One to Buy: ex-Andy Rouse Engineering 1989 BTCC title-winning Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500
Until the arrival of Nissan’s technological tour de force which was the R32 Skyline GT-R, Ford’s RS500 iteration of the Sierra Cosworth ruled the roost as the ultimate Group A touring car of its day.
The RS500 was conceived to take advantage of the FIA’s Evolution rule that allowed manufacturers to create more extreme iterations of their already homologated base car every twelve months so long as a minimum of 500 road cars were also built.
Produced between March and July of 1987, the RS500 most notably featured a trick engine that enabled the Group A racing version to develop considerably more power (up from 370bhp to 470bhp). The RS500 also came with a series of modifications to improve cooling and downforce.
Set to go under the hammer at the Iconic Auctioneers sale at the Silverstone Festival on August 25th is arguably one of the most famous RS500s in existence: the car used Andy Rouse for the 1989 British Touring Car Championship (chassis 0189).
That season, Rouse drove the Kaliber-backed machine in all 13 rounds of the BTCC. Aside from three retirements in the opening four races, he went on to finish on the podium at ever round and picked up a half dozen wins, six pole positions and four fastest laps.
Rouse ended the year as Group A champion and was classified third in the overall championship which had a complex four-class structure that allowed the less powerful entries to potentially claim the title.
Today chassis 0189 is presented in superb original condition after 30 years out of the public eye.
Reprinted below is Iconic Auctioneers’ description for this iconic piece of British Touring Car Championship history:
SUMMARY
Andy Rouse’s 'missing' 1989 BTCC car has been discovered, 100% authenticated by the great man himself and returned to its fabulous best.
DESCRIPTION
We are delighted to be asked to present to market this significant piece of British Motorsport history. It’s a fascinating story as it’s recently been unexpectedly discovered and has subsequently been 100% authenticated by Andy Rouse himself making this a particularly special find.
‘#0189’ was driven and prepared by Andy Rouse during the entire 1989 British Touring Car Championship, achieving 6 wins, 6 poles, and 4 fastest laps resulting in third overall in the Championship and 1st in Class A. At the end of the season, the car was shipped to Macau in company with Tim Harvey’s similar car (also run by Andy Rouse Engineering) to participate in the Group ‘A’ Saloon Car race which traditionally supported the Macau GP. Despite an early lead, a failed left front shock absorber allowed Tim past for the win with Andy a distant second but at least it was a first and second for the team.
After the race, the car was sold to a Japanese team who used it for six races in 1990 and one in 1991 wearing the Power Craft livery that you can see in some of the pictures. However, the era of the Nissan GTR was about to commence rendering the RS500 a bit less competitive so, after its one outing in 1991, the car was ‘retired’ and presumably sold privately in Japan, quietly disappearing for almost 30 years.
We pick up the story from a couple of years ago. Our vendor, who has raced successfully for years, had always wanted to own a Sierra Cosworth race car having spent much of his youth watching well known drivers such as Andy Rouse and Steve Soper compete at Brands Hatch and other circuits. One day he heard about a Sierra that had recently come to these shores from Japan and was available to purchase so he went to see it. As it fitted the bill, he subsequently acquired it and then set about getting the car ready for the occasional track use to experience what his heroes did in the late 80s.
After starting work on the car, various ‘ARE’ labelled (Andy Rouse Engineering) parts started to be found which naturally raised his curiosity. Whilst gently stripping areas of paint, two previous liveries could be seen with the famous Kaliber colours at the bottom. As he continued to work on the car more and more clues appeared suggesting that this might just be something ‘rather special’, so the first move was to contact Andy for a discreet chat about what he had found. Andy asked for various pictures, which were duly sent and then Andy suggested that he should come and see the car for himself.
After briefly looking underneath, he immediately confirmed that this was, in fact, his 1989 BTCC and Macau car. Apparently none of his cars used chassis plates and he knew that this was his car as there was only ever one chassis like #0189, given various clues from the suspension and roll cage. Remarkably, Andy also confirmed that the original engine was still in place, incredibly rare for a competition car of this nature – a quite remarkable day for everyone involved.
After this exciting news, our vendor set about completing the recommissioning project to return the RS to its former glory. Marque experts, Xpower, rebuilt the original engine and the rest of the car was fastidiously rebuilt exactly as it would have been in period with the exception of the engine management system fitted in the interests of protecting the very valuable original engine. Now accurately finished in its distinctive original Kaliber livery, #0189 has also recently been issued with FIA papers.
Once completed, our vendor then invited Andy to drive the car at a recent BRDC Track day at Silverstone and you can see Andy driving his old car in the accompanying images and video. Please note that our vendor has generously offered to attend a day with the car’s new owner to help with information and pass on a few tips about how to get the best out of this very special motor car.
Arriving fresh to market having been effectively ‘lost’ for almost 30 years, this really is an unrepeatable opportunity to acquire a significant piece of British Motorsport history. Pleasingly, it’s accompanied by a Letter of Authenticity from Andy Rouse offering rock solid provenance from the car’s original builder and driver and someone who was one of the most respected preparers and drivers in British Motorsport.
