1989 Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth
The centre-fold star of the August, 1996, edition of Max Power

Registration No: F73 UVX
Chassis No: WFBFXXGBBFJS32551
MOT: September 2026

• Recently emerged from nearly 30 years in dry storage and recommissioned ready for use
• A very well known car that was the centre-fold feature of the August, 1996, edition of Max Power magazine
• Engine overhauled and tuned by renowned Cosworth specialist Blue Sprint Motorsport
• Supplied with trophies for two first-place wins at events in period

The sight of rival manufacturers reaping the rewards of successful circuit racing programmes prompted Ford to renew its alliance with engine builder Cosworth to create the eponymous Sierra RS Cosworth. Assembly of the minimum 5,000 required for Group A homologation commenced in June, 1986, at Ford's Genk plant in Belgium, some being built to the even more highly-tuned RS500 specification. Based on the three-door bodyshell, the RS combined the 1,993cc Pinto engine's cylinder block with a forged steel crankshaft and connecting rods. Topping it off was a Cosworth-developed, twin-camshaft, 16-valve cylinder head fed by a Garrett AiResearch turbocharger, the latter deemed necessary to achieve a competitive power output for racing. In standard road trim, the RS Cosworth produced 204bhp, its Weber-Marelli engine management system ensuring that the resulting stupendous performance was delivered with minimal turbo lag. Needless to say, the standard Sierra underpinnings were comprehensively uprated to cope. In 1987 the three-door hatchback ceased production and was replaced by the more aerodynamic Sapphire RS Cosworth four-door saloon, still with the turbocharged YBB engine. Said to be capable of 146mph, 13,140 were built in rear-wheel drive guise during 1988 and 1989, followed by 12,250 four-wheel drive versions for the 1990-92 model years.

The good looks and tremendous performance of the Sapphire Cosworth made it a boy racer’s dream, but not many teenagers or twenty-something customisers could afford one new. This one, however, was modified early in life and survives as a rare but highly accomplished example of period customising trends. Its modifications started when it was a demonstrator with an alarm and in-car entertainment company in Canvey Island, which fitted a Clifford alarm, remote start, window closers, an immobiliser, and a combination of market-leading Pioneer, Kenworth, Soundstream and Pro Plus audio equipment. More obvious alterations included the Zinc Yellow paint (an Escort Convertible colour), 17in TSW Evo wheels with Yokohama 215/40 ZR17 tyres, and the lowered, stiffened Spax suspension. It also boasts an engine tuned to 360bhp by Blue Sprint Motorsport, with side-exit exhausts, plus a custom interior featuring a Sierra 4x4 dash, a Ford RS Motorsport steering wheel, Recaro race seats, and specially-made speaker pods. Externally, it has been partially detrimmed and received a twin headlamp conversion.

In the mid-1990s, the Sierra was bought by a Cosworth tuning specialist in Croydon, who gifted it to his eighteen-year-old son. In the son’s ownership, it was a star of the August, 1996, Max Power magazine. Not long after the shoot, the Sierra was placed into dry storage and has only just re-emerged in time-warp condition. In an extraordinary state of preservation, it is ready to be enjoyed again following a brake overhaul and general recommissioning, and is sold with an old-style V5.

For more information, please contact:
Lucas Gomersall
lucas.gomersall@handh.co.uk
07484 082430