SIERRA COSWORTH

The Sierra Cosworth is a legend in its own right, not just within Ford circles. Say the word ‘Cossie’ to anyone on the street and the first thing they will think of is that enormous whale tail spoiler that has become synonymous with fast Fords ever since. But the Sierra Cosworth story is much more than a lairy wing. For starters, it was the start of a blossoming relationship between Ford and legendary engine tuners, Cosworth, resulting in the famous YB engine which is still among the best-loved and most-tuned engines even today. And then there’s the links to racing, in particular the limited-edition RS500 homologation special which totally dominated Touring Car racing all over the world until slowly, one-by-one, each championship changed the rules to outlaw the Cossie to give other manufacturers a chance of winning. The Sierra Cossie story has many different strings to its bow, and even negative stories such as the car’s popularity among car thieves and the resulting spiralling costs of insurance all add kudos to this legend’s tale. But one thing above all others is what makes it a legend for us; it was the original working man’s supercar. Compared to the poster cars of the day it still resembled the rest of the rep-mobile Sierra range, and it was affordable for the blue collar worker (or, at least it was, until crippling insurance costs ruined it), yet it could wipe the floor with Italy’s finest exotica with ease. Very few cars ever have, or ever will have such an impact on the car world as the Sierra Cosworth, and for that reason it’s a bona fide fast Ford legend.