Three-quarters Front View of a 1986, Ford Sierra Cosworth, on sale in the Iconic Auction, at the 2023 Silverstone Festival
Road-legal Cosworth Rally/Circuit car, professionally built and less than 500 miles since. 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 three door, Sapphire two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive). This 1986 Sierra Cosworth was rebuilt in 2016 to a race-prepared standard (although technically road-legal) by marque specialists including Graham Hathaway of GHR. Originally white, the 909 lightweight shell was stripped back to bare metal and re-sprayed in the Ford Motorsport colours, with genuine Ford decal livery. It sits on white 'Group A' alloys wrapped in new road-legal Michelin tyres with AP Racing 330 brakes. The inside has been stripped, with just bucket seats and a welded-in, multi-point roll cage in along with lightweight side windows. 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.
Size: 5616px × 3744px
Location: Silverstone Circuit, Towcester, Northamptonshire, NN12 8TN
Photo credit: © John Gaffen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: -quarters, ., 330, 1986, 2023, alloys, ap, auction, brakes., clutch., cosworth, engine, festival, ford, front, gearbox, ghr, graham, group, hathaway, iconic, racing, sierra, silverstone, t5, turbo, view, white, yb
