced a staggering 204bhp, its Weber-Marelli engine management system ensuring that the resulting stupendous performance was delivered with minimal turbo lag. Needless to say, the standard Sierra underpinnings were comprehensively up-rated to cope. In 1987 the hatchback version ceased production and was replaced by the more refined Sapphire RS Cosworth four-door saloon, which was built for the years 1988 and 1989, some 13,000 being completed.
This Sierra Sapphire RS Cosworth comes with its service book stamped up to 2003 at 63,000 miles (current odometer reading 120,000 miles). The car drives well and recently passed its MoT (expires November 2022) with no advisories. Additional documentation includes an RAC Ford Membership pack; original Ford handbooks and dealer directories; and a quantity of expired tax discs and MoTs