Cast your mind back to the mid-eighties and the Ford Sierra Cosworth was a relatively humble performance car of the day.
And while the limited-edition RS500 was deemed the most special example, very few would have predicted these modest motors would now be worth up to – and above – £100,000 a piece some four decades later.
And two of them are set to be sold next month.
Fast Fords set to sell for premium prices: This pair of rare 1987 Sierra RS500 Cosworths owned by the same collector will be offered to the highest bidders at auction next month
They represent two of the 500 Sierra RS500 Cosworths produced at the Tickford factory. This is a car that’s cultivated hero status and is now worth six figures to collectors buying them up
The pair of highly-desirable Cossie RS500s will go under the hammer at the same event in February and will be sold alongside an unused engine – likely the last of its kind.
The three lots are being made available from one man’s garage – and the vendor is set to make in the region of £200,000 from this Fast Ford haul.
The DJH Ford Collection (the DJH initials belong to the unnamed collector) is described by Iconic Auctioneers as ‘a highly significant Ford consignment with both cars and the engine noteworthy in different ways’.
Ask any collector and they will tell you the RS500 is now the ultimate 1980’s Fast Ford.
It’s a huge turnaround for the Cossie, which in the late 1980s and 1990s was a car often targeted by criminals, were in some cases very difficult to insure and many were retired from the road following write-off crashes.
But today, it is one of the most sought-after cars of the era, with values sky-rocketing in recent times.
Someone even paid a scarcely-believable £596,250 for a low-mileage example only 12 months ago – that’s 30 times what it cost originally (nine times its original cost adjusted for inflation).
Coincidentally, it will be the same Race Retro auction event repeating this year on 24 February at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, where the Cossies and the spare motor will be paraded in front of bidders.
The one with the predicted higher value is this Moonstone Blue example. It is just one of 52 that left the factory this colour and is said to be in ‘concours’ condition, having undergone an extensive engine rebuild recently
The estimated guide price for this 1987 Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth reflects its museum-ready condition. The auction house thinks it will go for up to £100,000 – not bad for a car that cost £19,950 when new 37 years ago
Iconic Auctioneers has a formidable reputation when it comes to finding new homes for RS500s, selling 23 examples in recent years. That’s an impressive amount given that only 500 exist.
The first – and likely pricier – of the two cars from the DJH Ford Collection is an ‘exceptional RS500’ – number 406 of 500 made.
It is finished in the Cossie’s rarest colour; just 52 left the Tickford factory with this beautiful Moonstone Blue paint.
It was driven off the assembly line on 3 August 1987 and was first registered ‘E202 DFV’ on 28 August that year when it was by Bradshaws Ford of Preston to the first keeper based in Northamptonshire.
Retained to near-pristine condition, the original keeper would often trailer the Sierra RS500 Cosworth to shows, driving it as sparingly as they could.
The mileage now, supported by a catalogue of invoices and MOT certificates, is a highly conservative 54,230.
Wanting the car mechanically as good as its shiny bodywork after getting his hands on it, the vendor entrusted Jim Stokes Workshops of Hampshire with a full engine rebuild.
‘The process was exacting, costing circa £25,000 and was fully documented in invoices, plus dozens of photos and a video,’ Iconic Auctioneers says.
‘The engine is now in superb condition, run-in with around 1,000 miles covered and the gearbox was also given a thorough overhaul, making the drivetrain perform as well as you’d hope.’
Ask any collector and they will tell you the RS500 is now the ultimate 1980’s Fast Ford, hence why they command such huge auction prices today
The rise in value in recent years is a huge turnaround for the Cossie, which in the late 1980s and 1990s was a car often targeted by criminals, were in some cases very difficult to insure and many were retired from the road following write-off crashes
And the estimated guide price reflects its museum-ready condition.
The auction house thinks it will go for a figure in the region of £85,000 to £100,000 – some way off the all-time record but still an astronomical amount of money for a vehicle that 37 years ago cost £19,950 new.
The second Sierra RS500 Cosworth is another 1987 car, this time number 266 of the 500 run.
Finished in black – like 392 of the Tickford-made motors – it has a slightly lower guide price of £75,000 to £85,000.
It was signed off the production line on 21 July 1987 to Hendy Ford of Southampton for sale, and first registered on 1 August that year as ‘E500 JOR’.
Its first keeper leased the Fast Ford from the south-coast dealership, hence the original owner in the V5 document is recorded as Hendy Lennox Leasing Ltd.
The second Sierra RS500 Cosworth is another 1987 car, this time number 266 of the 500 run. Finished in black – like 392 of the Tickford-made motors – it has a slightly lower guide price of £75,000 to £85,000
The black RS500 has just 60,197 miles on the clock that are supported – quite remarkably- by every single MOT certificate dating back to July 1990.
Incredibly, E500 JOR still wears its original Hendy Ford number plates today, as well as a rare Cosworth bonnet sticker, passenger footwell fire extinguisher, rear blinds, boot floor catch-net and parcel shelf. It even has the original first aid kit.
The vendor is the second owner and has retained it for the last 34 years, in which the car has been cherished.
That’s not to say the Cossie hasn’t been used in the last three decades or so, though.
Registration E500 JOR has been enjoyed – as these cars are meant to be – with trips around the UK and Europe.
This black Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth has been kept completely original. It has its 1987 number plates today, as well as a rare Cosworth bonnet sticker, passenger footwell fire extinguisher, rear blinds, boot floor catch-net, parcel shelf and first aid kit
Iconic Auctioneers said this is a rare opportunity to buy two incredible examples of one of the most sought-after 1980s-era classics. ‘What an opportunity this is, decades of care from a dedicated owner lavished on a car that is considered a ‘high-water mark’ in Ford’s enviable back-catalogue,’ the auction house said
‘Always garaged, maintained and crucially, kept original, E500 JOR survives today as quite possibly one of the most original, genuine and unmolested RS500s we have ever offered for sale,’ Iconic Auctioneers said.
‘The vendor has always ensured that the timing belts were routinely replaced, and the car regularly serviced, and this regular care has ensured that it has never needed an engine rebuild, painting or welding.
‘It feels and looks all the better for it, not concours obviously, but with a sincerity which is impossible to replicate.’
The black RS500 has just 60,197 miles on the clock that are supported – quite remarkably- by every single MOT certificate dating back to July 1990.
It’s said to be in ‘amazingly original and wholesome condition’, which is testament to having only ever had two owners.
‘Trying to find classics cars like E500 JOR is getting much harder, let alone examples as rare and as sought-after as an RS500; what an opportunity this is, decades of care from a dedicated owner lavished on a car that is considered a ‘high-water mark’ in Ford’s enviable back-catalogue,’ the auction house said.
Got a Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth but need a new engine? There’s an auction lot for you too
Also from the DJH Ford Collection is a very rare opportunity to buy a factory-fresh Sierra RS500 engine that not only hasn’t been started, it has never been fitted to a car.
This is what a factory-fresh, three-decade-old Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth looks like. It will go under the hammer next month and likely sell for around £15,000
Original, unused and never installed, this is a ‘bench-tested’ Cosworth 2.0-litre turbo engine – meaning it hasn’t been mechanically attached to a vehicle at any point.
Iconic Auctioneers says it can be considered ‘automotive art’ or simply a spare. Either option presents a magnificent opportunity for a collector.
The engine – number YBD0626 – was designed and built for an RS500 road car and tested and signed off by Cosworth towards the end of the production cycle.
Meticulously kept – in pride of place even – alongside his two RS500 cars, it has been owned by the vendor for last 14 years and is now said to be worth in the region of £12,000 to £15,000 – almost the price of the car when it was new.
Rumour has it that only a handful of unused YBD engines still exist.
‘For the serious collector or enthusiast, this jewel of an engine is supplied with a bespoke glass display case and is now ready to be appreciated by its next custodian; what an opportunity,’ Iconic Auctioneers said.
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