1987 Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth - 19,000 miles

Number 296 of 500 with 19,657 verifiable miles Genuine and unmolested condition Continuous service history and original books The most revered of all Cosworth cars… the legendary RS500 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 body-shell, 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! 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, upgraded brakes, modified bodywork and the cachÚ 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. The car presented here is a 1987 Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth, build number 296 (out of 500), which has covered just 19,657 miles from new. This very special example, having exceptionally low and verifiable mileage, has changed hands but has only been registered by one keeper, and is in completely standard and unrestored condition. The car was supplied new via 'New English (Ford)' of Poole in Dorset on the 30th September 1987 to a Mr Gordon Nash of nearby Ferndown. He returned the car to their workshops for servicing at the correct intervals up to 6,125 miles, then utilising the skills of 'Hendy Ford' of Bournemouth between 6,997 miles and 16,644 miles for regular servicing. Mr Nash must have been suitably impressed with their work because in July 1996 he entrusted the car to 'Hendy Ford Motorsport', whereby it received not only a full service (including cam-belt), but also a new exhaust system and an approved 'Performance Package' which included F1 Injectors, Group-A Actuator, chip and 3-Bar Map sensor hardware. Reassuringly, this not inexpensive (ú2,857) procedure was carried out by the best-in-the-business and was considered at the time one of the most legitimate/acceptable/tasteful upgrade routes available for these extremely well-engineered performance cars. This expenditure still only meant Mr Nash used the car sparingly though, selling it to a private collector on the 4th February 1999 with only 19,427 miles. Due to the standard of the car, it formed part of the new owner's private collection for over 17 years, being kept in a heated showroom and started/moved around on a regular basis. On the 14th June 2004 (at 19,589 miles) the car was entrusted to RS specialists 'Tremona Garage' of Southampton for another full service (including cam-belt), plus the fitting of a standard ECU, map sensor, and actuator, ensuring the car was now as original as possible. On the 13th May 2016, (still at 19,632 miles), the car benefited from another full service (including cam-belt) and health check carried out again by 'Tremona Garage'. In July 2016 our vendor, himself a real enthusiast with an impressive and discerning car collection, purchased the RS as he had