Tuesday 6th August 2013

The Cosworth cars: Spotted special

Some familiar Cosworth heroes with a few lesser-known stars in a sweep of the classifieds

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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 is over £30K, but this 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.

[slk 32]

I am a big blue oval fan but am I alone in thinking some of these prices are crazy now?

I saw that there was a mark 1 Escort Twin cam at Cheshire Classic Cars for £54,995!

I had a Series 1 RS Turbo back in the early 90's and as much as I loved it ( and would still love one now) I would baulk at the prices being asked... but i guess decent ones of all 90's are thin on the ground ( maybe that accounts for prices being asked)

I suppose my only concern is that if I was to buy a Cosworth now would it feel special or would I inevitably compare it to more modern machinery? ( even though I know its not a strict apples to apples comparison). Back in the day 200 BHP was a lot but now that is the output pushed out by a hot hatch

ultimately, I guess it's all supply and demand

[tomoleeds]

The Sierra RS500 cosworths sell for anything up to £50,000 for a very low mileage,
a 3 door in good condition £15-£20k and similar for good example Escort.
A good example 4x4 sapphire is nearing 10k

[dm46]

They were good in their day but are in no way worth the premium being asked now IMO.

[sortedcossie]

I own a late Escort Cosworth, a 1996 car. The reason that they are becoming more valuable is that there are less of them about - when was the last time you saw one other than at a show?

The 'thrashed rubbish' cars are now few and far between as they are getting broken for spares. Parts prices have rocketed too.

There is no denying that there are any number of better, more modern, faster and able cars out there but the 'cosworth' Fords still have a big road presence. I purchased my current Escort 7 years ago, after having had a Sapphire 4x4 for 8 years - the Escort especially was purchased due to it's presence.

[Escy]

sortedcossie said:

the Escort especially was purchased due to it's presence.

There is no denying it. When I see one on the road my eyes practically pop out of my head. Your average Ferrari/Aston/Bentley, etc won't get more than a glance from me as they are a relatively common sight.

It's sad to say, it's my dream car, 1st car i'd get with a lottery win. I plan to get one one day but i'm worried the prices are going to rise faster than my savings will!

[sortedcossie]

I parked mine on a local canal side pub car park a few weeks ago whilst we had some lunch, 4 different people stopped to take photos and one of the ladies on the table next to us called her boyfriend to tell him about it.

It stands out so much compared to the current modern era cars.

[NickM450]

Escy said:

There is no denying it. When I see one on the road my eyes practically pop out of my head. Your average Ferrari/Aston/Bentley, etc won't get more than a glance from me as they are a relatively common sight.

It's sad to say, it's my dream car, 1st car i'd get with a lottery win. I plan to get one one day but i'm worried the prices are going to rise faster than my savings will!

Are you me?

They are my thoughts exactly

[Itsallicanafford]

tomoleeds said:

The Sierra RS500 cosworths sell for anything up to £50,000 for a very low mileage,
a 3 door in good condition £15-£20k and similar for good example Escort.
A good example 4x4 sapphire is nearing 10k

the RS500 price is depressing as this was my dream car when new and was hoping that one day they would be affordable, and then the prices go nuts.

[Leins]

Were Cosworth also not involved with the C5 RS6?

[Guvernator]

A mention of a relatively unknown slightly fiddled with Litchfield import and no mention of the "official" Impreza STi CS400 Cosworth??

Oh and Escort Cossie's are still cool as f*ck in my book.

[rtz62]

Here we go again with the '4Star Classics' plug in the main body of the article....

[rtz62]

I've owned 2 3drs, and an Rs500 with tiny miles.
Honestly, they're not that special to drive perhaps like an old Escort Twin Cam isn't, it just..... well...... Intangible.
By the way, people ask ludicrous prices, but do they get them??
Hmmmmn.
The classic car auctions (especially in the last fortnight) are a great barometer of what a cars worth / what people will pay.....

[405dogvan]

rtz62 said:

Here we go again with the '4Star Classics' plug in the main body of the article....

They advertise and sell a LOT of cars and they're bound to pop-up - in fairness, the kicking they then generally receive probably balances out any attempt at PR

They acquire what appear to be, on paper, very tidy cars - but when you look closer they're generally not the minters that their prices would suggest they should be - now we can get back to talking about the fallacy that 99.9999% of cars will ever be an 'investment'

[NotNormal]

Cosworth also came up with the 16v head that sat on top of the Vauxhall/Opel 'Family 2' engine.



Such a great engine

[405dogvan]

NotNormal said:

Cosworth also came up with the 16v head that sat on top of the Vauxhall/Opel 'Family 2' engine.



Such a great engine

Did they!? It's just that engine was around at the peak of the 'Ford Cosworth' era - it was their competitor - it was the only reason you'd buy a Vauxhall in-fact!?

[MikeyBoy2000]

Leins said:

Were Cosworth also not involved with the C5 RS6?

Yep - I was working at Cosworth at the time - development engineer on the project!

[dave stew]

A lot of those motors have been dropped into Mk2 Escorts, not to mention Mantas etc.

[Limpet]

NotNormal said:

Cosworth also came up with the 16v head that sat on top of the Vauxhall/Opel 'Family 2' engine.



Such a great engine

I never understood why this project had such a low-profile on Cosworth's part, when the end result was one of the true great naturally aspirated four cylinder engines of the era. An engine that most petrolheads still recognise by its C20XE code a quarter of a century later.

Looked good as well!

[MikeyBoy2000]

Limpet said:

I never understood why this project had such a low-profile on Cosworth's part, when the end result was one of the true great naturally aspirated four cylinder engines of the era. An engine that most petrolheads still recognise by its C20XE code a quarter of a century later.

Looked good as well!

Confidentiality clauses...

[motor mad]

dm46 said:

They were good in their day but are in no way worth the premium being asked now IMO.

This. As far as I know the Escort Cosworth only won a manufacturer title, but never the drivers title. The Evo's and Impreza's won both (Toyota did with the ST205, but were banned). Why then are Escort Cosworths worth so much more? I just don't get it.