Stolen ford cosworth stories...
Discussion
j90ny said:
As a youth i also have no first hand stories, but out of interest why where imprezas or evo's not targeted like the cossys ? AWD, turbo, four seats ?
As far as I remember a lot were taken while the owners were driving them through carjacking. A mate of a mate had his impreza turbo stolen late at night outside a local asda. They came out of the supermarket and threatened at knife point for the keys.Edited by j90ny on Monday 27th January 22:42
About 21 odd years ago someone in the same trade as myself in Hull had his RS500 Stolen and burnt out,Was parked up in the town when his wife went shopping, it never even had as much as an alarm!
I owned a sapphire 4x4 Cosworth when I was 21 back in 1996 and had it for a couple of years as my only car and only thing that happened to it was the bootlid being keyed. I did a px on it and the bloke who owned it next had it stolen and was recoverd damaged and while sat outside the bodyshop awaiting repair it was stripped of quite a few parts!
Had my current 3dr Sierra cosworth for nearly 11yrs now and its not been touched,But it is in a secure location in the middle of nowhere away from home.
I owned a sapphire 4x4 Cosworth when I was 21 back in 1996 and had it for a couple of years as my only car and only thing that happened to it was the bootlid being keyed. I did a px on it and the bloke who owned it next had it stolen and was recoverd damaged and while sat outside the bodyshop awaiting repair it was stripped of quite a few parts!
Had my current 3dr Sierra cosworth for nearly 11yrs now and its not been touched,But it is in a secure location in the middle of nowhere away from home.
S11EPS said:
One night a theft attempt was made on the car and, presumably because they couldn't move it, they torched it outside his house - not knowing (or not caring) that he had no fire theft.Needless to say the guy was distraught.
Shocking. My Dad used to have a (non cosworth) Sierra 4X4 stolen. Thankfully it was recovered though. One of my first car memories was in that car.
I got one from around yr 2000.
At Coventry University they had a Ford Cosworth engine on a stand in the foyer of one of the Engineering Departments. The University is in the city centre and (at the time) anyone could wander around the buildings.
One day I noticed it was gone. Being a Cossie fan I asked a lecturer what had happened to it - yep, stolen.
He said it was built from faulty parts and holes etc had been drilled all components etc.
I always hoped that the scrotes had installed the engine then tried to start it only to find it would not run, then strip the engine finding that it was a dud!!!
At Coventry University they had a Ford Cosworth engine on a stand in the foyer of one of the Engineering Departments. The University is in the city centre and (at the time) anyone could wander around the buildings.
One day I noticed it was gone. Being a Cossie fan I asked a lecturer what had happened to it - yep, stolen.
He said it was built from faulty parts and holes etc had been drilled all components etc.
I always hoped that the scrotes had installed the engine then tried to start it only to find it would not run, then strip the engine finding that it was a dud!!!
Slightly O/T, my old man bought a stolen recovered XR3i in about 1985 with all the mechanicals intact but no wheels, lights, bumpers, interior etc.. He found a bloke selling most of the bits so we went off to some dodgy tower block in SE London and the bloke opened his garage to reveal an aladdins cave of Ford trims, seats, wheels, you name it.. I was only a nipper but I couldn't help but wonder if we were buying back the original parts
I knew these used to get stolen but seems half of them have been stolen and burnt out/stripped.
No wonder you can't find many now!
Some proper eye opening stories here as well. Old Ford locks could be opened by anything once a few year of use had happened. My dad could open his mk1 Capri with a pound note, a spoon and all sorts of household items.
No wonder you can't find many now!
Some proper eye opening stories here as well. Old Ford locks could be opened by anything once a few year of use had happened. My dad could open his mk1 Capri with a pound note, a spoon and all sorts of household items.
Luckily my Sapphire was never nicked, although some jealous scrote once broke all the windows.
There was an attempt to steal my 4i. They broke the steering lock and had the ignition out. The bonnet was also open - this was presumably when they realized that the heads were off the engine and there was a big hole in one of the pistons...
There was an attempt to steal my 4i. They broke the steering lock and had the ignition out. The bonnet was also open - this was presumably when they realized that the heads were off the engine and there was a big hole in one of the pistons...
FilH said:
Well after reading this thread last night and again this morning, my first job if the day is to go to the garage and remove an ecu 
as my 4x4 sapphire is currently sorn'd just sitting around for the winter.
I did this on my Escort then months later wondered why it wouldn't start.....as my 4x4 sapphire is currently sorn'd just sitting around for the winter.
Edited by CO2000 on Tuesday 28th January 12:48
No wonder insurance premium were so high. They might as well have sold their cars with no doors and a push button to start them.I kind of have a Cossie theft story. Had a 400bhp RWD Saff a few years ago, parked on my driveway in East London. Two other mates had RWD Saffs and we all lived within a couple of miles of each other. Never got any trouble and didn't think twice about leaving it on my drive, (naively) didn't think Cossies got nicked anymore and it had an alarm and Tracker.
Anyway, out a couple of nights before and driving it hard like usual the diff broke (planet gears that time, went through 4 diffs in 4 months in that car) so parked it up on the driveway as usual. Came out the next morning at 8am and bugger me if but it was gone! Couldn't believe it!
So rang the Tracker company, and then rang a couple of mates who know some more 'questionable characters' shall we say. We soon got an anonymous call back saying the car was in a lock up near to my house!
Still didn't hold much hope at this point but went round with a few mates looking in local lock up sites. About to leave the third one we tried and lo and behold, my mate notices a garage that's had the locks broken off. Genuinely couldn't believe it when he lifted the door and my Cossie was behind it! Pushed it out with smiles on our faces...just as the Police turned up - the Tracker had just found it.
At this point I was pushing a stolen car out of a garage, so rightly so the Police told me to freeze. I explained I was the owner and it was my car. But did I have my wallet on me to prove that? Would you believe, no!
Luckily, being as the car was literally 1/4 mile from my house my dad popped round with the wallet and all was OK!
Best bit is that looking at the car, they had started it (and when you see how they steal a Cosworth it's scary, no wonder so many went missing. Literally, ANYONE could do it within 2 minutes with nothing but a screwdriver, a hammer and a piece of wire) but obviously tried to drive it off before realising the diff was f
ked and it didn't drive!
Although clearly the car was stored in a lock up to see if it had a Tracker, but at least they didn't ever drive it
Pics when I found it:
Anyway, out a couple of nights before and driving it hard like usual the diff broke (planet gears that time, went through 4 diffs in 4 months in that car) so parked it up on the driveway as usual. Came out the next morning at 8am and bugger me if but it was gone! Couldn't believe it!
So rang the Tracker company, and then rang a couple of mates who know some more 'questionable characters' shall we say. We soon got an anonymous call back saying the car was in a lock up near to my house!
Still didn't hold much hope at this point but went round with a few mates looking in local lock up sites. About to leave the third one we tried and lo and behold, my mate notices a garage that's had the locks broken off. Genuinely couldn't believe it when he lifted the door and my Cossie was behind it! Pushed it out with smiles on our faces...just as the Police turned up - the Tracker had just found it.
At this point I was pushing a stolen car out of a garage, so rightly so the Police told me to freeze. I explained I was the owner and it was my car. But did I have my wallet on me to prove that? Would you believe, no!
Luckily, being as the car was literally 1/4 mile from my house my dad popped round with the wallet and all was OK!
Best bit is that looking at the car, they had started it (and when you see how they steal a Cosworth it's scary, no wonder so many went missing. Literally, ANYONE could do it within 2 minutes with nothing but a screwdriver, a hammer and a piece of wire) but obviously tried to drive it off before realising the diff was f
ked and it didn't drive! Although clearly the car was stored in a lock up to see if it had a Tracker, but at least they didn't ever drive it
Pics when I found it:
It's a shame they were so easy to pinch and the worrying thing is they are still getting stolen these days. Iv got mine hidden away but am still paranoid. Had an attempted theft on mine a few years back, came in at 2 in the morning after a night out, heard car alarm going, run out and they scarpered! They had managed to get in it in about 5mins and also got into my daily which was in the way blocking it in! Luckily I was just in time.
A guy local to me had a genuine rs500 in moonstone blue that had £20k spent on it, 450hp 4x4 conversion, it got stolen with all sorts of immobilisers on it, never to be seen again!
A guy local to me had a genuine rs500 in moonstone blue that had £20k spent on it, 450hp 4x4 conversion, it got stolen with all sorts of immobilisers on it, never to be seen again!
You're not wrong.
My mother was catering a wedding, and the cake got locked, along with the keys inside an XR3i - even 11 year old me knew that you could break into Fords with pretty much anything.
Flagged down the first car I saw with a Ford badge, and borrowed the keys for 30 seconds.
I've also helped out a neighbour who had lost keys with an ice cream lolly stick. My mother's Sierra (not a Cosworth) could be opened and started with anything you had to hand.
That said, her Carlton wasn't much better.
My mother was catering a wedding, and the cake got locked, along with the keys inside an XR3i - even 11 year old me knew that you could break into Fords with pretty much anything.
Flagged down the first car I saw with a Ford badge, and borrowed the keys for 30 seconds.
I've also helped out a neighbour who had lost keys with an ice cream lolly stick. My mother's Sierra (not a Cosworth) could be opened and started with anything you had to hand.
That said, her Carlton wasn't much better.
Ford Dunton Development Center had one of the monte-carlo special edition Escort Cosworth..in fact it might even have been the very first or last one on the numbered plaque.
It wasn't onsite long as, apparently, it was borrowed by an employee to go up to the motorshow at the NEC and was parked in one of the public carparks. Wasn't there when he came to go home..
Ben
It wasn't onsite long as, apparently, it was borrowed by an employee to go up to the motorshow at the NEC and was parked in one of the public carparks. Wasn't there when he came to go home..
Ben
themanwithnoname said:
You're not wrong.
My mother was catering a wedding, and the cake got locked, along with the keys inside an XR3i - even 11 year old me knew that you could break into Fords with pretty much anything.
Flagged down the first car I saw with a Ford badge, and borrowed the keys for 30 seconds.
Yeah, I have a similar story involving a family member stranded with keys in the car and another passing Ford driver helping out! Seemed to happen a lot too with the silly boot mechanism that had no button, just a key lock to open, so as soon as it was shut it was locked.My mother was catering a wedding, and the cake got locked, along with the keys inside an XR3i - even 11 year old me knew that you could break into Fords with pretty much anything.
Flagged down the first car I saw with a Ford badge, and borrowed the keys for 30 seconds.
j90ny said:
As a youth i also have no first hand stories, but out of interest why where imprezas or evo's not targeted like the cossys ? AWD, turbo, four seats ?
I don't think they even existed on the roads in the late 80's, early 90's.........Edited by j90ny on Monday 27th January 22:42
I'm aware of Leeds' Police sierra cosworth being stolen whilst in their garage awaiting to be sign written etc: that'd be about 1990 I reckon
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