Spark Model SCALE MODEL COMPATIBLE WITH FORD SIERRA RS500 COSWORTH N.6 MACAU GUIA RACE 1990 ROBB GRAVETT 1:43 SA198

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Misfires are a familiar factor of Cosworth ownership – sometimes serious (such as a blown head gasket) but usually symptomatic of an aged electrical or ignition system. Cossies are renowned for eating spark plugs, leads and coil, and many issues are cured with a wasted spark conversion – but that detracts from originality and value. Boost problems may be due to split or loose hoses, sensors and regulators. Swapping paper gaskets for Cometic type is useful (especially at the inlet manifold), while a replacement engine loom can work wonders. Because manufacturers had to build and sell 5000 Group A machines, these had to work as road machines. This worked well as a marketing tool – you really could watch the cars compete on Sunday, and then roll up at a dealer the day after and buy a model that looked pretty much the same. Too sweet a deal to resist... But Hotel Chocolat selling out to Mars leaves a very bad taste, says ALEX BRUMMER

The Ford Sierra RS Cosworth was first presented to the public at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1985, with plans to release it for sale in September and closing production of the 5,000 cars in the summer of 1986. The Sierra Cosworth was also pressed into service as a rally car, and saw some success. After the abolition of the Group B formula in the World Rally Championship at the end of 1986, manufacturers had to turn to Group A cars and Ford, like most others, found itself without a fully suitable car. The Cosworth was very powerful but, with only rear-wheel-drive, lost out to the four-wheel-drive Lancias and Mazdas on loose-surface events, while the four-wheel-drive XR4x4 had an excellent chassis but an elderly engine producing only around 230bhp, at least 80 less than the Lancia. For the 1987 season the team ran both, using the XR4x4 on loose surfaces and the Cosworth on tarmac, but the XR4x4's power disadvantage was too great and from 1988 the team concentrated on the Cosworth alone, and continued to use it until the arrival of the Sierra RS Cosworth 4x4 in 1990. In August 1987 the Sierra RS500 Cosworth was homologated. Ford took pole position in all the remaining six 1987 World Touring Car Championship events and was first over the finish line in four of them. The works Eggenberger Motorsport team won the entrants' World Championship, although the team's cars were disqualified from the 1987 Bathurst 1000 in Australia for wheel arch panel irregularities. These had been deemed legal in every other race that year [5] however this deprived Klaus Ludwig and Klaus Niedzwiedz of the drivers' title. [6] [7] Eggenberger won the 1989 Spa 24 Hours.Although John Sears acquired the car from his father, he didn’t drive it – mainly because he was ten years old at the time. ‘When David Sears had finished driving the RS500 it was taken off the road rather than sold,’ said current owner and RS Owners Club RS500 registrar Paul Linfoot. ‘According to Jim Clarke, who bought the car from John Sears, it was being sold to pay for his university fees, and had been sitting in storage for the previous ten years.’ To find a suitable gearbox proved more challenging. The Borg-Warner T5, also used in the Ford Mustang, was chosen, but the higher revving nature of the Sierra caused some problems. Eventually Borg-Warner had to set up a dedicated production line for the gearboxes to be used in the Sierra RS Cosworth. In January 1990 the third generation Sierra RS Cosworth was launched, this time with four wheel drive. As early as 1987, Mike Moreton and Ford Motorsport had been talking about a four-wheel drive Sierra RS Cosworth that could make Ford competitive in the World Rally Championship. The Ferguson MT75 gearbox that was considered an essential part of the project wasn't available until late 1989 however.

Sierra headlinings are prone to sagging (and can be repaired relatively cheaply), as are rear parcel shelves (which cost a bomb); a Cosworth should have a single-piece shelf with a plastic storage box (designed for a non-standard first aid kit). Launched for sale in July 1986 and based on the three-door Sierra body-shell, it was designed by Ford's Special Vehicle Engineering (SVE) and was powered by a Cosworth-designed 2.0-litre turbo engine of now-legendary repute. At the time, the Sierra Cosworth was a new kind of performance car - a 'blue-collar hero' able to humble true sports cars. The road-going version of the Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500 is powered by an upgraded 2.0-litre turbocharged Cosworth engine producing 224bhp. Around fourteen years ago, the vendor - described as 'a knowledgeable and particularly fastidious enthusiast' - had decided to add an RS500 to his collection and embarked on finding the best example there is. This sale happened because of a unique set of circumstances: an ultra-low mileage car, maintained fastidiously by its owner in a great colour combination attracted two very dedicated buyers who both wanted to buy it.Front: 283mm ventilated discs and four-piston callipers; rear: 273mm solid discs and floating callipers; Teves ABS

They’d come home much earlier than I’d expected, unannounced, and were absolutely furious with me. They got over it though. Eventually. Blimey. Who doesn’t want a three-door Ford Sierra RS Cosworth? It’s the most iconic car of a generation, and even the name sends shivers down the spine of any true petrolhead. Three-doors had four-pot front brake callipers as standard, but they’re prone to seizing against the 283mm ventilated discs; the symptoms are heavy juddering or pulling to one side. Vibrations felt through the brake pedal and steering wheel are most likely due to warped/contaminated front discs and/or pads – Cossies consume them pretty regularly – but could also come from broken suspension components.Around fourteen years ago, our vendor, a knowledgeable and particularly fastidious enthusiast, decided that he would like to add an RS500 to his Collection. He knew what he wanted but took the precaution of enlisting the help of a friend who was a marque expert. They considered a number of cars, including some lovely examples, but were focused on finding the best RS500 they possibly could. A number of other contenders were rejected until, one day, E378 TKN appeared and was unquestionably 'the one'. Its originality was unmatched, the mileage was nominal (even today it has only covered 5,192 miles) and it had patently been cared for.