1992 Ford Sierra BBR RS Cosworth

David Brodie was a successful British touring car racer who started out in the ‘60s in an Austin A35 before running Ford Escorts and then Sierras - all named “Run Baby Run”. He also became a renowned tuner, establishing a company to build his cars - Brodie Brittain Racing (BBR) with engineer Ken Brittain - in Brackley Northants, literally around the corner from what is now the home of Mercedes AMG F1.

Commissioned for Brodie’s own personal use on the road, and built in close association with Ford’s Motorsport Division, this unique Sierra BBR RS Cosworth 4x4 was constructed from a brand-new Ford Motorsport shell on which the seams had first been welded and the cavities foam filled and it was fitted with a full RS500 body kit.

All the mechanicals were new, and the 2.0-litre turbo engine was fitted with a BBR gas-flowed big port head and big-bore stainless steel exhaust system. Initially set up with small injectors to run at a modest 265bhp, the car is understood to have been more recently tuned to deliver power in excess of 300bhp. The four-wheel drive transmission - usually only seen on the later four-door Sapphire Cosworth - incorporates a Ferguson limited slip diff, and the custom BBR suspension includes uprated dampers.

The exact year of build isn’t known. The first series three door Sierra RS Cosworth was produced by Ford between 1985 and 1987, with a handful of factory RS500 replicas appearing over the following two years. Then again, the 4x4 transmission only appeared in early 1990, so it is most likely that this car was put together some time in the very early ‘90s.

Understood to have been dry-stored since build, Brodie a number of his cars at auction two years ago, and this road-spec Sierra RS Cosworth was one of them. He never actually registered the car for the road, nor did he use it on track, in fact the car has covered only 965 miles.

The winning bidder two years ago kept the car in a less-than-ideal lean-to alongside his house but has spent some decent money on a few discreet mechanical upgrades in that time.

The striking Deep Metallic Red paint isn’t perfect, there are a few blemishes, knocks and chips here and there but overall it looks very strong and there doesn’t appear to be anything in the way of body damage, just a cracked driver’s door mirror.

The RS500 body kit appears to have been expertly fitted when first built and all the panels and attachments seem to fit well without any unsightly gaps. The car is finished with coach lines, RS500 scripts and winged-T decals for coachbuilder “Tickford” who created the RS500 look.

The car sits on 15-inch multi-spoke alloy wheels which appear in good condition and are shod with matching Toyo Proxes tyres dating from 2018 but looking fresh.

The interior upholstery across the Recaro seats is a grey velour cloth with red/black check seat facings and door panel inserts. It is a touch loose in places, as is common with this fabric, and shows a little wear and discolouration but appears undamaged and in a good overall condition.

Aside from the embossed RS logo above the glove box, the dash looks pretty much standard Ford Sierra with a few additional instruments that everyday models wouldn’t have had - like RPM indicator and turbo boost gauge.

The centre console sports an authentic-looking Ford radio cassette player with power amp as well as a digital clock and illuminated graphic door closure and lamp test indicator. As far as we’ve been able to test, all the electricals and interior equipment works as it should.

The carpeting throughout appears in good order and up above the headlining looks clean and intact although just a little baggy in places.

Under the bonnet, everything appears in good condition and well looked after, with custom touches around the Cosworth power-plant like the blue silicone hoses, the chromed suspension top-mounts and BBR cowl over the Garrett turbocharger. The car returned to BBR for servicing and upgrades just over 18 months ago.

Although dry-stored until more recently and largely unused, the undersides of the car aren’t in pristine condition but as it is something like 30 years old and unrestored, a degree of deterioration is to be expected. Suspension and steering components are quite rusty, as are the subframes, but largely the underfloor appears sound and the mechanicals in good order.

Inside the boot, the carpet and linings are intact, if a little discoloured and underneath is a full size multi-spoke alloy spare wheel with unused Toyo Proxes rubber. There are also Ford floor mats for the front and rear of the interior cabin. The suspended parcel shelf looks in fairly good order, slightly warped, but with none of the typical speaker holes.

Since being sold by Brodie at auction in March 2019, the car has had somewhere in the region of £4k spent on various upgrades and now boasts a power increase of 300bhp+.

There’s next to nothing in the way of paperwork for this car, just a dyno test results sheet, wheel alignment and a £2.7k bill from BBR GTi for a service and various performance upgrades in September 2019.

As this car isn’t currently road registered, there is no V5C and no MOT requirement. However we believe only an IVA would need completing in order to register the car for the road. 

One for the Ford or Touring Car enthusiast and collector looking for a race-bred but road-spec Sierra RS Cosworth 4x4 for high days and dry days, this one’s status as a BBR special adds yet another layer of interest to an already very attractive car.

With an estimate of somewhere between £35,000 and £45,000, we wouldn’t be surprised if it sold for more; it is unique in provenance and in largely good condition, and we simply don’t think an opportunity like this will arise again in the foreseeable future.

As is, this one-off car would make a good track-day special or (with an IVA) it could be registered for the road and become something of a star turn at shows or club meets.

Inspection is always encouraged, within Govt. guidelines of course, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; 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’.