1980s Icon Ford Sierra RS500 Reborn In A Cosworth-Backed Restomod

Rally-bred road cars don’t get more iconic, or desirable, than the Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500, and one of the 500 units built is getting a very special overhaul in the UK. The project is known as Carbon Piranha.

There are a few differences between this restomod build and most others. For starters, it isn’t being brought to life by a world-famous coachbuilder or tuning house but rather by the Auto Vision Club and several partners.

Read: Pre-Production Ford Escort RS Cosworth With A Jeremy Clarkson Connection Ticks A Lot Of Boxes

This online club for car enthusiasts has £99 ($129) and £148 ($193) early membership options, and those who sign up will have the chance to own the finished car. They will also receive various “affiliate discounts and member benefits.” In essence, this is a crowdfunded restomod build.

The upgraded Ford RS500, known as Vision 148, will be a far cry from a run-of-the-mill model. By working in partnership with Cosworth, the team behind the build plans to craft a full carbon fiber body for the car that’s been dreamt up by Yasid Design. A key aim of the project is to build an RS500 that weighs less than 1,000 kg (2,200 lbs).

The name of the project is derived from the fact the RS500 being used is chassis #148. A photo shared of the donor car suggests that it’s been locked away in storage for many years, and is missing a whole host of parts, including its front bumper, grille, and headlights.

Cosworth has been tasked with rebuilding the original 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. When new, the car pumped out 224 hp, and while no power goals have been publicized for the Vision 148, we suspect it could be uprated beyond 300 hp. That power, combined with the light overall weight, and an extraordinarily bold design, should make the car an absolute weapon.

The masterminds behind the Vision148 project are keeping us in suspense, with no timeline yet revealed for its completion.