1986 Ford Sierra RS Cosworth – Auction Car of the Week

The words ‘Ford’ and ‘Cosworth’ go together like fish and chips, ham and mustard, or, if you’re from across the pond, peanut butter and jam. Or is it jelly? Either way, you get the point, and these two powerhouses of the automotive world have been bedfellows for what feels like forever, producing some of the greatest cars to ever turn a wheel, not least of which is the Ford Sierra RS Cosworth.

In actual fact, Ford and Cosworth first joined forces way back in the ’60s, with the latter developing its double overhead camshaft, 16-valve inline four-cylinder BDA engine for use in Ford’s road and rally Escorts. So perfect was this match made in hoonigan heaven that a strong association was formed between the two companies and various engines would be developed for other Ford models going forward, perhaps the greatest of which being the YB, two letters that cause a stir in many a petrolhead’s undergarments.

Here was an engine that on paper didn’t sound that impressive – a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder that was based on the ageing T-88 Ford Pinto block. The secret sauce here though was the addition of a Cosworth-developed 16-valve alloy cylinder head and a Garrett T3 turbo, and it was damn tasty.

Launched in the 1986 three-door Sierra RS Cosworth the engine produced 204bhp in stock form but another trick up its sleeve was its inherent tune-ability. From simple chip and turbo modifications to increase the boost level to full on performance builds, that initial figure can be seriously pumped up, should that be your jam (or jelly) and companies like Burton Power can supply all the bits, bobs and know-how to help you achieve your goals.

So why did Ford make such a beast? Well, it wanted to go racing you see, in Group A to be exact, and so developed the Sierra RS Cosworth to do just that. As the homologation rules dictated, 5,000 road going versions needed to be built but dealers weren’t convinced they could sell anywhere near that amount. Quality usually triumphs though and the Sierra RS Cosworth was a huge hit, both on the road and at the track, so much so that Ford quickly added the RS500 to its roster.

The RS500 was much more of a track-focussed weapon with most spitting out 500bhp+ in race trim. It was a bit of a handful, what with its woeful turbo lag and rear-wheel drive setup, but once on song and in the hands of a pro, it was unbeatable, racking up wins in pretty much every event it was entered into.

But the RS500 is for another day. The beautiful and perhaps more appealing thing about this particular Sierra RS Cosworth is its originality. Yep, it’s entirely factory standard. Part of a small collection for the last few years and little used the car was imported to the UK in 2018 from Italy and appears to have led a somewhat charmed life, racking up a pretty miniscule 45,644 miles over the last 38 years.

The car retains its factory Moonstone Blue metallic paint but it’s the original Recaro cloth interior that is a standout track here. It even still has the original stereo fitted so you’re going to have to break out the old “Now That’s What I Call Music” cassettes. Phil Collins anyone?

Being the original three-door variant it’s the one to have and whilst a lot of people will fawn over the RS500 for its slight increase in power, those savvy fast Ford fans will know that unless you’re going racing, the original RS Cosworth is king and you can certainly do a lot worse than this one right here.

So have a full read of the listing and check out the numerous photos that accompany the auction before placing your bid. If you want to know more you can always chat directly with the seller via the “Post a comment” link. You can also request a viewing, too, so why not take a trip to the Midlands and have a nosey at this working class hero? You can’t deny it’s a tempting prospect…