The Very First Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500 Could Be The Vintage Hot Hatch You’ve Been Looking For

With the Focus RS, Ford has demonstrated that it can make a hot hatch at least as good as any from the likes of Volkswagen, Renault, or Honda. But the top Focus wasn’t the first hot hatch to wear the Blue Oval – or the vaunted letters RS.

Among the first of them was the Sierra RS. It was the product of a joint project between Ford’s European motorsport division and the British racing engine constructor Cosworth. Ford made about 5,500 of them between 1986 and ’92, which leaves them as anything but common. But far more rare was the RS500 version.

With a bigger turbocharger and a smattering of other mechanical enhancements, the Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth offered 222 horsepower (165 kW). A decent upgrade over the 204 hp (150 kW) with which the standard model came. And a whole heck of a lot more than the contemporary VW Golf GTI’s 137 hp (102 kW).

A Rare Bird Indeed

Ford only made 500 of them, from which this example stands out even further. It’s the very first one – a pre-production prototype which Ford later sold to a private customer. Now it’s coming up for auction. Silverstone Auctions will sell it to the highest bidder at the grand-prix circuit on May 19.

“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,” said Nick Whale, managing director of Silverstone Auctions. “This is a very special and rare RS500 that presents very well and is a car that can be driven, enjoyed and is a great addition to any collection.”

The auctioneer expects it will sell for between £90,000 and £120,000, or about $120-160k in equivalent US currency. It has another (later example) of the same and three more “ordinary” Sierra RS Cosworths consigned for the same event. So if you’re bent on putting one of Ford’s earliest hot hatches in your driveway, Silverstone will be the place to be in a couple of weeks.