So Dan's out visiting Cosworth today, having a poke around its latest projects and discovering just what the future holds. But until we find out, we thought a celebration of some of the best Cosworth-developed cars was probably in order. To the classifieds!
Could this prove an investment at £15K?
A fast Ford is the natural place to start. The turbocharged YB engine of both Sierra and
Escort Cosworth
was hugely tuneable and contributed a significantly to the appeal of both cars. That we found a 4WD
Sierra Sapphire Cosworth
with POA indicates the regard these cars are now held in. A barely-used
late Escort Cosworth
totally standard car
with a more realistic 90,000 miles is half that price.
But Cosworth had been involved in transforming fairly humdrum machinery before then. Who can forget the Mercedes 190E 2.3 Cosworth? The collaboration was originally intended for rallying but eventually competed in the DTM and produced a great fast Merc, albeit one overshadowed by the BMW M3. Cosworth upped the standard Mercedes 2.3 unit by 50hp through tweaks such as four valves per cylinder and Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection. There's a pristine example at 4 Star for £22,495 and another black version for £8K.
The other 80s Cosworth saloon...
One of Cosworth's lesser-known collaborations was with Audi on the
B5 RS4
engine. The 2.7-litre biturbo V6 from the S4 was given a larger turbo, new cylinder heads, a uprated exhaust and a new ECU to boost power from 265hp to 380hp and torque from 295lb ft to 325lb ft.
For an entirely different hit of Cosworth goodness, how about a 2.3-litre Caterham? The Seven CSR 260 makes over 450hp per tonne and also features the standard wider SV chassis for those of us not built like Alain Prost. This 2012 car is one of the most expensive Sevens at £44,495, but glacial depreciation will of course make running a Caterham far more viable.
And no discussion of Cosworth would be complete without a Subaru Impreza. The Litchfield Type 25 STI has acquired legendary status amongst fast Imprezas; it wasbased on a JDM-spec Impreza with modifications that included forged Cosworth engine internals, a new turbo and adjustable dampers. We found an early 2004 car in WR Blue (natch) for £10,995.