"The 'RS' badge is well renowned in the world of Fast Ford enthusiasts. Originating from Ford’s Motorsport division in the 1960’s; the RS actually stood for 'Rallye Sport' and meant that any Ford model special enough to bear its namesake had been designed specifically for rally racing. Due to Ford’s repeated successes in rallying during this era, the RS badge very quickly became synonymous with Motorsport and Performance. The Sierra RS Cosworth in particular was developed as a partnership between Ford and race engine designers Cosworth, the project’s purpose was to create a homologated vehicle to win European Group A racing championships. The engine was to be a 16V, twin-cam based upon Ford’s existing T88 block (commonly known as the Pinto engine). The aim was to develop a turbo-charged unit that would be capable of 300bhp in race trim. Cosworth accepted the task but only on the basis that Ford agreed to purchase 15,000 units of these engines and from there the road legal and race engined legend, the Sierra Cosworth, was born.
A fastidiously maintained example of a 1988 Ford Sierra Cosworth Sapphire with only two loving owners, this car is presented in immaculate condition outside, inside and underneath. A second generation of the Sierra RS, this particular car is an earlier production variant of the Sapphire and is a two wheel drive example fitted with the Borg Warner T5 transmission. This example comes with an excellent provenance and history portfolio, it is supplied with the original driver’s manual, maintenance book and Ford wallet, along with any of the previous owner’s invoices, receipts and previous MoT test certificates.
Due to the racing background of these cars, it is incredibly hard to find unmodified and unmolested examples. Finished in a timeless white non-metallic paint with grey cloth interior, this example has its original equipment with only minor improvements to the exhaust and suspension to be found. When new, these Sapphire Cosworths offered 204bhp and 214lbft of torque from the 2.0 turbocharged inline engine. The originality and incredible condition of this example has to be seen to be appreciated. As prices of well-maintained fast Fords are increasing rapidly, this is certainly worth consideration by any long term investor or collector. With race pedigree and 'sleeper' appearance, these cars are still highly desirable among enthusiasts.
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