‘Holy grail’ fast Ford heads to auction

One of four pre-production Sierra Cosworth RS500s is heading to auction. Only 500 examples of these were built – and this is the only one built by Ford. Coachbuilder Tickford made the other 499 examples.

RS500 specialist Paul Linfoot has confirmed the car is chassis number one, making it the ‘Holy Grail’ for fans of fast Fords. As such, the Cossie is expected to fetch up to £120,000 when it heads to auction.

Nick Whale, Silverstone Auctions managing director, said, ‘It’s chassis number one, the first Sierra Cosworth RS500 ever built! This car is truly a one-off, and for any serious Ford collector, this must be the car to have - the one that started it all.’

Chassis number one was the original test vehicle, driven by Ford to evaluate all aspects of the car’s special components before the final sign-off could be agreed. As with most prototypes, it was driven hard, and chassis number one was consequently re-shelled by Ford with a brand-new service shell.

As with all four prototype models, Ford eventually sold chassis number one, which went to its first owner in March 1987.The car passed through the ownership of five more custodians during the next 20 years. The car was exported to Norway in October 2007, where it spent ten years, until February of this year when it was sold to its current owner.

Today, the car still boasts its unique RS500 parts while the pinstripe and commemorative ‘500’ badges are also present. The only aspects of the car that have been replaced are the top section of the dashboard and the exhaust, which has also been replaced with a stainless steel Magnex system.

Chassis number one comes with a comprehensive history file as well as the report by marque expert Paul Linfoot.

To find out more, visit: silverstoneauctions.com.