THE ANATOMY OF A FORD SIER RA RS500
Evo UK|September 2024
Group A was a golden era in touring car racing, and nothing captured hearts and minds quite like the wild, bewinged Sierra. We look under its skin
ANTONY INGRAM
THE ANATOMY OF A FORD SIER RA RS500

YOU WILL FIND NO FEWER THAN 813 CARS THAT WERE homologated for Group A use within the FIA's Historic Database, and among them some real surprises. The Hyundai Pony is a bit of an eyebrow-raiser, and India's Hindustan Ambassador even more so. And despite knowing it's there, you'll search in vain for an Impreza... until you realise it's listed under Fuji, Subaru's parent company.

Then you scroll to Ford, and one car immediately stands out. Whale-tailed, with a ground-scraping splitter, prominent air intakes, a vented bonnet and mesh wheels, the Sierra Cosworth cuts an entirely different form to the prosaic, unadorned shapes used by most manufacturers to ensure their cars were approved for use in sanctioned motorsport. That is, of course, because the Sierra Cosworth was not simply approved for homologation, but a car designed to exploit it: a genuine homologation special.

Group A, introduced by the FIA in 1982 primarily to replace Group 2 touring car regulations, has spawned more homologation specials than most. And while the Nissan Skyline GT-R is revered in Japan and Australia and the BMW M3 and Mercedes 190E Cosworth in Germany, it's the Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth that is most fondly remembered across most continents.

THE SIERRA IN RACING

Ford's controversial replacement for the Cortina arrived in 1982, but it wouldn't be until 1985 that the Sierra made its factory racing debut and not, as you might expect, with the Cosworth.

Stuart Turner had been a rallying co-driver at BMC in the 1960s before moving to Ford as competition manager at the end of the decade. He would preside over Ford's motorsport affairs during a rosy period for the Escort (and was the driving force behind the creation of the GT40powered Supervan), before taking on a new challenge elsewhere in Ford in 1975.

この記事は Evo UK の September 2024 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

この記事は Evo UK の September 2024 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

EVO UKのその他の記事すべて表示
BMW M135 xDrive
Evo UK

BMW M135 xDrive

The M135 has lost an and gained chassis revisions and a restyle. Is it enough to make it a benchmark hot hatch?

time-read
4 分  |
January 2025
Audi S5
Evo UK

Audi S5

S5 by name, S4 by nature, is Audi's new mid-size petrol-powered saloon a step in the right direction?

time-read
4 分  |
January 2025
Lamborghini Urus SE
Evo UK

Lamborghini Urus SE

Lambo's super-SUV gets a major mid-life overhaul, going hybrid in the process. Has it become any easier to like?

time-read
5 分  |
January 2025
HALL evo OF FAME
Evo UK

HALL evo OF FAME

The evo Hall of Fame was established to recognise the great and the good of our corner of the universe. Prepare to welcome this year's inductees

time-read
10+ 分  |
January 2025
CIRCUIT DAY
Evo UK

CIRCUIT DAY

After three days of assessing their behaviour on the road, it's time to head to the Circuito de Navarra to find out how our nine contenders respond when their handling limits are explored

time-read
10+ 分  |
January 2025
EVO CAR OF THE YEAR 2024
Evo UK

EVO CAR OF THE YEAR 2024

Nine brilliant cars, from flyweight roadsters to bombastic supercars to a be-stickered estate(!), do battle on some of Europe's finest and most spectacular roads. Which will emerge victorious? Place your bets now.

time-read
10+ 分  |
January 2025
Porsche Panamera GTS
Evo UK

Porsche Panamera GTS

It lacks the raw power of its hybrid rivals, but does the new GTS’s more traditional approach give it its USP?

time-read
4 分  |
January 2025
Alpine A290 GTS
Evo UK

Alpine A290 GTS

The new electric Renault 5 has won plenty of plaudits. Is the hotter Alpine version a car to win petrolheads' hearts too?

time-read
8 分  |
January 2025
BEST BUYS BMW M CARS
Evo UK

BEST BUYS BMW M CARS

THE PERFORMANCE CAR LANDSCAPE WOULD HAVE looked very different over the last five decades without BMW. Its M division, founded in 1972, has produced some of the best driver’s cars ever to hit the road, and in the process has provided a stream of benchmark models for its rivals to chase. In recent years, stricter emissions regulations, downsizing and electrification have seen some of those rival cars falter, yet by and large BMW’s M machines have remained strong. In fact, some rank among the greatest the department has made think of the eCoty-winning M2 CS and M5 CS while others are the only options worth recommending in their respective segments. Price tags have risen with performance, however, putting those latest offerings out of reach for many, but the marque’s popularity means there are numerous earlier M models available on the second-hand market for far more attainable figures. Here are four of our favourites.

time-read
9 分  |
November 2024
TYRE 2024 TEST
Evo UK

TYRE 2024 TEST

Want to fit the very best tyres to your performance car? The annual evo Tyre Test identifies the cream of the current crop

time-read
3 分  |
November 2024