Ford Sierra Sapphire RS Cosworth
Discussion
Those of you who have been keeping in eye on my Car History thread ( Click Here) will know that I was meant to be clearing out cars, hence me saying that I was going to be selling the MK4 Golf Anniversary that I've got.. well, as the thread title would suggest, I've added to my ornamental garage numbers and I've STILL not put the Golf up for sale either!! I'm going to be doing that shortly, honest... 
I've long been a fan of Ford RS cars.. owning my first at 18; a 1992 Escort RS Turbo (one of 8 registered that year apparently!) and ever since then I've frequented the RSOC/Passionford forums with occasional Fast Ford ownership along the way; RS2000, Focus RS, Mondeo ST200, Fiesta ST... but until now I had never owned an RS Cosworth. I got taken out by Johnny50 in his old ~350bhp Moonstone 2WD Sapphire when I had my RS Turbo and the noise/performance both left a lasting impression on me. Almost every time I began to look at changing my car I would weigh up whether it was time to buy a Cossie or not and over the years I actually came extremely close to completing deals on a Black Escort Cosworth about a decade ago and a few years later, a White 3dr Cosworth. However a combination of lack of space/excess worry about theft put me off at the 11th hour on both occasions.
Fast forward to the beginning of 2017 and my friend, who had offered me his White 3dr Cosworth, got hold of a 2WD Sapphire Cosworth and asked if I'd be interested in it. After a fair old think and letting my head rule my heart, I said that I'd have to give it a miss because I had just been signed off work for an uncertain length of time due to health reasons.. so buying an old Sierra wasn't going to be the most sensible move for me!!
Which brings us to a fortnight ago when, during a moment of boredom and a scan of classified adverts, I noticed the very same Sapphire Cosworth that I'd been offered at the start of 2017. After talking to my friend, who told me it'd been bought by a collector that he knows, I called the seller and organised a viewing on the car... which went well and upon seeing his home garage set up, with a Series One RS Turbo converted to run Cosworth running gear, a mint MK1 Astra GTE, an Escort Cosworth and various other things sitting around; it was clear that he knew his cars.
The details of the car are:
1989 Ford Sierra Sapphire RS Cosworth
Moonstone Blue
2WD Model
72k miles
3 Previous Owners
Cloth Recaro Interior
OEM inside; no white dials or holes on dash from gauges, old skool phone kits etc
Ex-show car, so underside was fully stripped/painted a few years ago.
Engine Modifications:
Fully Rebuilt (all new gaskets/seals, standard crank, standard bore, forged pistons etc)
Garrett T34.63 Turbo
-34 Actuator
RS500 Intercooler
K&N Group A Filter
mongoose Exhaust
Grey Injectors
AP Racing Paddle Clutch
Bosch 044 Fuel Pump
3bar Map Sensor
Stage 4 Motorsport Developments ECU Chip
Chassis Modifications:
17" Azev A Wheels
Spax Adjustable Suspension
Polybushed
AP Racing 330mm Front Brake Kit
Photos:
Untitled by Grant F, on Flickr
Untitled by Grant F, on Flickr
Untitled by Grant F, on Flickr
Untitled by Grant F, on Flickr
Untitled by Grant F, on Flickr
Untitled by Grant F, on Flickr
Untitled by Grant F, on Flickr
Untitled by Grant F, on Flickr
The amount of attention and comments that I've had in the car is surprising given it's not got a Cosworth Whaletail and is the far more restrained variant.. I thought it'd blend in a lot more, but I was wrong! It gets considerably more attention than my Impreza and probably even more attention than even the M3 does!! To drive, it is leagues behind more modern stuff, turbo lag/steering/clutch/throttle response are all very 80s... but that's only to be expected and it's not fair to judge it on a comparison to something like the M3, which has razor sharp throttle response, modern steering, clutch etc.
As you can see from the photos it's sitting VERY low which might look good in photos/when it's parked; but when driving it's an absolute nightmare and even though it'll not be used much, the noise of the exhaust catching on bumps/minor inclines (like the almost flat entry to my storage unit!) is something I can't live with so I'll be looking into raising it with a suspension change at some point. I'm also happier with the wheels in person than in photos, but I may still switch them for a set of Compomotives (I know, very unoriginal on a Cosworth!) if I can find a set of old style MO 6-spokes for sale.
Apart from that, I'd like to make sure it's running tip top and so I am thinking about booking it in with MSD in Blackpool for a health check/map check too. If I'm going to be doing that, then I will likely take the opportunity to upgrade the ignition system on the car with one of the MSD Wasted Spark conversions and bring it into the 21st century a little.
I've long been a fan of Ford RS cars.. owning my first at 18; a 1992 Escort RS Turbo (one of 8 registered that year apparently!) and ever since then I've frequented the RSOC/Passionford forums with occasional Fast Ford ownership along the way; RS2000, Focus RS, Mondeo ST200, Fiesta ST... but until now I had never owned an RS Cosworth. I got taken out by Johnny50 in his old ~350bhp Moonstone 2WD Sapphire when I had my RS Turbo and the noise/performance both left a lasting impression on me. Almost every time I began to look at changing my car I would weigh up whether it was time to buy a Cossie or not and over the years I actually came extremely close to completing deals on a Black Escort Cosworth about a decade ago and a few years later, a White 3dr Cosworth. However a combination of lack of space/excess worry about theft put me off at the 11th hour on both occasions.
Fast forward to the beginning of 2017 and my friend, who had offered me his White 3dr Cosworth, got hold of a 2WD Sapphire Cosworth and asked if I'd be interested in it. After a fair old think and letting my head rule my heart, I said that I'd have to give it a miss because I had just been signed off work for an uncertain length of time due to health reasons.. so buying an old Sierra wasn't going to be the most sensible move for me!!
Which brings us to a fortnight ago when, during a moment of boredom and a scan of classified adverts, I noticed the very same Sapphire Cosworth that I'd been offered at the start of 2017. After talking to my friend, who told me it'd been bought by a collector that he knows, I called the seller and organised a viewing on the car... which went well and upon seeing his home garage set up, with a Series One RS Turbo converted to run Cosworth running gear, a mint MK1 Astra GTE, an Escort Cosworth and various other things sitting around; it was clear that he knew his cars.
The details of the car are:
1989 Ford Sierra Sapphire RS Cosworth
Moonstone Blue
2WD Model
72k miles
3 Previous Owners
Cloth Recaro Interior
OEM inside; no white dials or holes on dash from gauges, old skool phone kits etc
Ex-show car, so underside was fully stripped/painted a few years ago.
Engine Modifications:
Fully Rebuilt (all new gaskets/seals, standard crank, standard bore, forged pistons etc)
Garrett T34.63 Turbo
-34 Actuator
RS500 Intercooler
K&N Group A Filter
mongoose Exhaust
Grey Injectors
AP Racing Paddle Clutch
Bosch 044 Fuel Pump
3bar Map Sensor
Stage 4 Motorsport Developments ECU Chip
Chassis Modifications:
17" Azev A Wheels
Spax Adjustable Suspension
Polybushed
AP Racing 330mm Front Brake Kit
Photos:
Untitled by Grant F, on FlickrUntitled by Grant F, on FlickrUntitled by Grant F, on FlickrUntitled by Grant F, on FlickrUntitled by Grant F, on FlickrUntitled by Grant F, on FlickrUntitled by Grant F, on FlickrUntitled by Grant F, on FlickrThe amount of attention and comments that I've had in the car is surprising given it's not got a Cosworth Whaletail and is the far more restrained variant.. I thought it'd blend in a lot more, but I was wrong! It gets considerably more attention than my Impreza and probably even more attention than even the M3 does!! To drive, it is leagues behind more modern stuff, turbo lag/steering/clutch/throttle response are all very 80s... but that's only to be expected and it's not fair to judge it on a comparison to something like the M3, which has razor sharp throttle response, modern steering, clutch etc.
As you can see from the photos it's sitting VERY low which might look good in photos/when it's parked; but when driving it's an absolute nightmare and even though it'll not be used much, the noise of the exhaust catching on bumps/minor inclines (like the almost flat entry to my storage unit!) is something I can't live with so I'll be looking into raising it with a suspension change at some point. I'm also happier with the wheels in person than in photos, but I may still switch them for a set of Compomotives (I know, very unoriginal on a Cosworth!) if I can find a set of old style MO 6-spokes for sale.
Apart from that, I'd like to make sure it's running tip top and so I am thinking about booking it in with MSD in Blackpool for a health check/map check too. If I'm going to be doing that, then I will likely take the opportunity to upgrade the ignition system on the car with one of the MSD Wasted Spark conversions and bring it into the 21st century a little.
That's nice. I was gonna say the only things letting it down are the Spax and the rear ride height being too low, but you're already on it.
I know the steering on the 3 door was supposed to be very sharp and the Escort Cosworth, being based on the 4wd Sapphire, was compared to the integrale, so yours can't be that bad?
I know the steering on the 3 door was supposed to be very sharp and the Escort Cosworth, being based on the 4wd Sapphire, was compared to the integrale, so yours can't be that bad?
These get a load of grief by people comparing them to modern stuff but people forget how fast they were for their day.
I'd have one in a heartbeat and this one looks cracking, although I'd need to do something about those wheels and the ride height, both of which you've already identified
I'd have one in a heartbeat and this one looks cracking, although I'd need to do something about those wheels and the ride height, both of which you've already identified
Looks very nice, congratulations on your new purchase! I've owned them for 17 years and took a trip to lincoln last Saturday in her for shooting of the grand tour. Over 500 miles and didn't miss a beat, I have the wasted spark conversion and it's awesome! No misfires or small plug gaps anymore! I have a 4x4 in smokestone blue
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