RE: PH Heroes: Ford Sierra RS Cosworth
Discussion
Morningside said:
BTW: Where are any Sierras nowadays? Have the all rusted into the ground or what?
Good question. Mine needed it's first bit of MoT welding doing last July, it lives outdoors and really isn't in any way cosseted (or Cossieted). I think all the boring ones got scrapped when relatively new Mondeos started coming in at under a grand. There weren't that many Cosworths made, and a goodly proportion must have been crashed / nicked / raced. That leaves a relatively small number which are probably summer weekend cars. Most days the only Sierra I see is the one parked in front of my house.
Now most of the Mk1/2 Escorts in the scrap yards have been used up, many kit car builders are using Sierra bits, this means that the limited slip diffs are becoming a prized catch. Add to that the ABS system and various other bit and bobs, means that (non boggo) Sierras have been increasing in value over the past few years.
I distinctly remember my first sighting of a 3dr Cosworth. Coming back from the south coast, just passing Silverstone and a white missile blitzed past us as warp 9. Despite being a respectable 13 year old at the time, who knew pretty much all the current cars around, I was stumped as to why some idiot had put a huge spoiler on that ugly 1.3 3 door body!
DJC said:
Ecurie Ecosse said:
Fantastic! Every single nut and bolt of the car is legendary.
I still remember my first run in a Cosworth like it was yesterday.
Shame on you who think it is rubbish / has no class!
Why? It is an Essex tart of a car.I still remember my first run in a Cosworth like it was yesterday.
Shame on you who think it is rubbish / has no class!
When I was a kid, my Dad used to like a fast Ford. He had an XR4x4, Capri 2.8i, Lotus Cortina.
Soon, the time came around the late 80's/Early 90's and he looked at a Cossie. He always wanted one, and being a trader wouldn't get too killed on the insurance (or so he thought)
His chosen potential weapon was a H plate Sapphire, magenta with black leather. Guy who owned it was local. My Dad wanted it, I wanted it, everyone wanted it. Unfortunately, around this time the insurance went through the roof and even my Dad's traders policy wouldn't touch it so he bought a BMW 525i (which he still has)
I was gutted and if I found a decent, unmolested one now I'd be sorely tempted...
As a side note, a guy brought a 3dr into Dad's place for some work a few years later. It was Moonstone and had been looked after nicely. Dad had about 4 mechanics working for him at the time and every single one of them took it on a 'test drive' Can still remember Dad hitting 3 figure leptons on the country roads near his workshop in it with me in the passenger seat grinning like a fool....
Soon, the time came around the late 80's/Early 90's and he looked at a Cossie. He always wanted one, and being a trader wouldn't get too killed on the insurance (or so he thought)
His chosen potential weapon was a H plate Sapphire, magenta with black leather. Guy who owned it was local. My Dad wanted it, I wanted it, everyone wanted it. Unfortunately, around this time the insurance went through the roof and even my Dad's traders policy wouldn't touch it so he bought a BMW 525i (which he still has)
I was gutted and if I found a decent, unmolested one now I'd be sorely tempted...
As a side note, a guy brought a 3dr into Dad's place for some work a few years later. It was Moonstone and had been looked after nicely. Dad had about 4 mechanics working for him at the time and every single one of them took it on a 'test drive' Can still remember Dad hitting 3 figure leptons on the country roads near his workshop in it with me in the passenger seat grinning like a fool....
Edited by Muzzer on Thursday 20th March 09:13
Spent a good 20mins looking through the classifieds at Cosworths last night, some nice cars around but some ropey ones too. How many of you have done the same!!
My first company car was a 2.0GLS. It was a K reg and although it was on its second engine and had seen better days it went like stink (I did come from a 1.0 AX). As a 19yr old it did teach me a few things about driving though and was great fun in the wet. It was also very comforable.
My first company car was a 2.0GLS. It was a K reg and although it was on its second engine and had seen better days it went like stink (I did come from a 1.0 AX). As a 19yr old it did teach me a few things about driving though and was great fun in the wet. It was also very comforable.
I love the RS500 because of what it represents. Designed and built by guys at Ford Motorsport Europe who fought the management tooth and nail to eventually produce 500 absolutely no-nonsese cars that stretched the Gp.A touring car regulations as far as they could to produce an unbeatable racing package. Forty straight wins in BTCC. Utter annihilation of everything in Gp.A. The fact that Dick Johnson's Gp.A RS500s were producing well over 600hp reliably and thrashing the arse off Skylines at Bathurst a full four years after the cars inaugural race is testament to just how good they were. Until I get my hands on a Gp.A RS500, my roadcar is as close as I'll get.
It's interesting to see the "Marmite" responses to these old motors. My dad secretly likes my RS500 but doesn't say as much. My mother think's it's a 1980's boy racer car. My brother thinks it's a death trap. My sister in law thinks "Big deal - it's an old Ford". SWMBO thinks it's an expensive toy that consumes valuable garage space and never gets used.
Predictably, they are all correct....
It's interesting to see the "Marmite" responses to these old motors. My dad secretly likes my RS500 but doesn't say as much. My mother think's it's a 1980's boy racer car. My brother thinks it's a death trap. My sister in law thinks "Big deal - it's an old Ford". SWMBO thinks it's an expensive toy that consumes valuable garage space and never gets used.
Predictably, they are all correct....
I learned to drive in a 2.0l sierra and got to use them before going away to uni as dad had 3 in a row. Brilliant fun for the time but wouldn't want one now. Test drove a 4x4 cosworth a few years back now and was very disappointed with it. It was quick but annoyingly laggy... old school turbos, no thanks. Having said that they always stir the emotions but remembering the test drive stops me looking in autotrader (most of the time).
L100NYY said:
DJC said:
Ecurie Ecosse said:
Fantastic! Every single nut and bolt of the car is legendary.
I still remember my first run in a Cosworth like it was yesterday.
Shame on you who think it is rubbish / has no class!
Why? It is an Essex tart of a car.I still remember my first run in a Cosworth like it was yesterday.
Shame on you who think it is rubbish / has no class!
It is a great bit of kit, no doubt. But, for some reason, and it may well be unfair, I always see them as being owned by someone who looks a bit like RAF DUG, being polished outside a semi on a Sunday morning and taken to shows to meet the other factory worker/ bus driver owners.
I know how wrong that is, but it's the first thing that springs to mind. And it shouldn't detract from an iconic machine like that, but it does. Almost certainly my loss.
Put it this way. I can imagine Der having an E30 M3 in the garage as a toy. But a Cossie? Nah.
Justayellowbadge said:
sjwb said:
Roop,
The RS500 wasn't built by Ford of Europe; I wonder if any of you know the correct answer?????????
The decals on your car look like replicas, are they?
From the plate above, I'm guessing Tickford.The RS500 wasn't built by Ford of Europe; I wonder if any of you know the correct answer?????????
The decals on your car look like replicas, are they?
Justayellowbadge said:
I agree with both you and DJ, Ben.
It is a great bit of kit, no doubt. But, for some reason, and it may well be unfair, I always see them as being owned by someone who looks a bit like RAF DUG, being polished outside a semi on a Sunday morning and taken to shows to meet the other factory worker/ bus driver owners.
I know how wrong that is, but it's the first thing that springs to mind. And it shouldn't detract from an iconic machine like that, but it does. Almost certainly my loss.
Put it this way. I can imagine Der having an E30 M3 in the garage as a toy. But a Cossie? Nah.
I make you absolutely right young sir, the image really is generally not a great one and I have to agree totally with you. I always felt like a bit of yoof or 'fug when I was behind the wheel which was a real shame as it was/is an absolutely stunning car.It is a great bit of kit, no doubt. But, for some reason, and it may well be unfair, I always see them as being owned by someone who looks a bit like RAF DUG, being polished outside a semi on a Sunday morning and taken to shows to meet the other factory worker/ bus driver owners.
I know how wrong that is, but it's the first thing that springs to mind. And it shouldn't detract from an iconic machine like that, but it does. Almost certainly my loss.
Put it this way. I can imagine Der having an E30 M3 in the garage as a toy. But a Cossie? Nah.
I had mostly positive comments, mostly from middle aged guys recounting their days watching the good ol' days of BTCC in the late 80's and eraly 90's.
An E30 does always seem to come across as the connoisseurs (sp?) choice which in my eyes is a real shame as my 3dr Cosworth was one of the greatest cars I have owned.
sjwb said:
Roop,
The RS500 wasn't built by Ford of Europe; I wonder if any of you know the correct answer?????????
The decals on your car look like replicas, are they?
Anorak mode on here. The cars were built by Ford Europe. 5000 Sierra RS Cosworths were built at the Genk plant in Belgium for the original Gp.A and Rally 5000 rule for homologation. There existed a clause in the Gp.A rules that allowed an evolution model to be built based on the original 5000 off homologated model, of which 500 had to be produced. Ford Motorsport were well aware of the rule and thus produced a further 500 standard Sierra RS Cosworths at the end of the initial 5000 run. These 500 cars were shipped to the UK and stored away. All RS500's were RHD, anything else is a fake.The RS500 wasn't built by Ford of Europe; I wonder if any of you know the correct answer?????????
The decals on your car look like replicas, are they?
When the evolution parts were completed, the 500 cars were shipped to Aston Martin Tickford where they were subsequently converted over a couple of weeks to RS500 specification. When I say a a couple of weeks, they did all 500 in a fortnight or so. Might have even been less.
So in theory, the cars were built by Ford at Genk but modified to RS500 specification by AMT.
OK, anorak off.
As for the decals - no, they are all original. If you are referring to the colour difference on the back of the car where the RS500 part is a different shade of grey, it's because all the cars were originally decaled as Sierra RS Cosworth. Tickford removed the big "RS" and stuck on the smaller RS500 during conversion to RS500 spec. The vinyl was a slightly different shade from the original "Genk vinyl". Regards the OSF wing decal, it's been polished to feck so is a bit distorted these days. I might re-decal it one day - I have an original set of decals spare. Sorry, should have put the anorak back on...!!!
ETFT
Edited by Roop on Thursday 20th March 12:40
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