1986 Ford Sierra Cosworth

This 1986-registered example is finished in the attractive shade of Moonstone Blue over a grey cloth interior, and presents fantastically throughout.

In its current ownership since 1993, this RS Cosworth has been cherished throughout its tenure with our vendor, and was taxed for only six months of the year, being safely cocooned away in warm, dry storage throughout the winter months.

Immediately after purchasing the car, our vendor had the chassis waxoyled for preservation, and throughout its time with the current owner the car has been serviced yearly irrespective of milage in order to keep it in tip-top condition.

As with any Cosworth, it’s had a few upgrades fitted, though we’re sure you’ll agree these are very ‘choice’ modifications, and fit the ethos of the car well. A TurboTechnics T35 turbocharger has been fitted, ‘green top’ fuel injectors, a piper cross intake kit and a switchable tune put on the ECU, running a standard 205bhp at low boost, but switchable to c. 365bhp on the high boost setting.

On the outside, the modifications have, again, been kept to the ethos of the car and are largely OE, with RS500 front and rear spoilers, period-correct BBS split-rim alloys and a slight suspension altitude adjustment courtesy of front KOMI adjustable shock absorbers and stiffer rear springs being about the limit of the car’s aesthetic changes, along with an upgraded exhaust.

With our vendor having cherished the car for the last 28 years, the decision has been made to move the car on to someone that can use it and enjoy it far more than he, due to his age now catching up with him and making this high-powered fast Ford too much of a handful, though rest assured, this is a very reluctant sale, and it’s not hard to see why.

Moonstone Blue is arguably the best colour for a Sierra RS Cosworth, and this example presents in astounding condition throughout. It really is one of those cars you just stand and stare at for a while to drink it all in.

The paintwork is wonderful, though there are a few usage marks as you’d expect from a high-performance car, some of which have been touched-in over the years. Alongside the typical wear, there is also some more notable marks on the offside rear quarter, wing mirror caps and a crack in the rear offside indicator, all of which has been showcased in the gallery below.

All four of the period-correct BBS wheels look excellent, though we’d suggest a thorough tear-down, polish and rebuilding to bring them back to their best - an easy winter project that would elevate the appearance of this legendary hot hatch even further.

The bodywork itself is straight and true throughout, with no outwardly notable signs of any dents, dings, scuffs or impact damage. An excellent sign of any car, but a genuine rarity on a Cosworth.

Whilst the exterior and engine have all been subtly enhanced over the years, the interior has been left mercifully factory-fresh in its appearance, and we’re genuinely impressed at just how well it wears its age and mileage.

The classic Recaro front seats, for example, show only some light creasing and wear, but remain free of the usual bolster damage from regular use. The carpets are all excellent throughout, as are both door cards.

Up above, the sunroof is in perfect working order with no sign of any water ingress or drainage issues, though the rear half of the headliner is sagging slightly and requires attention.

What was a real surprise, however, was that this example doesn’t suffer with the usual cracked dash as seen on many Sierra Cosworths, nor does it have any aftermarket stereo or sound systems fitted - lovely stuff!

The only let-down to the interior is the instrument cluster, with the tachometer inoperable.  The speedometer is somewhat out-of-calibration with the true road speed of the car but this is due to the car being fitted with larger tyres. The vendor also notes that the remote buttons on the keys are inoperable, but this is likely just a flat battery in the key from irregular use.

In the engine bay, the iconic red-topped YBB block presents in all its glory, with numerous dress-up fittings and aftermarket performance enhancements such as crankcase breathers and oil catch-cans attesting to the fact that this particular RS has been cherished throughout its life.

The only issue we could note is that the air filter has entirely disintegrated, and - due to not having a filter in place - we’d suggest the car needs a new one before being driven any distance.

That having been said, out on our test drive this example feels remarkably healthy. The driving style is hilariously ‘of its time’ with handfuls of turbo lag before the car comes ‘on boost’ with the kind of throaty shove only 90’s tuning can provide, accompanied by an all-encompassing induction noise and loud blow-off valve upon letting off the throttle.

One thing we did note is that when cold, the car suffers from the typically Cosworth issue of a defective (or perhaps gummed-up) idle control valve which means the car ‘pulsates’ on idle until warm, whilst there was also an intermittent cutting-out issue when shuffling the car around for photographs, though once it was driven more than a minute the problem disappeared, and it was happy to idle smoothly in traffic with no issues.

Under the iconic bodywork, the chassis looks to be in great shape, no doubt helped by the current owner’s attention to detail and decision to waxoyl the car early on in his ownership.

The most recent MOT - dated 03 June 2021 - shows only one advisory for a corroded or covered rear brake pipe, though the car passed first-time and with no other advisory items, which is very good news indeed.

Included with the vehicle is an impressive amount of documentation and history, pertaining to both parts purchased and work carried out on the car, all of which can be seen below.

The most recent service is documented as having taken place during June 2021 at 67,803 miles, comprising of a standard oil and filter change, MOT and general inspection, along with a fluid top-up.

Alongside the above, there are also historical invoices stretching back to when the vendor first acquired the car, and, whilst not terribly relevant today, they do give a nice insight into the level of care this particular RS Cosworth has enjoyed.

The V5 is present showing one former keeper, and there is a plethora of old MOT certificates also.

Enthusiast owned, in the current ownership for 26 years and pampered throughout, this is a genuinely stunning example of everyone’s favourite ‘hooligan’ car, which has matured to become a true cult classic and a performance icon in its own right.

Presented in excellent condition and with a strong history folder, we estimate this example to fetch in the region of £38,000 - £50,000.

Viewing is always encouraged and as stated this car is located at THE MARKET headquarters near Abingdon; we are open Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm and to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.