Ford Sierra RS500

OF ALL THE Ford Sierra RS500s in the world, none were as fast as the six Shell-liveried hatches that rolled out of Dick Johnson Racing’s small Acacia Ridge workshop in the late 1980s/early ‘90s. Powered by a 1993cc 16-valve four-cylinder Cosworth, these racers didn’t so much have a power curve, as they did power cliff. Think the Ferrari F40 has sledgehammer power delivery? Try driving one of these. Off boost, just 67kW worth of grunt was available to the driver. Once fully spooled, however, and all 34psi was being pumped into the engine, 507kW was sent to the rear treads. In a car weighing 1100kg. According to Johnson, the transition was “like a light switch.” If that sounds exciting, imagine piloting one of these grenades around Bathurst, in the rain... Aside from their huge power, DJR’s Sierras had a few other home-brew improvements that kept them ahead of the pack. Created alongside DJR team manager Neal Lowe and with the help of Harrop Engineering, they included using a modified Ford nine-inch rear differential, and replacing the Getrag ‘box with a Hollinger unit. Still, part longevity was not a Sierra strength. Turbos needed replacing at a prodigious rate. Even lesser-powered Sierras were a handful. Glen Seton says driving his RS500 was like “having a Mini Minor with a jet powered engine in the back”.