Originality matters
1986 FORD SIERRA RS COSWORTH
THE IMPETUOUS PART of me couldn’t wait to get stuck in and start undoing the modifications made to the Cossie since I’d run it as a long-termer on Performance Car magazine, way back in 1986-87. I’m currently halfway through a 1968 Mustang restoration, however, so the grown-up side was urging ‘do it later’. You can guess which alter-ego won.
The engine modifications are part of D990’s history and began with the second owner, Brodie Brittain Racing, in late 1987. It’s what Sierra Cosworths were designed for, in a way, but it’s not what I want. My mission is to restore the characteristics engineered into the Sierra by Ford Special Vehicle Engineering in the 1980s.
W hat helped that along was an annoying top-end rattle. The Ford Cosworth YBB is known to have noisy hydraulic cam followers but I couldn’t resist whipping the cam cover off for a check. The head came off too and I found water damage to a bore from a previously cracked cylinder head, so I stripped the engine and delivered it to Steve Curzon at Vulcan Engineering for machining work.
The complete rebuild took me a few months and included refurbishing the engine bay and restoring the wiring loom. The Wiseco pistons were replaced with original Mahle ones, machined to bring the compression ratio to the correct 8.0:1. Bernie’s Blowers built a fresh, properly balanced Garrett T3 Turbo and I spent weeks tracking down dozens of rare original parts that had been switched for aftermarket items.
A new standard exhaust system from Graham Goode Motorsport replaced the booming, stainless steel monster, and a replacement ECU chip from Harvey Gibbs at Supreme Car Services in Peterborough reinstated the original Ford engine map. I had time only for a quick test before tucking the car away in storage to make room for the Mustang
project, but it runs sweetly and sounds as it should.
The final touch was to fit the original 1986 numberplates kindly sent to me from Australia by Graham Willeard, who took the car there in 1991. Next job is to change the non-standard suspension springs.