THE HOTTEST FAST FORDS
It’s all about the nostalgia. The looking back and the rose-tinted memories. The badge and the image.
The market’s hottest fast Fords have altered since investors got on board, increasing the values of 1980s’ machines to equal – and surpass – those of favourites such as Lotus Cortinas and rearwheel-drive Escorts.
Chris Hutchings muses, “Lotus Cortinas are going into serious collections, and Mk1 and 2 Escorts are at their peak; we avoid selling those because of the difficulties verifying their identities. We’re still seeing people bailing out of classics like E-types and buying Fords.
“They’re looking for iconic cars of an era when life was different and they felt so fast.”
Which explains why hatchbacks like XR3s and Fiesta Supersports – which are decidedly slow – are such hot property.
The biggest headline grabber, of course, is the RS Cosworth – in particular the Sierra RS500, which can command well over £100,000 if the mileage and provenance is right. Harry reckons, “RS500s have levelled off, although they probably went up too quickly. But let’s say there’s an RS500 that’s never been on the market – low mileage, low owners and well looked after – it will do well. Bring it to auction with no history and non-original parts, and prices will be lower.”
Paul Linfoot agrees: “Cars at £80,000plus are for collectors, but the cheaper RS500s will see prices drop – good cars will maybe get down to £60,000.
“The market has collapsed this year. The Brexit uncertainty means no one is buying cars. I normally sell three-doors and RS500s within a day – I worry if I haven’t sold one in a week. But now I’ve got a genuine straight Moonstone threedoor and haven’t had a single call in three months.
“Escort Cosworths are the worst for being overpriced. People are asking £50,000 for £30,000 cars.”
Paul believes panic-selling will see prices continue to fall and an eventual market crash. “They’ve been overpriced for too long,” he suggests. “People will wait 12 months to see what happens, but if you’re buying now you’ll get a bargain.”
Richard is more optimistic. He says, “All markets fluctuate but we’ve had things pick up recently. About 80 per cent of sales are low-mileage collectors’ cars, and the rest are nice-mileage usable examples. Cosworths and the Focus RS are our most popular fast Fords; we see a lot of demand for the Mk2, which has levelled out in price. And there’s surprisingly little age gap between the buyers.
“There’s a hefty premium for anything under 10,000 miles. You can’t put 1000 miles a year on a 6000-mile car, but if you have a 15,000-mile car 1000 miles a year won’t affect the value too much. It will appreciate the same as the mileage you put on.”
The Focus RS500 has its own peculiar market, being the first time Ford had (semi) openly launched a car with collectability in mind, and investors continue to follow. Richard recalls, “We sold one a few years ago with 34 miles on the clock; lovely but quite sad for the car not being used. We advertised it at £60,000, which was most expensive RS500 at the time. It sold within a day, and since then the guy who bought it has turned down £80,000.”