Cosworth RS500 - Classic Ford

cftechbuyer’s guide: sierra rs500BUYER’S GUIDESierraCosworth RS500Rare? Yes. A proper RS? Yup. Fast? Oh yes. And desirable, cool, iconic andexpensive too. Here’s what to look for if you’ve got the cash.Words Blakey Photos Chris Coggins/MicroGrafixGood as the original SierraCosworth was, the RS500was in a different league.Designed to tap into the YBengine’s phenomenal potentialand to trounce all and sundry intouring car racing, Tickford werecommissioned to build 496 (theremaining four were prototypes)of the awe-inspiring RS500during July 1987.Starting with hastily-stripped‘normal’ Cosworths finished inDiamond White, Factory Black orMoonstone Blue, Tickford’s44-strong team built the carsback up with, most notably, thethick-walled block YBD engine, alarger T4 turbocharger, twin fuelrails to accommodate eightinjectors and a downforceenhancingbodykit.Aside from the tweaked spoilersand a smattering of decals, theRS500 looked no different to theoriginal Cosworth, sharing its7x15-inch Rial alloy wheels,interior and even its brakes.Despite a near £4000 increase incost and over 20 underbonnetchanges alone, the RS500 waslittle quicker on the road than itsolder brethren and the extrainjectors didn’t even function— hooking them up was down tothe owner’s discretion.But those that questioned theRS500’s existence would neverunderstand it and to those in theknow, it didn’t matter one iota.Quite simply, the roadgoingRS500 was merely a byproduct,albeit an essential one, thatallowed Ford to place a 500 bhprace car on the starting grid. Andthat’s what made the productionRS500 so special — not just whatit did do, but what it could do.Add in its exclusivity and theRS500’s classic status wasvirtually assured before the firstowners took delivery.Today, it’s estimated that250-300 survive, and those thatare lucky enough to afford therocketing values are arguablyliving the ultimate classic Forddream — the ownership of aniconic RS that was so successful incircuit-based motorsport, it waseffectively outlawed.And if that doesn’t make theRS500 a classic Ford legend, wedon’t know what does.GearboxWhat it lacks in finesse, theT5 makes up for in durability.But when it does break, it’sthird gear that fails first withany bearing noise animminent sign of demise.Synchro rings die too,usually causing a problemshifting between third andfourth. If the power’s beenupped beyond 300 bhp,expect a stronger clutch anduprated gearbox internals —if not, then you’ll be looking atadditional costs in the future.A notchy shift is to beexpected and reverse isalways tricky from cold as it’sdevoid of any synchro.ElectricsErratic dash lights are usually causedby faulty sensors, although they canalso haphazardly illuminate if thedash has been tampered with.Ensure that the twin fans kick in andthat the RS500’s unique electric aerialis functioning correctly.Thanks to the RS500 having adifferent loom to the originalCosworth, the aerial shouldautomatically lower when thetailgate’s opened to avoid it hitting theadditional ‘lip’ spoiler.BrakesWarped discs are common, so expect this if there’sany judder through the steering wheel underbraking. Rear callipers can get sticky on scarcelyusedcars, which will be highlighted by scoring onthe discs, while behind the left rear wheel look forthe common problem of a leaky brakepressure proportioning valve.BodyMost RS500s will have led a sheltered life, butrust can still invade the hallowed RS metal.Unfortunately, it’s the harder to access areasthat are most susceptible, rot eating into thesills, rear arches, strut tops and rear chassis rails.Other places to check include the tailgate,door bottoms and where the wings meet theslam panel. Look for matching identity codes onthe front wings to see if they’re original andcarefully inspect the bodykit as genuinereplacements are rare and costly.148 June 2009June 2009 149

cftechbuyer’s guide: sierra rs500EngineAs with any YB, the RS500’s YBDcan suffer head gasket failure,accelerated bore wear and ablown turbo. White smoke pointsto a sickly head gasket orturbocharger and blue points toterminal engine wear.However, while it’s importantto avoid a motor that needsoverhauling, it’s more essentialto get the genuine article with thecorrect, numbers matchingthick-walled block and theassociated underbonnetchanges. If the extra injectors arefiring then pay special attentionto who hooked them up.ValuesThe price brackets below areconsidered to be the currentgoing rate but there will alwaysbe cars that buck the trend.Witness the 5,000-mile examplethat at the time of press was forsale at £47,000... As a rule,Diamond White cars are mostdesirable and Moonstone Blueexamples are the rarest.£10,000-£12,000Complete cars in need ofrestoration.£17,000-£20,000Usable cars that may requiresome work, although they willhave good history and originalpanels.£25,000-£30,000+Very good to excellent examples.InteriorDashtops can crack and parcel shelves can sag. Romaand Cashmere trim is shared with the ‘normal’three-door Cosworth and is practically impossible, not tomention expensive, to replace.Recaros wear well but side bolsters will show signs ofdamage first. Look for the unique RS500 Tickford ID platebetween the electric window controls.insuranceFully comprehensive insurancefor an RS500 valued at £18,000 is£353 per year, based on a3000-mile limit and insured as asecond car for a 37-year-old witha GL7 postcode. Quote providedby Classic Ford Insurance.Steering &SuspensionFirst things first, look for thetelltale homologation-requiredtrailing arm U-bolt brackets andfour bolts under the rear floor tohelp check its a genuine RS500.Other than regularly lunchingtrack control arm bushes —indicated by a wandering frontend — there’s little to worry aboutother than wear and tear, such astired dampers and saggingsprings. Uprated kit may well bein place, and if so, check whofitted it and ideally that it’s nolower than 25 mm over standard.need to knowClubs & ForumsRS Owners’ ClubRS500 register(contact Paul Linfoot,07759 729390)www.rsownersclub.co.ukPassionFordwww.passionford.comFord Sierra Owners’ Clubwww.fordsierraclub.co.ukRS 500 Owners’ Forumwww.rs500owners.co.ukSpecialistsNorth Yorkshire RS Spares01751 477766Graham Goode Racing0116 244 0080www.grahamgoode.comCollins Engineering01260 279604www.mongooseexhausts.comBurton Power020 8518 9136www.burtonpower.comSpecBodyThree-door pressed steelSierra L bodyshell, Phoenixmanufacturedbodykit.Engine1993cc, four cylinder, 224 bhp@ 6000 rpm, special thickwall205 block, aluminium cylinderhead, four valves per cylinder,twin overhead camshafts, beltdrive, Garrett AiResearchT31/T04 turbocharger, enlarged airintercooler, Weber-Marellifuel-injection system withsecondary rail and eightinjector layout, max torque:206 lb.ft @ 4500 rpm.GearboxFive-speed Borg-WarnerT5.SuspensionFront: Independent byMacPherson struts, lower trackcontrol arms, coaxial coilsprings, Fichtel & Sachs twintube gas damper inserts, 28mm front anti-roll bar.Rear: Semi-trailing arms, coilsprings, separate telescopicF&S gas rear dampers, 14 mmrear anti-roll bar, uniquetrailing arm mount forhomologation purposes.SteeringPower assisted, rack andpinion, 2.6 turns lock to lock.BrakesHydraulically assisted, AlfredTeves GmbH electronic ABS.Front: 283 mm vented discs.Rear: 273 mm solid back discs.Wheels and tyres7x15-inch Rial alloys, 205/50VR15 Dunlop D40 tyres.PerformanceMax speed: 153 mph.0-60 mph: 6.2 seconds.identityThe chassis number is on theslam panel VIN plate and under aflap of carpet between the sill andthe driver’s seat — it should readJGG38600 to 39099. Enginenumbers, which are visiblebehind the alternator mount, runfrom YBD0015 to 537. Bear inmind that this number will differfrom that on the logbook due toTickford swapping the engine,however the RSOC’s RS500Register has a build list to crossreference both numbers.Price whenlaunched£19,950ThanksNextMonthMk2CapriMany thanks to Paul Linfootfor his help with this feature.150 June 2009June 2009 151