1987 Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500

When Stuart Turner was appointed the head of Ford Motorsport in Europe in 1983, he quickly came to the conclusion that the company was no longer competitive in motorsport. Walter Hayes, having initiated the development of the Cosworth DFV engine and Fords assault on Le Mans with the GT40, was still the driving force at Ford, and not surprisingly, Hayes was enthusiastic about Turner's plans to produce a turbocharged Cosworth 2.0-litre engine that could power a winning Ford saloon. Cosworth Engineering already had a cylinder head design that fitted the bill utilising the Ford T88 Pinto block, so they agreed to produce the 2.0litre turbo engine providing that Ford signed-off a production run of 15,000 units.

The introduction of the Sierra in 1982 required a serious marketing boost, so it was the obvious choice to become the platform for Ford's new competition aspirations. It was rear wheel drive, had good aerodynamics, albeit being prone to lift at high speeds and it 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 Turner's initial approach to the dealer network came back with an estimate that suggested they could sell around 1500 units! The successful 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). The Sierra Cosworth comfortably exceeded Ford's best expectations and it went on to become one of the most successful Touring Car racers of all time, winning races all over the world.

This very special 1987 RS500, No 115 of 500, has undergone a full restoration and is in amazing condition throughout. It presents well in sparkling Black with a grey interior and every aspect of the car appears completely immaculate. A fully refurbished engine was fitted as part of the recent restoration, and we understand the car has only covered 250 (we would guess bone-dry) miles since the whole project was completed. The standard of preparation is excellent, and in fact, the whole car looks almost as if has been prepared with a local 'Concours' in mind, and looking at photographs of the gleaming underside, it could probably win just as many prizes if it was upside down!

The mileage of just less than 94,000 is supported by a fully stamped service record with its last oil-service on 1/06/2015 at an indicated 93,328 miles, and this fully documented service history and accompanying invoices show the money and attention that has been lavished on Number 115 over the past 28 years.

With a fresh MoT, washed and polished, this stunning example of the legendary RS500 is ready to go.