Ultimate Guide
Enormously fast, ultra-desirable and amazing to tune – the Sierra RS500 Cosworth is the ultimate fast Ford.
Buying, tuning and owning a Sierra RS500.
Engine
1993cc four-cylinder, 16V, DOHC YBD with cast iron thick-wall 205 block, alloy cylinder head with 65mm inlet ports, 8.0:1 compression ratio, toothed belt drive, Weber-Marelli electronic management system and multi-point dualrail fuel injection with eight injectors, modified ignition system, Garrett T31/T04 turbocharger with enlarged intercooler, 76mm throttle body
Transmission
Rear-wheel drive with Borg Warner T5 fivespeed manual gearbox, viscous-coupling limitedslip differential, 204mm clutch. Final drive ratio: 3.65:1
Suspension
MacPherson struts, Fichtel & Sachs gas-filled dampers, coil springs, lower track control arms, 28mm anti-roll bar (front), semi-trailing arms plus unique RS500 brackets, coil springs, Fichtel & Sachs gas-filled dampers, 14mm anti-roll bar (rear)
Brakes
283mm ventilated discs (front), 273mm solid discs (rear), Teves ABS
Wheels and Tyres
7Jx15in RS alloys and Dunlop D40 205/50VR15
Interior
Recaro front seats with grey Roma cloth trim, leather-rimmed threespoke steering wheel, leather-covered gearknob, boost gauge within instrument binnacle
Exterior
Three-door Sierra hatchback body with unique polycarbonate bodykit comprising revised front bumper and spoiler with enlarged air intakes, side skirts, wheelarch extensions, dual rear wings with 30mm upper extension, rubber front lower splitter, front fog lamps, mesh grille, bonnet vents, colour-coded mirrors, electric front windows, tilting/sliding glass sunroof. Colours: Diamond White, Black or Moonstone Blue
Legend. How else can you begin to describe the fast Ford that changed the face of motorsport. The fast Ford that became the ultimate Blue Oval-badged machine. The fast Ford that’s top of the wish list for every enthusiast.
The Sierra RS500 Cosworth was arguably Ford’s finest homologation special – a custom-made evolution of an already amazing car, the original Sierra RS Cosworth.
Indeed, every RS500 was converted from an existing three- door Cossie built in a batch of 500 (thus the name) on Ford’s Genk production line during November 1986. The first four white cars were used as development prototypes, while the remaining 496 ( 392 in black, 52 in Moonstone Blue, and 52 in Diamond White) were mothballed until summer 1987. Then, from June until the end of July, each car was shipped to Tickford in Bedford, where a dedicated team transformed it into an RS500.
The original YBB engine was removed, and a YBD dropped in its place, comprising stiffer cylinder block, huge T4 turbocharger and eight-injector fuel system. The 20bhp increase was negligible on the road, but made a massive improvement when modified for the RS500’s real habitat – the racetrack – where 550bhp was achievable.
The rear suspension was mildly revised for homologation, and so too were the extravagant aerodynamic aids, which gained a deeper front splitter, additional front bumper vents, a new flap on the rear wing and an extra lower spoiler. Along with a few simple stickers, that’s all the RS500 buyer gained for his extra £4,000 over the cost of a regular three- door – an insignificant sum compared to today’s enormous premium. But with fewer than 400 known to survive, and values still soaring, the RS500 is the ultimate fast Ford to buy and tune – if your pockets are deep...