COSSIE P100
Cosworth power has transformed this P100 from hauling around building supplies, to outrunning German supersaloons
Once a builder's hack, it now boasts a Stage 3 YB and 4x4!
When was the last time you saw a P100 pickup on the road? We honestly can’t remember either, which is a real shame as the truck was a very popular sight back in the late ‘80s and early ‘90’s. Looking at DVLA records a mere 145 are taxed today, with 453 currently SORN’d… which actually makes them over five times rarer than a 3-door Sierra Cosworth! Sadly most were bashed up carrying around bags of cement and hairy-arsed tradesmen, and now rest peacefully in the great building site in the sky.
This one has thankfully avoided the crusher, and now spends its time being lovingly polished and admired at Ford shows thanks to father and son duo, Ian and Jaiz Anwar. But why pour so much passion into a P100? “These were the trucks to have back in the day,” Ian explains, “they were really popular in the building trade and still have a bit of cult following even now.” Indeed, when Beadle’s About was on the telly and Ebeneezer Goode was constantly on the radio, the P100 was a bona fide status symbol for a chippy or a brickie. “Most of us had the standard ones with plastic trim and flat paint,” Ian continues, “but you knew a tradesman was doing really well, as they’d turn up in a Paris Blue or Magenta one with the cloth trim, carpet and all the spec!”
As time went by and Hummel shell-suits went out of fashion, Ian enjoyed various Cosworth and Capri ownership which mostly scratched his Ford itch, but the P100 bug was still buried deep down in his subconscious. “I went to Ford Fair in 2003,” he explains, “and there was a Magenta one there with all the Cossie bits and
running nitrous injection… it instantly brought back all that nostalgia for me, and I went home that day determined to build one of my own”. Due to the rarity of the things and how they’d been used and abused, it was really hard to find one in decent condition. So much so, that as the dead end searches started to rack up, his son Jaiz tried talking him into building a Transit Connect with Cossie power instead. “It would have been much easier to find one of those and do the conversion,” admits Ian, “but my dream was a Cossie’d P100 and that dream spurred me on to keep looking.”
It took Ian eight long years to find a decent truck but the wait was worthwhile, as it turned out to be one of the original ‘posh P100’s’ in factory Paris Blue! “The Ebay advert said it was being stored on a farm and the pictures looked good,” he explains, “the guy had used it for transporting his
Yamaha FZR’s in the ‘90s, but it had been sitting for eleven years and local kids were now using it as a play house and wrecking it.” A deal was done, the P100 was put on the driveway, and sure enough when Ian and Jaiz started stripping it they found straw and toy animals hidden in various places around the vehicle! “Despite that, it was in really good shape”, laughs Ian, “so we got stuck in with the strip down and started hunting for a donor Cossie”.
Luckily, the search for that took a lot less time! Whilst at a North London RSOC meet Ian got talking to a member about his newly acquired 4x4 Saph, which looked perfect for the job – “it was a CAT-D and the guy had bought it just to have some fun in over the winter,” he explains, “after a bit of convincing him to sell, and some haggling, I bought the car for £3,800.” Apart from being an absolute bargain, having a whole,
“He’s known for turning out mint Lotus Cortinas and other high end stuff, so I didn’t imagine for one second he would be interested in an old P100...”
perfectly driveable donor car to hand made the swap much easier, as the pair didn’t then constantly have to go searching for missing components throughout the build.
The front end of the P100 being identical to a Sierra, meant Ian and Jaiz could simply transplant the engine and front suspension and running gear straight over on their driveway. But the rear end wasn’t quite as simple – “The P100 uses a live axle and short rear dampers, which obviously wouldn’t mate up with the 4x4 running gear,” explains Ian, “so we had to get some fabrication done to take the Sierra beam”. An ex-Ford rally car fabricator widened the rear wheel tubs, and fabricated pick-up points for the beam as well as suspension turrets to take Gaz coilovers. If you look at the pictures of the load bed, you can see body coloured box sections which neatly hide all of the suspension components and wider tubs.
With that done and the car back home, in double-quick time Ian and Jaiz had all of the Cossie running gear, exterior and interior parts swapped over and the car was driving in ‘test’ form. This gave the guys an opportunity to flush out any mechanical issues before finishing the cosmetics, which was just as well because the engine developed a small end rattle. “It was a gutter”, remembers Ian, “but it enabled us to take the engine out for a rebuild, and get the whole car and engine bay painted at the same time.” Ian had already chosen the well-trusted Grove Garage to give the YB a freshen up, but fate played a
“All of my Cossies have been Stage 3 spec. I’ve never had an issue with any of my cars at that level, and they always drive really nicely...”
hand in choosing the painter. “When we were testing the car, we had taken it to the Classic Ford show,” he continues, “it was unpainted and every panel was a different colour, so it looked a bit of a state!” This patchwork quilt effect didn’t stop a random chap walking over at and asking Ian who was going to paint it, and the random chap actually turned out to be Colin from Prestige Coachworks in Clacton. “He’s known for turning out mint Lotus Cortinas and other high end stuff,” Ian explains, “so I didn’t imagine for one second he would be interested in an old P100!” Oddly though, Colin is a big P100 fan and even drives one himself, so he offered to paint it the original Paris Blue as well as fit the Cossie side skirts and shot blast the load bed.
Whilst Colin was busy doing that to the car, the Grove Garage boys rebuilt the engine to a fairly standard spec, albeit long studding the block for reliability and fitting slightly lower compression pistons. With a T34 blowing at 20psi courtesy of a GS Motosport setup, and dark green injectors pumping in the Super Unleaded, this P100 is likely around 320/330bhp mark which is more than enough for Ian. “All of my Cossies have been Stage 3 spec,” he shrugs, “You know I’ve never had an issue with any of my cars at that level, and they always drive really nicely… it’s a good setup on a Cossie in my opinion and it’s more than quick enough for me”. Given the standard 4wd running gear, the power level is pretty much the perfect balance between pace and longevity in our eyes, and enough to scare BMWs and Mercedes on the way to the various shows the Anwar’s head to throughout the year.
“We do Classic Ford and Ford Fair,” continues Ian, “and a lot of my mates have Capris so I end up going with them to Capri shows too.” His Capri owning mates give Ian a bit of friendly banter, calling the P100 their ‘support vehicle’ because of its utilitarian roots, and the fact that Ian carries a jack, socket set, oil and various spares in a neat toolbox in the load bed. “I call it my survival kit,” he laughs, “and it always comes in handy when you’re in a convoy of old Fords!”
Their favourite shows are actually the small, local ones as people haven’t seen anything like it before. We can just imagine it burbling into the showground amongst Austin Sevens and the odd Triumph Stag, and completely blowing peoples’ minds when they see it. “When I lift the bonnet they just can’t believe it, and I’ll admit I am proud of what my son and I have achieved over the past four years,” states Ian with a smile, “even the neighbours who saw it being built stage by stage on our driveway, are kind of proud of it too… to me it’s like a piece of art in the garage!”
If art is about evoking an emotional response, then this P100 certainly qualifies – for some it is a stunning novelty, a wild metal sculpture they’ve never seen before and which stirs their curiosity. For others it brings back memories of something they’ve not seen for years - 20p Sun newspapers and bacon butties on the dashboard… a fullon Paris Blue nostalgia trip turned up to 11 with the whooshing of a Garrett and a chirp of the tyres.