FORD SIERRA COSWORTH RS500
Retro classic review by Aidan Fitzsimmons
I ' m so excited about this months retro classic . Cast your mind back to posters on your bedroom wall as a child . Yes , we all had the futuristic looking Lamborghini Countach , Ferrari F40 and the unbelievable Porsche 959 stuck on the wall with bits of blue tac , but there was always one ' super class working hero ' for me , the one and only Ford Sierra RS 500 Cosworth . Every wide boy wanted to be seen in this ' Hot Hatch ' and it certainly made a name for it ' s self with various villains up and down the country . The police simply couldn ' t keep up with this 3 door rocket that made not only Cosworth ' s name stand out , but those two little letters - RS .
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 2.0-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 !
What ’ s it like to drive ? With a huge Garret TO4E Turbo , a larger intercooler and additional injectors , it had only 227BHP , just 24BHP more than the standard Cosworth which could easily be chipped to 300BHP . However , when burning into corners you can feel the suspension alterations by Tickford , it felt more taught than the standard RS along with the aero pack front & rear .
Foot hard down in second gear , the revs rapidly rise accompanied by a massive whooshing roar , the only warning you ’ ll get for what happens next . When the power arrives it ’ s like a torrent building up pressure behind an airtight door that just bursts it ’ s locks . There ’ s so much power that the cold old 15 ” wheels just spin on the damp surface and then so again in third and fourth gear . As you can imagine , it ’ s a pleasurable and exciting experience .
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 a 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 , modified bodywork and the cachet of being hand-assembled - the RS500 really is the ultimate 1980 ' s Fast Ford !
What to Look For ... There are plenty of Sierras online to choose from , however spotting the difference between an original and a fake RS500 takes some scrutiny . The most significant difference between an RS & an RS 500 is the rear spoiler .
• The RS 500 has twin boot spoilers that slightly flick up compared to the one flat rear spoiler on a standard Cosworth .
• All RS 500 ' s came with a sunroof as standard . I ' ve seen vehicles on sale without this which can be a costly mistake .
• The front bumpers on a RS 500 have slightly wider vents for the air intake which is different to the standard .
The other sign of an original RS 500 is the stripe down the side of the vehicle . Don ' t be alarmed if they look slightly off line as they where done panel by panel and not in one go .
The engines were replaced from the standard Cosworth to an upgraded RS 500 engine . This means the engine number will be different to the log book as they never changed it from factory . Again this will be nothing to worry about as long as you have confirmation from Tickford that the new engine number matches the chassis to the vehicle . This will hold a huge resale price if original .
In summary : The Ford Sierra RS 500 Cosworth in today ’ s world would probably be beaten by most standard family vehicles . Put that aside , in my eyes , this is still the holy grail of Ford ' s motoring greatness . The first Ford to have the Cosworth badge that will go down in history as one of their greatest cars ever made .
Many thanks to Luke Wood for letting me review his stunning 1988 E plate Sierra RS 500 Cosworth .
Price £ 80,000 - £ 150,000
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