Awesome Ford Sierra Cosworth track car for sale
Live out all your 80s' BTCC fantasies with this freshly built Andy Rouse tribute
The problem with classic cars being worth so much, beyond not being able to afford them, is what to do with the old things if you’re actually lucky enough to own them. With certain road and race cars now valued at so much more than they used to be, there must be some fear attached when it comes to actually using them as intended. In some cases that surely results in cars simply being parked up which, regardless of what anyone says, can’t be as enjoyable as driving them properly. A very first world problem, yes, but what’s the solution?
A new classic is the thing, really, where a car is freshly built to old specs. It means the experience ought to be intact - perhaps better than ever, in fact - without the baggage and worry that comes with history and significance. Perhaps it isn’t the actual race winner in your possession, but surely a car that can be driven and enjoyed must be preferable to one that needs treating like a prize jewel. See the popularity of cars like the MST Mk1 and Mk2 - it’s the rear-drive Escort made the best it can be, without having to pay what a 200hp+ car from back in the day would cost.
This Sierra BTCC homage looks like similar fast Ford fun. It pays tribute to Andy Rouse’s 1988 RS500, a car that dominated the British Touring Car Championship 35 years ago with nine victories. As iconic a BTCC car as you’re going to find, basically. So much so, in fact, that a 1989 chassis driven by Rouse sold this summer for £370,500…
A stunning collectors’ piece, sure, though it seems unlikely that car will be doing much flame spitting or kerb hopping in the near future. This one, however, for sale at far less than a quarter of that hammer price, might just be. It’s a track car build that would surely brighten up any day on circuit, and could apparently be made race-ready with a few further changes.
It looks factory fresh because it was completed this year, and is said to have only been used since on a few demo runs. The spec reads like a Christmas wish list for any build of this calibre (no pun intended), right down to a side-exit exhaust, and boasting in the region of 500hp it promises a huge amount of entertainment. Just without quite the same level of jeopardy as doing it in the real thing. And we must talk about the livery. Along with the rest of the build, the paint has been done by Cardiff-based Redline Racing Motorsport, and it looks absolutely flawless. Is this the best set of sponsors for a Sierra? Must be up there with Texaco, Shell and Mobil. On those occasions it couldn’t be driven, you’d be more than happy just gawping at it.
But on a track is surely where this Sierra will offer up the most joy, complete with all those freshly installed parts and plentiful performance. While £80k isn’t exactly bargain track toy territory, it’s got to be less than the cost of undertaking the whole project again. And far less than even the most valuable RS500 road cars. Here’s a video to get you in the mood for the 2024 track day season…
I still think the shape and looks of this are still pretty striking even today, and it was a bit of a shock at the time when this was released I thought. I actually sat alongside my Dad back then when had he test drive in a black 3dr Cosworth, I wanted him to buy it big time, but he didn't and he ended up in an XR4x4 instead.
I still think the shape and looks of this are still pretty striking even today, and it was a bit of a shock at the time when this was released I thought. I actually sat alongside my Dad back then when had he test drive in a black 3dr Cosworth, I wanted him to buy it big time, but he didn't and he ended up in an XR4x4 instead.
BTW side exit exhausts are LOUD - I stupidly ran one on mine on the road in the late 90s (ex-Malcolm Wilson GrpA, no silencers). Don’t think you’d get away with it nowadays.
HSCC started the super touring series, everyone went out and bought supertourers at about 80k (I’m talking maybe 2015), raced them for a couple of seasons (spending close on purchase price each season, if not more) before realising it was like looking after an F1 car, and cosworth/M3’s were almost as quick and far cheaper to run, hence increase in value of race cosworth/M3’s.
I still think the shape and looks of this are still pretty striking even today, and it was a bit of a shock at the time when this was released I thought. I actually sat alongside my Dad back then when had he test drive in a black 3dr Cosworth, I wanted him to buy it big time, but he didn't and he ended up in an XR4x4 instead.
Yes and I really liked his XR4x4 and I ended up buying it off him in the end. I sold it to buy a house though, but not long after I realised that I could still afford one, so I bought another one in exactly the same colour!
The 3dr Cossie was dead cool though I thought at the time, so I really wanted him to go with that for sure.
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