American Reacts to the Ford Sierra Cosworth Rally

[@johnnyboy114]

The coupe body is the Sierra RS Cosworth, the original. They were two wheel drive. They made an “ultimate” derivative called the RS 500 which was more used as a touring car and highly successful. Some road versions were made for homologation reasons. There was a 4x4 of the original but they are rare and were not coveted. The Cosworth then morphed into the Sierra Sapphire Cosworth and they did have 4 doors, were more of a saloon (sedan) and had both 2 wheel drive and 4 wheel drive. Many were tuned UP to original RS 500 spec but they never officially made a 500 as it primarily a road car that was then adapted for racing, not the other way around which was the original cars primary intention. Many covet the RS 500, they command very very high prices now for obvious reasons. The original cars still very much sought after now but the market for the Sapphire is is creeping up as they were really tuneable but original unmodified cars are getting rare. And yes, Ford Europe had a thing for large wings….this is the original RS Cosworth but also check the Escort Cosworth….that had a similarity mad rear wing. The Escort was also NOT really an Escort either. It LOOKS like a Cosworth, but it’s actually a Sierra Cosworth platform with a chunk cut out of the middle to make a shorter wheelbase and stiffen it up. They were homologation specials for the road and the numbers were made but you will have already seen them on older WRC videos you will have watched. Also quite successful but absolutely revered as a road car and prices have gone up a heck of a lot over the years. Iconic cars, all of them

[@jasperbaba]

dont forget to mention that they made the sapphire in response do dwindeling sales because the cozzie was the most stolen car at the time, it had cheap locks and could keep up with ferrari's so they were loved by criminals. you couldnt insure them anymore so no one bought them, the sapphire looked more like a normal car

[@johnnyboy114]

@@jasperbabaspot on!

[@gavinwatson3896]

1 interesting comment and replies! Thank you all

[@mikeyh55]

I always remember the wing being called a "Whale tail" when I was a kid. (edit) just got to you talking about Porsche Whale tails! they do look like whale tails 🐋

[@popuptoaster]

@@jasperbaba That's not why they built the Sapphire Cosworth as they had the same locks and got stolen just as often, simple answer was that it was the current model Sierra so it got a Cosworth version. When Ford went from the Cortina to the Sierra a lot of traditional Cortina buyers were disappointed there was no booted version of the Sierra, it was inevitable there would be one eventually. Original Sierra sales were slow at the beginning because it was a fairly radical design for the time and in a traditionally conservative market.

[@mancavehobbies6213]

I live in the uk awesome to see this. I have a 1984 Ford Sierra XR4i had her 31 years now. Think i paid £2000 back then. She's worth around £15,000 but never sell her she will go to the grave with me 🤣. The spoiler is called a WHALE TAIL . I have the double whale tail on mine. Her heart is a 2.8i V6 (2792 cc; 150 PS (110 kW; 148 hp)) Cologne V6 engine with only 35,000 miles on the clock.

[@basstrammel1322]

That's a nice car, good on you for keeping it for that long!

[@mancavehobbies6213]

@@basstrammel1322 Thankyou she be 40 years old in May

[@ferdiyurdakul]

Got a 83 turbo technics one. Don't think even thats worth 15k

[@basstrammel1322]

@@ferdiyurdakul Great efforts on commenting.

[@itsseanupnorth]

@@ferdiyurdakul probs a bag of rust or striped n half the parts missing or moon miles if you think that bud , xr4i on 35000 miles the value is only going to go up .............

[@asd36f]

The Sierra XR8 was a South African only model that used a normally aspirated V8 engine instead of a turbo - well worth checking out.

[@vinniedurrant]

Was it rwd?

[@JuicyJLee]

​@vinniedurrant Yes RWD 5.0 V8 Homologation Special.. South Africa 🇿🇦 has Many Homologation Specials ...a little 2.0 16v GSI Opel held the world record for most N/M per litr by N/A motor. ..till Ferrari 458 V8 N/A took that record

[@sombrero4316]

that would be the coolest car to own in europe. A sierra V8 from factory, it would drop jaws here.

[@AdamFraser-hz4ic]

Granada 5.0 V8 to If memory serves

[@vinniedurrant]

@@JuicyJLeeNice 1, that sounds like some serious power to weight ratio, I'll have to google it later because I bet it looks cool af :) That's interesting, what you said about Opel. We had Vauxhalls in England with the same engines, we had the gsi but the sri's were faster, same 2.0 16v block which was known as the 'red top' but with bigger valves and revised injectors, I actually drove a nova sri once, lovely to drive 👍

[@salvador_mano4x4]

The sierra was sold in the states, his name was Merkur XR4Ti, sold under mercury brand

[@nigelpluck3342]

Specifically it was the Sierra XR4i, and was built in Germany for the North American market

[@Rudyw1977]

@@nigelpluck3342 And fitted with a 2.3l turbo engine which was never available in Europe

[@nigelpluck3342]

@@Rudyw1977 I can’t remember the engine range, I do remember there was a 2.3 engine somewhere but couldn’t remember where it was available, so it was in the the Merkur version of the car only?

[@markmundy3435]

The XR4Ti sold in the usa was nothng like the Sierra Cosworth, the body shape may have been similar but the rest of the car was very different. The biggest difference and were the Cosworth got its name from was the engine, the 4 cylinder 2.0L 16v turbocharged unit developed for Ford by Cosworth who are best known for their F1 and Indy car engines. They were detuned in the road going cars but could easily make north of 400bhp and the homologation special the Sierra RS500 Cosworth (500 being the number they made) that came with an extra row of injectors, so had 8, and a very large turbo and once tuned could make well over 700bhp.

[@mattayc266]

Also my understanding is the bodyshell is the same as a 3door cossy

[@kevo6190]

They were brutal at Mount Panorama too🤘 When Brocky and Dick Johnson would keep the turbos spooled and attack the mountain like a rally stage. 🔥

[@EVL82]

If memory serves me correct they also hid an over-boost switch on the windscreen wiper function, so you would see them coming down Conrod with the wipers on sometimes. I’m pretty sure it was in a documentary I saw once.

[@kevo6190]

@@EVL82 Soo Savage 🤘. I never knew that!🤣

[@Frekidog]

I'm proud to have worked at the Ford plat at Genk, Belgium for 25 years before it closed down. They build all of the first generation RS Cosworths, 5.545 of them and they only came in white, black and blue, with a grey interior.

[@Faelge]

Robert Droogmans!

[@Faelge]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/bGPPdWN6ptmnnbM

[@Frekidog]

Thierry Boutsen also rallied with a Cosworth RS.

[@IanDarley]

They were everywhere in the UK in the 90s and early 2000s. Every self-respecting hooligan had them (most of my mates had them with ridiculous tunes and huge turbo conversions). The problem was they were very easy to steal and police helicopter chases were a nightly thing on the news. Most of them ended up upside down in fields or wrapped around trees.

[@Lav9944]

Remember the slogan Cosworth, Car of speed will out run the helicopter 😂

[@dwinterx]

I seem to remember the thefts got so bad, that for the Escort Cosworth, they either wouldn't quote for insurance, or the quotes were silly. Clarkson said he was quoted the full value of the car for his insurance! 😄

[@Ricks-way.]

@@dwinterx I think that's happening with Range Rovers now, insurance quotes are ridiculously high.

[@foostyman]

Check out the Cossies in the British Touring cars (BTCC). You're right about the "whale tail" on the Sierra and Escort Cosworths

[@Obi-J]

Beat me to it! I was just going to say check out the Sierra Cossies dominating the BTCC in their touring car form.👍

[@typeoddnamehere2362]

​@obijon7441 would have been even more dominant if their scoring system at the time wasn't so bizarre.

[@cupid_stunt7414]

Motorsport Magazine stated the RS500 is statistically the most successful road derived racing car of all time, winning 84.6% of all races it entered.

[@skylined5534]

​@@Obi-J And the ETCC.

[@cossiemk2]

The 3 door coupe was the original with RWD. Then came the 4 door sedan with 4x4. IIFC they weren't very succesful at Rally. Then came the Escort RS which was basically a Sierra 4x4 in smaller frame which won quite some races.

[@malcombe7001]

My friend had one (rip). He made me sell him two rear tyres that were reject remolds, with a nail in one. He hit so many things, we went out on the beer and left it unlocked, yes it was gone, when we returned. The next time i saw it, it was on the news being chased down the motorway at 150 mph, by the helecopter. You could see the sparks coming from the nail. It escaped the chopper and was dumped in the gheto. All he had left was a bonnet (hood) scoop. It was a black two door and it was very quick, lots of fun. He drank a lot, so i drove ot a lot.

[@69Phuket]

The Sierra was such a shock after the boxy Cortina. It was called a jelly mould here. Pretty rad design in the 80's but they soon took off in sales. The Cops still bought the 2.8 Capris until the end but these were jam butties in UK too! Ford Europe and Australia was the 'Fun Department'. You can only have fun with a stick! :)

[@poplaurentiu4148]

The 3 door massive rear wing was kind of similar to a (88-94) 911 - Porsche 964 turbo style.. both were known in middle of Europe as "Whale Tail" rear spoilers for obvious reasons !!! 🐋

[@KERNY86]

Greetings from austria. Ah, glad you're finally doing the Ford Sierra. My very first car in the early 2000s was a 1986 Ford Sierra four door, with a 105 hp, 2 liter engine with an weird computer controlled carburator. With the long wheelbase and sophisticated suspension, it was very easy to do some drifting in the winter (back then we occasionally had snow in winter). It had a faded out light green paintjob, and faded dark grey plastic front and rear bumpers, it was quite ugly. I loved it. Thank you for bringing the good memories back :D

[@muck1ngfupp3t]

@iwrocker if you love uk cars, and you haven’t already, check out the Lotus Carlton. The car the uk government tried to ban. It was a saloon car with around 275bhp as standard.

[@gniwtram]

The Sierra Cosworth ("Cossie") had a 2 litre "Pinto" engine block with Cosworth designed cylinder head along with a turbocharger. In road trim they were about 200 bhp with nearly a 150 mph top speed. The early body shape was the three door with the whale tail spoiler. The later revised body was only available as a four door. This version was quickly updated to four wheel drive. The rally cars could easily be putting out 500 bhp.

[@69bock69]

Yes because ford wanted 200hp lowest cosworth could get was 204hp but car made 270hp and 204 was the detuned form

[@popuptoaster]

@@69bock69 There are a lot of myths about why the stock cars had 200bhp, it wasn't because that's the lowest Cosworth could get, Cosworth showed Ford a 300ishbhp prototype and Ford asked them to make the road cars 200bhp so they did. If they had wanted to make it less powerful they could have done it easily, the car had Efi and a turbo, both of which can easily (and cheaply) be detuned.

[@69bock69]

Would explained how easy and comfortable they got mapped with no real issues.

[@ColonelForkEyes]

​@@popuptoaster exactly, too much power would have meant the car would be impossible to insure for most buyers, probably very expensive in road taxes also - this would make the car very unattainable to own and therefore it wouldn't sell so well. Generally speaking in Europe most people don't want a midrange brand car that costs the same to keep on the road as a full-on supercar, even if it is as quick or quicker.

[@ferrumignis]

@@ColonelForkEyes It was almost certainly so they could warranty the clutch and transmission etc. and not get an excessive number of failures. If you are buying a competition version then you don't get a road car warranty.

[@hugovilag]

In Galicia we've been blessed with one of the most spectacular and gifted driver to ride a Sierra RS Cosworth. Look for Javier Ramos Grille, pure talent, just an artist on the wheel.

[@michiel5160]

Will look him up. Also recently discovered Carrecedo with his Renault. Is Galicia a hotbed for rally talent, or just a couple of guys? You're welcome to drop a couple of other names. Saludos

[@hugovilag]

@@michiel5160 haha, cheers man! Hard for me to say otherwise, but we have some damn good rally drivers around 🤣. Carracedo is always a show on his own, crazy talented, his Estrada Hillclimb clip may be his gate to the world to learn about him. Another guy completely off the rails is Manuel "Lolo"/"Tarolo" Senra. The man drives a 306 Maxi Kit Car, as Carracedo he's been with that car since forever, so knows every single way of throwing it around and it shows, crazy pace, insane control. On a side note he was offered +200k € for the car but still won't let it go, he loves to death that thing. Also Pazó in a Sunbeam Lotus, he was born to drive it. Then there's the late Reverter and his unique 911-powered A110 Alpine with wich he beated the offically backed Porsche cars back in the day in the Spanish Championship. Those are the most legendary drivers we have around here, but then we have some other guys that recently went international; Javier Pardo who I believe to have taken part in the ERC, as well as Iván Ares. On one last side note I've been able to meet Carracedo and his codriver through a friend, and I only have nice words for them, very nice guys, impossible not to cheer them. Oh and there's also the Vallejo brothers, know to crew a 911 GT3 Rally. Maybe not as fast and spectacular as the others now, but everytime they let themselves into a entry list it's a gift to see them by. Greetings from the Southwest most corner of Galicia!

[@apg8387]

​@@michiel5160 Fernando Brizuela . Ford sierra ,White and Orange . Gold era rallyng un north Spain.

[@TheChaich]

@@michiel5160 the firs sierra in the video is also gaician, PO= Pontevedra, to many great rally drivers in here yeah, it´s very popular in our culture. take a look ;)

[@taz2311]

The most successful race/rally car in the world. Won more trophies/championships than any other vehicle to date. Sapphire cosworth awd is awesome.

[@Hartmut-oo5ts]

The Cossi RS 500 was the first turbo-charged car to win the 24h of Nurburgring. It also made an impression in the 80s DTM Series. I remember once IIRC Roland Asch getting "pushed" by his teammate to the starting line - everybody including the announcer thought he had problems, but he only left the engine cool to have an advantage in the first couple of laps... Those were the days! ;-))

[@tammurney3053]

Love these cars. Closest the US got was the Merkur XR4Ti.

[@keithwilson1554]

Merkur XR4Ti was available in America so you might find a used one. Wheeler Dealers did one and made it European with an added 3-Wing Spoiler as the Original Designer (who they spoke to) intended. Great Rally Car and touring Car in Europe and Australia.

[@Baz79H]

Check out the Cosworth ( Cossie ) culture in the UK and Ireland, especially the rally scene in Ireland , Cosworth’s still have status to this day , ,,,,back in the day , bank robbers ,ram raiders , Joyriders and hooligans etc loved them there was a time in the 1990s cossie’s where uninsurable because they where stolen that often and the Cops also used them ,,,, I’m still fascinated with the Sierra/Sapphire/Escort Cosworth to this day 😎👍

[@mistycrom]

The spoilers on the Sierra and Escort Cosworths were called whale-tails. The non-hatchback ones (with the longer boot/trunk) is a Sapphire. I think it was just a different body-style. I've never seen an RS500, but have seen a few Sapphires in the wild; and if you didn't know what you were looking at, they looked like just a slightly uprated Sierra with little more than 100hp.

[@jonathanclarke4529]

I saw a black RS500 parked on The Downs in Altrincham around 1990. It of course, had a massive steering lock. Incredible thing.

[@chrisbrockgeezer5511]

Picking up on the Saphirre 100bhp... 'police specials' were factory standard GLS Saphirres 148bhp from the factory (red trim on the rubber strips) different wheels and badging, but otherwise a GL spec. XR4i were 3 door with the whale tail - originally used as the basis for the RS500 (Rallye Sport special and far more rare). Most The 4 door Cossies (Cosworths) had a trunk with the smaller lid spoiler. Back in the 80s-90s I had 37 Sierras. Mercury sold them in the States. Originally RWD, 4x4 editions came later.

[@grantmarchesi4899]

Re: Wing Vs Spoiler question: General rule to follow is if you can get your head between it and the boot lid, then it is a wing, if not it's a spoiler. (Don't actually try to get your head in there as personal injury may occur, if said personal injury does occur, consult your physician.)

[@meverkko]

The flaps on the roof you mentioned are simply to bring fresh air into the car. They can be opened or closed while driving. They still have these in rally cars but they have evolved into a scoop on the roof.

[@carseyeadmire]

Yes, and try and keep dust out on gravel stages.

[@freethinker--]

Old Fords were mostly designed and engineered in the UK, The RS versions were very popular. Great rivalry between Ford owners and Vauxhall owners,same in Australia I think.

[@typeoddnamehere2362]

Sounds about right for what you said about Australia, considering some Vauxhalls were sold over there a Holdens (RIP). Was a big part of V8 Supercars over there until GM killed Holden.

[@TheChaich]

@@typeoddnamehere2362in spain vauxhalls are Opel and i think in all europe except Brit ones

[@craigconey9971]

Love a cavalier turbo

[@freethinker--]

@@craigconey9971 Or the Calibre turbo.

[@axelk4921]

From the summer of 1984 to the end of 1989, the exclusively three-door XR4i was exported to the USA and Canada as the Merkur XR4Ti and sold there through Lincoln-Mercury dealers

[@themetalslayer2260]

a french pilot (François Delecour) earned his nicknamed while driving a Sierra during a rally : "late brake" the big rear wing was on road versions...it's a stock part of the car (like the Escort Cosworth with its double rear wing)

[@OsellaSquadraCorse]

Colin McCrash also earned his name mainly in Sierras.

[@simonmetcalfe5926]

I loved these as a kid, my mate's dad had Sierra Cosworth, his uncle had a a Sierra Sapphire Cosworth.

[@Loki1815]

You mentioned E plate being España, just before that @ 02:33 there is a local sign pointing to Tossa de Mar 8k, taken on the Camino Rural to the hermitage of St Grau 5k away. This is just off the coast, north of Barcelona!

[@NikoMoraKamu]

yep E plates are from España sierras are quite popular rally and drift cars now it's becoming hard to find but still some cars around not cosworths , those are expensive as hell sierras come in 2 and 4 doors options , thats why they are different bodies a model of sierra was sold in the USA under the name of Merkur XR4Ti

[@RobertDonnyJr-c4e]

I can honestly say that I get more fun from my sierra sapphire Cossie 4x4 with 420bhp than a 500+ 911 turbo or my wife’s Tesla with 760hp and I’m lucky enough to be able to choose . I understand a lot of people don’t know or care what it is , but whenever I’m out in it maybe 1 in 100 people will be give u thumbs up, so happy to see it, and always ask you about it. It’s 1990 car so parts can be a nightmare but I wouldn’t sell it for anything. Any other car I have can go but not the Cossie

[@steverunciman8535]

They released the RS500 cosworth rear wheel drive. It's hatch back with the whale tail (wing) 2 door and rear side windows are one piece. There was XR4x4 same but 4 wheel drive and rear side windows were 2 piece. The sapphire was 2 or 4 wheel drive and had the boot lid

[@steverunciman8535]

In England

[@paulknox999]

we called them whale tails when I was a kid too. was green with envy one of our neighbours had one in white, my dad drove a skoda super estelle and I used to give him so much stick about it.

[@AngelinaJolie734]

If you want to see more about the 4 door version, last week, on the french youtube channel "Petites Observations Automobiles", there was a man who presented his Sierra Cosworth. You will see a perfect presentation of the car, but video is only in french.

[@panamafloyd1469]

Cosworth was founded as a performance race engine builder in the UK in the late 1950s by a guy named Mike Costin ("Cos") and his buddy Keith Duckworth ("worth"). Became legendary for building Ford-based motors, and eventually started making their own head designs. In the '60s, 'struck gold' by creating one of the most epic Formula 1 engines of all time. The DFV had a lot of Ford money behind it - only Ferrari could catch DFV powered cars from the mid-'60s to the beginning of the turbo-era in the early '80s. Mario Andretti won the F1 Championship in '78 in Lotus cars powered by one. As mentioned by others, a version of the Sierra was sold here in the US, but it's a very strange animal (mostly the engine choice). Marketing ploy by Ford US to try to steal some market share away from BMW's 3-series becoming so popular with the 'Yuppie' folks. I've seen running/driving survivors for less than $5K, even the cleanest examples don't seem to hit five figures unless there's a 'bidding war' at the auction.

[@TunturiBreak95]

Fun fact in early years of BMW M division, they hired losts of Cosworth employees during the time when Cosworth was not doing great.

[@francoisdvanderwesthuizen]

In the 70's there were only 2 engines on the F1 grid, Ford-Cosworth DFV and Ferarri, 6 of the 10 constructor's championships were won with DFV's

[@panamafloyd1469]

@@francoisdvanderwesthuizen , oh yeah. Seems like for a time, all a prospective F1 team had to do was design/build a few chassis, and buy a truckload of DFVs.

[@jinxvrs]

@@francoisdvanderwesthuizen Apart from the Matra V12, Alfa Romeo V8 & flat 12, BRM V12, Tecno V12. The Matra, Alfa flat 12 & BRM V12 also won races.

[@OsellaSquadraCorse]

@@TunturiBreak95 They hired Ford Racing engineers; including the programme head (Jochen Neerspach) away from the ETCC team who developed the Capri RS cars and set them to develop the 3.0L and 3.5 CSL. Neerspach was brought in first and then he moved to hire away the engineers, but they were mostly from Cologne rather than Cosworth.

[@RobsSierraCosworth]

Thank you for highlighting the Ford Sierra Cosworth, I have had one for over 30 years, my one is a 4-door Saphire 4x4 which is a sanitised version. The Merkur XR4Ti is a performance-oriented 3-door hatchback sold in North America from 1985 to 1989. A product of the Ford Motor Company, the car was a version of the Ford Sierra.

[@mikesullivan445]

So…. The 3 door sierra cosworth is the one with the high level spoiler is a 3 door ( 2 front doors and a lifting tailgate) and was available in rear wheel drive only. The “later” ones you mentioned were called a sierra sapphire cosworth (commonly just called a sapphire cosworth). They had 4 doors and available in two or four wheel drive. All sported the two litre turbo engine with 5 speed manual gearbox. Take a look at the RS500 version of the 3 door car…

[@chiefrocka8604]

No sapphire in Europe they are Sierra Cosworths even if 4dr

[@alexcox1103]

this is the comment is was looking for! 💪 he should defo check out the escort cosworth rally cars too, cosworth are the top engine builders

[@PhilipKerry]

@@chiefrocka8604 Nope in the UK they are called Cossies but Escort Cosworth Sierra Cosworth and Sierra Cosworth Sapphire are used to differentiate between the different models .

[@gords1001]

The saloon was called a sapphire, they had the spoiler on the boot lid, the ones with the mid mounted wing were the Sierra and rs500. Then there was the escort cosworth, which was a mk5 escort with a shortened sapphire floor pan if I remember correctly.

[@Grez6232]

The 3-door Sierra Cosworth was a pure homologation special sold as a road car in 86 and 87, though Ford's motorsport division continued producing race-spec bodyshells for some years after. The 4-door Sierra - badged sierra Sapphire - was launched with the 'mk.2' facelift in 1986, 6 years after the Hatch and wagon bodies were launched. The Sapphire Cosworth was launched 1988 as a regular production, top of the line model. But it was also homologated for racing and rallying.

[@markfairhurst6186]

Don't forget 4x4 v6

[@popuptoaster]

@@markfairhurst6186 That was nothing to do with Cosworth, in the UK you could buy a 4x4 2.8 V6 estate in the Mk1 shape, the facelift added the saloon version but with the 2.9, in Germany you could get the 2.9 in the 2 door body in RWD as well. We used to use the MT75 gearboxes from those to convert the 2.9 Granada Cosworths to manual as they only ever came as autos from the factory and the old Type 9 box that also fitted wasn't really strong enough, much easier to find in the Uk though as they were used in the 2.8 Capri.

[@Grez6232]

@@markfairhurst6186 Ah yes, the XR4x4. Actually my favourite model.

[@hazyblue69]

​@@popuptoasterThe XR4x4 in the UK was first sold with a 2.8i v6, then later with a 2.9i v6. There was also a 2.0i inline4 engined XR4x4.

[@popuptoaster]

@@hazyblue69 I know, I had loads of them, including a P100 with 2.9 XR4x4 running gear and (front) interior transplanted in.

[@NiallFernie]

This is the great thing about watching rally and playing rally games, you can jump in and try the car you just found out about on a track you know and feel the difference.

[@Leepatrick3868]

Hi Ian , Yep Cosworth are legendary, an amalgamation of the surnames Costin and Duckworth founded in the late 50s by two performance engine builders . My late father whom was a Helicopter engineer ,once hired a Sierra Sapphire Cosworth as he had to get down the road to a stricken aircraft , he left the house in the early hours of the morning as less traffic on the road , anyway let’s just say he was making progress when about halfway to his destination the traffic police flagged him over , my father explained his rather swift driving but the Police where more interested in just having a look at the car lol , anyway no fine etc just asked to not have the foot on throttle too heavy .

[@advtim1]

Friend of mine had one back in the late 80's early 90's which he took up Andy Rouse Engineering (British Saloon Car Champion 1975, 1983, 1984 and 1985) to have it tuned and a few upgrades. It was an absolute monster.

[@popuptoaster]

One of the things that made the Cossies a bit mental was the light weight (especially compared to modern stuff) pretty much anything with 200bhp+ per ton is fun to drive and the Sierras were close to that from the factory.

[@philiptodd6255]

A Sierra RS500 1987 cosworth recently sold for over £100.000 they are rare and very sought after

[@nickosmond]

Not only did this car compete in rally, but it was a touring car as well in the European circuits

[@SN-cm7hu]

The RS500 won a first and second place in the Aussie touring car championship in 88 and 89, also winning the Bathurst 1000 both years to boot. They did well in the Japanese TC and NZ TC too

[@mradriankool]

A late friend of mine had a sapphire cosworth. Nothing special except this was automatic. To my knowledge the only one as it was a project piece with the autobox from a Scorpio. It wasn’t tough enough to run with the cosworth engine and he went through at least 3 auto boxes. The car has almost mythical status and was featured in Ford magazine & came via Jewel of Ipswich…..sadly it was stashed away for many years, although he would visit and clean it now and again. Before anyone calls BS on it. I saw it a couple of years ago and still know exactly where it is. It was an unbelievable car amazing to travel in and still the fastest I’ve ever been on 4 wheels.

[@hazyblue69]

There were actually up to 50 Sierra Cosworth Automatic's. They were converted by Hartford Motors in Oxford. The gearbox was the A4LD used in the Scorpio, Bronco and Ranger at the time.

[@hazyblue69]

The same dealer also converted some Sierra XR4i's to Automatic and some Capri 2.8i Specials.

[@nigelpluck3342]

The standard Sierra was available as a 3 and 5 door hatchback, 4 door saloon an estate version, as well as the Sierra P100 pickup. There were a number of sport versions, there was an XR4i, XR4x4 which I think were only available as a 3 door hatchback, as well as a couple of Cosworth versions which were 4 door saloons, and probably a couple more that I can’t remember off the top of my head.

[@NocnaGlizda]

That engine sounds amazing. Rally is love.

[@alwynemcintyre2184]

They were RHD first in the UK, LHD in Europe

[@guille92h]

Oh yeah, driving sim awesome, looking forward to that. I love the ford Sierra have seen many on rally races, they are definitely good rallyes

[@Lonewolf8012]

You did actully get the "Ford Sierra" in the US, it was just called *Merkur XR4Ti* i do belive.. :) The spoiler is known as a whale tail. The RS500 is not something any of us "mortal" can get any more, last RS500 that went on auction sold for almost 600.000£ i do belive... Madness

[@frankymr2]

We had this in the USA but under a different name , it was called Merkur XR4Ti . A friend of mine had one here in california and he used to race it all the time. It looked weird when i 1st saw it , but is a fun peppy car. And yes that wing came with a regular stock car. Also teh second ones that are not hatchback i think are latter year and here in the USA was just a Escort forgot what version of it tho .

[@Rick_Zune]

Kinda but it's not the same car, there's quite a few differences between the two.

[@v4skunk739]

Huge difference between a Cosworth and XR4. Huge.

[@dzzope]

Cosworth are very worth looking into. Got their start and made their name with the first engine in F1 to be a stressed member (the engine is part of the chassis) Nearly everything they touched along with lotus on the handling side became if not legendary, renowned. Fast fords aren't limited to mustangs, GT40's or the like. Lotus cortina, many many escorts through different models and various editions through the ages, sierra to challenge bmw and mercedes and on to focus st rs and such. I remember being about 8 at a rally stage starting line and a Sierra RS500 with a massive cam pulled up.. i'll never forget the chop as ot was idle and pulling up to the line.. then he flicked a few switches and she came up on anti-lag and wow.. 😍 instant fan The Sierra was designed by a belgian IIRC You did have a version of them, I think it was called an Xr4i state side.

[@nospoon4799]

And now it's all about uncle fester ( the fiesta) but thank heavens they have stopped making that.😁

[@johntilsley9111]

The last of the rally Ford Escorts (just before the Focus) were basically Sierra Cosworth running gear in the smaller Escort body. By then they were all wheel drive.

[@malcolm.703]

The rear spoiler / wing on the 2 door rear wheel drive cossie is known as the whale tail spoiler in Europe, the 4x4 cosworth with the 4 doors had the standard lower normal boot spoiler, you should definitely check out some old Irish tarmac rallying along with the Isle of Man / the Manx rally, 1980’s upto 1990’s and also the drivers of that Era, especially the drivers from Finland, hope you check out some of the points I have raised, as those were the real days of rallying, from an old Rally fan. 👍👍👍

[@railvlogger1439]

The Ford Sierra took out 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in Bathurst in 1988 and 89.

[@v4skunk739]

Then Nissan smoked them in every single race.

[@dsarquez]

Ford had a partnership with Volkswagen down in Brazil during the 90s too, funny to see cars that look almost the same in both brands (just like Toyota and Subaru with the 86)

[@hazyblue69]

And now they're back in partnership again with the following vehicles: Ranger/Amorok. Connect/Caddy. Transit/Transporter.

[@Paul_Allaker8450]

The RS500 was raced in British Touring Cars and were tuned to put out 550hp, which for a 2ltr 4pot was quite something to behold in the late 80's early 90s.

[@Lav9944]

Dick Johnsons shell Sierra in the 91 season was running 680hp Andy rouses sierra didn't stand a chance.

[@v4skunk739]

@@Lav9944 And the Nissan R32 GTR blew the Cosworth's away in every single race.

[@Lav9944]

@@v4skunk739 Not every race that's a blatant lie 🤦😂 There's at least a dozen videos seeing the Shell Sierra in the dry dance all over the R32's even the commentators stated that the Sierra was faster down the straights 🤦 Down Conrod straight the Sierra's were doing 190 mph Even Modern day v8s can only do 185 on the same stretch.

[@v4skunk739]

@@Lav9944You realise that the R32 GTR won every single touring car race it ever entered? Not once did a Sierra beat it. Ever.

[@Lav9944]

@@v4skunk739 Once against no it didn't win every race It's didn't even win every championship🤦. For example the 1990 season was won by an R31 driven by Richards despite the R32 being raced all that season.

[@CunningStunt92]

As a rally car the cosworth only ever actually won 1 WRC race, however here is a few of its championship wins (copied from Wikipedia) Series wins World Touring Car Championship - 1987 (entrants' title) European Touring Car Championship - 1988 (entrants' title) Australian Touring Car Championship - 1988, 1989 Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft - 1988 Japanese Touring Car Championship - 1987, 1988, (1989 entrants' title) AMSCAR series - 1988, 1989, 1990 Nissan Mobil 500 Series - 1989, 1990 New Zealand Touring Car Championship - 1989, 1990, 1992 British Touring Car Championship - 1990 Australian Endurance Championship - 1990 Race wins Wellington 500 - 1987 Fuji InterTEC 500 - 1987, 1988, 1989 RAC Tourist Trophy - 1988 Sandown 500 - 1988, 1990 Bathurst 1000 - 1988, 1989 Pukekohe 500 - 1988, 1989, 1990 Spa 24 Hours - 1989 Guia Race of Macau - 1989

[@JohnWhite-nq5kn]

Hey dude, the ford sierra Cosworth was used a lot by the police in england as persuit vehicles in the mid to late eighties but in the four door configuration because it had the fastest top end of any four door sedans,in the U.K., also popular with bank robbers, for the same reason, good video bro, kicked it out of the park again, keep up with the great videos, from your ex pat friend from s.america

[@feydespiel.]

I'm a ford guy..but I will mention one other 4dr saloon car of the same era... LOTUS CARLTON..about 25mph faster than a cossie...

[@craigconey9971]

@@feydespiel.I was just about to comment that aswell, I think the cavalier turbo had a faster top end aswel

[@MachineGunJelly584]

I learnt to drive in my dad's 1990 Ford Sierra saloon and it was the first car i drove regularly when I got my driving license, in the middle of the Nordic winter :D. It wasnt a Cosworth but 2.0 still. Very fun memories of that car! Only hit a snowbank once during several years. Quite a many close calls though...

[@bonemarrow250]

You should check euro Fords like Capri, Cortina or Taunus and some other 70-80 models. Funny thing is that German fords were slightly different than UK models. Take care man

[@JuicyJLee]

And the South African Ford Capri and Serria has the biggest Motors fitted

[@peterthornton2396]

I’ve had 3 cossies in my time, a rear wheel drive sapphire a 4x4 sapphire and an escort cosworth. Absolutely loved those days.

[@petergordon4525]

The Sierra Cosworth was launched in 1986 with 204 bhp which was unheard of for a road going saloon car at the time. The cost was £16,000 The Cosworth YB engine could produce over 400bhp with just bolt on mods and some are producing 800 bhp, obviously with major mods.

[@DjNikGnashers]

The BMW Alpina B7 Turbo/1 was the fastest four-door saloon car in the world from 1984 to 1987, with 320 bhp and 383 ft lbs of torque, Although the 1987 AMG Hammer based on the Mercedes W124 300E had a brief moment. BMW also were fastest with the 1982 Alpina B7S Turbo. 1990 the Vauhxall Lotus Carlton was the fastest.

[@Apokalypze2077]

The 4 door "sedan" was the Sierra Sapphire Cosworth which were primarily 4x4 ad well. The Hatchback spoiler was called the "Whale Tail"

[@stevewood1969]

They weren't just rally cars, they were pretty good on the track as well, they were popular in the Australian touring cars (ATCC) Dick Johnson drove one for few years (but kept blowing turbo's if I remember correctly) even Peter Brock ended up driving one after things went sour between him and Holden (over his polariser or whatever it was called)

[@GODEES77]

Yeah Brock did drive one for a bit. Went from Holden to BMW then a Ford Sierra

[@Nobodyfromnowhere42]

I ve always had a love for the sierra beatifull and a monster and when cosworth is involved you know the engine is a beast

[@davidfuters7152]

If you want your Ford education extended try looking up Fords rally history The Mark 1 Ford Escort was the start in the 70s check out Roger Clark in the British RAC Rally They drove from London to Mexico one year and started a whole brand of Escort called the Mexico which dominated pretty much up until the Audi Quattro took over

[@Kent.]

You got a Ford Sierra in US but it was called Merkur XR4Ti a performance-oriented 3-door hatchback sold in North America from 1985 to 1989. A product of the Ford Motor Company, the car was a version of the European Ford Sierra adapted to U.S. regulations.

[@thomasferguson5478]

A good quality Sierra Cosworth will set you back easily £75K these days. A Sierra Cosworth RS500 recenyl sold for a record £590K

[@carseyeadmire]

I know someone with a genuine RS500 and don't think they were too pleased with their insurance jumping up so much as I don't think they're planning on ever selling it 😅

[@thomasferguson5478]

@@carseyeadmire same my platform manager has one (payed about £30K years ago and almost the same restoring it) ended up selling it last year for over £120K because the insurance went crazy, he had no idea it was worth so much

[@mattymcintyre1431]

The rear spoiler was called a Whale Tail. But if you want to see the “Cossie” at its best. Check out the British Touring Car Championship. They were so good they got banned.

[@DjNikGnashers]

Almost as good as the BMW E30 M3, but not quite hey .....

[@paulocarvalho6480]

If you upgrade the exhaust for a stainless steel competition one and get rid of the first muffler, the anti-lag noise is even more powerful. Enough to get the attention of any police you see. Compared with today's standards it is very basic, but back in the 80's, it was a monster of a car.

[@carllawrenczuk9173]

They were definite beasts.

[@jduck1979]

IF memory serves correct, the big-ass wing on the back is known as a "whale-tail spoiler". Standard tune for road going versions 204-220bhp depending on year (1986 to 1992), but the railly versions were tweaked to around 300bhp.... recall seeing adverts for tuning / race prep company that'd take the 2.0-litre 16valve Cosworth 4-cylinder lump to 500bhp. Very popular with UK car thieves in the early 90's. 1986 to 1990(ish) = based on the hatchback version the Sierra.... later ones through to 1992 toned down to being based on the "Sierra Sapphire" sedan version. Road going versions still shifting for £30k to £69k based on current listings on Autotrader. Top speed of the road going version - 149mph, but still capable of doing 30mpg at motorway speed (70-75mph)

[@jduck1979]

Roof vents = think it's just to stop the windows misting up without having the windows open going through a water-splash + not using / having the normal HVAC. auxilliary fog lights = known as a "lamp pod".

[@Mimeniia]

Whale-Tail spoiler is correct.

[@danielhillier7417]

You should check out some walk rounds of a 'Bicester Heritage Sunday Scramble' Its a car show with some amazing variety. Happens usually about 4 times a year at the Bicester Heritage site, an old airfield where all the buildings have been preserved and restored and almost every business is car related. The Sunday scrambles have a huge mix of classic and modern cars. Many I'm sure you won't have seen.

[@Mmrraww]

I don't have a Cosworth, but if you're ever in the UK you're welcome to have a rip in my xr4x4 :D

[@welshhunter7284]

Mate of mine has a XR 4x4, what a weapon it is

[@tonystanton9223]

You should look at the footage of the sierra rs500 at Bathurst, mount panorama, they won placing 1st and 2nd and won by a massive lead , ive had 8 sierras , they are awsome cars to drive, my xr4x4i was my favourite of the ones i owned , the irs rear make them stick to the road awsome , also they came out as a station wagon and a ute which is called a P100 , they also started the ford xr8 branding being released with a ford 302 winsor in them factory , the xr4x4i was a v6 , if you ever get to drive one youl understand they are more fun to drive than they look, and they look awsome

[@andrewgoldsmith9764]

the one with the big wing was Ford Sierra Cosworth and the 4door is a Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth both fantastic motors 👍👍👍

[@dscott1392]

If I'm right the Sapphire had a 4x4 version ....correct me if I'm wrong

[@dscott1392]

Oh just googled....the 2 door Sierra also got an all wheel drive after 1990

[@andrewgoldsmith9764]

@@dscott1392 you are correct,I forgot about that one 👍👍👍

[@andrewgoldsmith9764]

@@dscott1392 I didn't know that,you learn something everyday cheers 👍👍👍

[@apileppanen5431]

Sapphire name was used only in UK. For example in Germany or in Finland those sedan Sierras were just Sierras, just like station wagons and coupes.

[@schrodingerscat1863]

Back in the late 80s the Sierra Cosworth was a dream car, my friends dad owned one, an RS500, and we would occasionally get dropped off at school in it which was such a flex. Had absolutely awesome performance for the time.

[@ExUSSailor]

You should check out Ford's Group B monster, the RS200. An AWD, mid-engined, beast with a 2.1L turbo 4 making about 440HP. Thing was INSANE!

[@ExUSSailor]

Oh, the Evo versions had 600 - 800HP, and, were the cause of the accidents that got Group B cancelled.

[@borisb.9507]

The early Sierra is called in Germany " Flügelcossie" , the later 4-door version " Stufe" or "Taxi"

[@petershterev557]

You had the Ford Sierra in the US. It was called Merkur XR4Ti. You may want to check if you can still buy it. You may fall in love with it. It is right up your alley :)

[@MauiWauiPineappleExpress]

The Merkur XR4Ti was the Ford Sierra XR4i in Europe and is not the same as the Cosworth! Also another body style at the back.

[@zephyr5615]

The Sierra was a potent and very successful track car, specifically in the BTCC (British Touring Car Championship) and 2 Bathurst wins.

[@denisspratt926]

The Sierra wasn´t used that much for rally really. The Escort, Fiesta and RS200 has been used a lot more. Cause they are smaller, more nimble and lighter. The Sierra was more used as a touring car on smooth tracks. But the Sierra and Escort Cosworth is basically the same car just the Escort is shorter and a bit newer.

[@mpainter22]

The Sierra was a mainstay of Ford's rally programme from 1987 until 1993 with the advent of the Escort Cosworth (basically a modified sapphire chassis), whilst it hasn't achieved the success of the focus and fiesta to say its wasn't used in rally is a complete fallacy.

[@denisspratt926]

@@mpainter22 i didn’t say it wasn’t used, i only said it wasn’t used much. Ford actually only used it in WRC 1987-1990 not 93. Some private teams used it a bit longer than Ford themselfes. And i did write that the Escort and Sierra is basicly the same car, mainly shorter. In Norway where i’m from the Saphire was never in the name. They were just named Sierra all of them.

[@roygavin8219]

Tell Jimmy McRae and Colin McRae that.

[@pedrocor46]

First of all, the first gen Sierra was indeed sold in America, by sub brand Merkur, as Merkur XR4Ti, because Oldsmobile already had colose named model "Ciera" and in the past there was a US registration for GMC Sierra. It had a different engine from the european XR4i, because the 2.8 V6 didn't meet US emissions regulations. In first gen there were RWD and 4WD rally versions and RWD touring car versions. The RWD rally versions were put aside, because they were no match for 4WD cars.

[@retrocar7761]

Love these, it was the working mans supercar, a British 80s icon.

[@ciaranburke3243]

Keep digging into the sierra and escort cosworth very cool cars lots to learn, also there is some of both in the states👍

[@gerbentvandeveen]

My parents had an Escort 1.1 '83. That was the car I learned to drive. Also with trailer. When I was 11 years old.

[@pjnewton]

The grey sapphire just after 5 mins in is being driven by Malcolm Wilson who now runs (and has for several years) the Ford entries in the World Rally Championship. The co-driver is Nicky Grist who was better known as Colin McRae's co-driver for many years.

[@maciejgajoch1774]

You also had Sierra in US.Merkur XR4i and XR4ti.The second one had turbo 2.3 engine,and was quicker than Cosworth.There was also Merkur Scorpio .Both was made in Germany for US market.By the way,cosworth had 2.0 pinto engine with 16 valve cosworth engineered head and added turbo.

[@BoldRam]

Love that you've discovered this era bro. The Sierra Cosworth RS500 was the all out street/circuit racer. Brocky even raced one at Bathurst such was their dominance down here. They were rallyed all around the world alright but were more known for their track racing. The Sapphire was more of an executive sports car to go up against the BMW M cars and the RS Audi's/ AMG Merc's of their day. The dedicated rally car they made was the RS200 Cosworth that was a mid-engined Group B monster which you need to check out sometime too!!

[@steveparkes]

I had a few Sierras over the years. Never a Cossie but an XR4i and and XR4x4 (one was 2.8l v6 and the other a 2.9l v6) were in there but even with a 1600 or 2 litre the back end would get out regularly on the rwd models. I used to use the side windows to see where I was going around roundabouts any time it rained :) The hatchback models with the big whale tail are RS500 models based on the 3 door version of the Mk1 Sierra. They dropped the three door for the mk2 and had both a hatchback and saloon (which they baged as the Sierra Sapphire) and used the saloon for that version of the Cossie. They followed it up with the Escort Cossie which bought back the Whaletail.

[@tiagobandeira125]

what I much apreciate, is an open mind that can see different cars and enjoy. @iwrocker, greetings from across the Atlantic Ocean @Portugal

[@alexcherry7549]

Great video I actually own a ford sierra rs cosworth 3door the old 1 at the beginning of the video I love the car the sapphire was the bigger 4 door version of the 3 door. I would recommend watching some of the touring car videos of the rs 500s racing skyline gtrs and bmw e30 m3. Really a great watch.

[@catxls1835]

They have a massive fan base in the UK

[@Kahr298870]

Here in Denmark the big spoiler is called a swan bath. Back when I was younger and messed around with cars, a buddy of mine had a Cossie. He got in a fight with tree while speeding, and the tree won. He then got a Ford Granada with a Rover V8, which is an whole other ballgame.

[@kevinblankenburg4816]

Europe had a serious love affair with fast Fords. The Sierra was also a winning car in the early days of the DTM, competing with BMW M3s and Merc 190s.

[@holdenman8850]

Hi Ian, the cosworth nickname was the coszee. Pronounced cos zee The rear spoiler was called a whale tail or a tea tray where you put your mug.the one throwing flames out the back was the sapphire cosworth.

[@TerenceDixon-l6b]

Cosworth is a company in Northampton, England, which modify and tune engines and cars for competition. They had a deal with Ford UK to produce Cosworth Fords. RS signifies Rally Sport.

[@pauldean8638]

To appreciate british ford cars and top driver then it’s best days are Colin McRae especially driving the pilot escort . The man made corners like the car was on rails

[@craighughes4906]

The 4 door with the boot as opposed to hatch back was the sierra saphire. I had a cosworth sierra got rid & for a puegeot 205 1'9 gti which at the time was next level.