12,530-mile Ford Sierra RS 500 Cosworth comes out of hiding and is now for sale

Modern classic megastar

Fast Fords have been stealing headlines at recent auctions.

Indeed, Iconic Auctioneers, formerly known as Silverstone Auctions, sold a 1987 Ford Sierra RS 500 Cosworth for a record-breaking £596,250 back in February.

That’s why this low-mileage ’87 RS 500 Cosworth has caught our attention.

It’s heading to Iconic Auctioneers’ sale at the NEC Classic Motor Show in Birmingham, UK, on Saturday 11 November 2023.

After 30-plus years in storage, it’s expected to fetch between £100-140,000 – let’s take a look at this special modern classic.

Big in Brentwood

This Sierra Cosworth’s first registered keeper was Ford Motor Company of Eagle Way in Brentwood, Essex.

For the first 12 months of its life it was used as a press car and featured in the September 1987 issue of What Car? magazine.

A copy of that magazine is included in the sale, so the new owner can discover what motoring journalists thought about the RS 500 when it was new.

The easy life

Having served its time on Ford’s press fleet, this Sierra probably deserved an easy retirement.

However, things got a little too easy when, in 1989, its second owner moved abroad and the RS 500 was tucked away in a garage, where it remained for more than 30 years.

During that time, Blue Oval fans tried unsuccessfully to track down the car.

Wakey wakey

Earlier this year, the owner decided that now was the time to sell, and the RS 500 was unwrapped from its sheets and rolled into the daylight for the first time in more than three decades, having covered just 12,530 miles.

The seller notes that the car has not been started and will need to be recommissioned before it’s ready to hit the road once again.

Like new

According to Iconic Auctioneers, this classic Ford Sierra’s condition is ‘exceptional’ both inside and out, and there’s ‘no obvious deterioration’ to any of the components.

Inside, the fresh carpets, unmarked steering wheel and seats that look like they’ve never seen a bottom certainly support these claims.

Race ready

So, what makes the Ford Sierra RS 500 Cosworth so special?

Back in the 1980s, Aston Martin Tickford modified 500 standard Sierra RS Cosworths that would be sold as road cars, thus homologating the limited-run RS 500 for racing.

Changes to the three-door Cosworths were largely focused on the engine, and included a thicker-walled block, a beefier fuel pump, a revised induction system and a bigger turbo.

The bigger picture

The changes made by Tickford amounted to a 20bhp boost in power for the roadgoing Sierra RS 500 Cosworths, taking them to 224bhp.

However, on the track, racing teams were, it’s said, able to squeeze up to 600bhp from the turbocharged ‘four’.

The suspension and bodywork modifications improved handling, too.

Touring Car titan

The Ford Sierra RS 500 Cosworth is synonymous with Touring Car racing.

Images of drivers sliding the tractable fast Ford around some of the UK’s most challenging circuits made it a motorsport legend. 

In 1990, Robb Gravett won the British Touring Car Championship in an RS 500.

That year, a Sierra driver stood on the top step of the podium at each of the series’ 15 rounds.

It pays to be a sleuth

Unsurprisingly, the RS 500’s popularity meant that standard Sierra RS Cosworths were modified to look like RS 500s.

You can spot an original one by taking note of the chassis number: RS 500s were designated codes WFOEXXGBBEGG 38600-39099.

This car’s chassis reads WFOEXXGBBEGG 38606.

Under the bonnet

At the Sierra Cosworth’s heart is a 16-valve twin-cam version of the Ford Pinto engine.

In the RS 500, working with a Garrett T04 turbo, it’s capable of 224bhp at 6000rpm, propelling the c1240kg Sierra to 60mph in a little over 6 secs – enough to leave some modern hot-hatch drivers red-faced.

Recaro seats

Inside, there’s a set of Recaro seats to hold you tight – handy for spirited B-road blasts.

And there’s room in the back for three passengers, provided you don’t mind their heads spoiling the view of that glorious whale-tail spoiler.

Warning: spoilers

There isn’t much to distinguish the RS 500 from the RS Cosworth, but the whale tail was modified to include a discreet gurney flap, while a lip spoiler was also added to the bootlid.

At the front, a splitter and extra vents provide more clues. 

If all else fails, look out for the RS 500 decals.

Five-gear frenzy

The five-speed Borg Warner T5 'box drives the RS 500’s rear wheels via a limited-slip differential. 

Once this car has been recommissioned, we’re sure the next owner will have a hoot taming the turbo lag and channelling their inner Andy Rouse.

Breaking the bank

Ford’s RS 500 rolled into showrooms in 1987 with a price-tag of £19,950.

Despite the relatively steep asking price (the standard RS Cosworth was £15,950), Ford had no problem shifting all 500 Tickford-tuned Sierras.

Limited choice

All RS 500s were finished in black, like this car, or white, the last 50 or so painted Moonstone Blue. 

The colours offered for the RS 500 reflected the options available for the standard Sierra RS Cosworth, of which 5000 were produced.

Blue Oval legacy

When it was new, the relatively attainable RS 500 was the latest in a line of affordable performance models that stretched back to the 1963 Lotus Cortina.

As Blue Oval fans look back on 60 years of fast Fords, the RS 500 is remembered as a high point in the marque’s back catalogue.

Look up

Although they weren’t fitted with many luxuries, all Ford Sierra RS 500 Cosworths were supplied with a tilting sunroof.

With it cracked open, you’ll surely feel even closer to the intoxicating, turbocharged action.

And, in this photo, you can see that the headlining of this example appears to be in as-new condition.

Engaging controls

Besides the Recaro seats, the other major change to the interior was the addition of a sportier, three-spoke steering wheel.

It replaced the standard Sierra’s bold, but less driver-focused, two-spoke item.

Intended solely for the UK, all RS 500s are right-hand drive, too.

Turbo lag

The RS 500 will hit a respectable 153mph top speed. 

The boost gauge is tucked away in the corner of the dashboard – surprisingly under the radar for a 1980s performance car.

‘The interior is as restrained as the exterior of the RS 500 is extrovert,’ noted an Autocar road tester in 1987.

Practical performance

A successful mix of thrilling performance and genuine practicality is one of the Sierra’s strong suits.

The hatchback rear provides a decent boot and a full-size spare wheel fits under the carpet.

Sought-after Sierra

According to our sister magazine Autocar, RS 500 values dipped below £10,000 in the 1990s, a far cry from the record-breaking, near-£600,000 example that sold earlier this year.

Due to their rarity and lasting appeal, the RS 500 has become one of the most desirable modern classic cars.

Ready, set, bid

This 1987 Ford Sierra RS 500 Cosworth needs to be recommissioned before it’s running again, but specialists and marque fans alike will be delighted to see this low-mileage example back on the road.

As classic fast Fords continue to hit stratospheric values at auction, all eyes will be on this two-owner RS 500 when it crosses the block with Iconic Auctioneers at the NEC Classic Motor Show in Birmingham, UK, on Saturday 11 November. 

To find out more and view the full lot list, please click here.