One to Buy: Unique Rosso Red ex Marquess of Tavistock / Vince Woodman 1986 Ford Sierra RS Cosworth
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Of the many collectable Fords heading to auction this spring, undoubtedly one of the most interesting is a Sierra RS Cosworth which will be going under the hammer during Iconic Auctioneers’ sale on May 17th at Sywell Autodrome in Northampton.
Arguably the most famous of Ford’s homologation specials of the 1980s, the Sierra RS Cosworth was created as the basis for a Group A Touring Car challenger which meant Ford had to build 5000 of the things within a twelve month timeframe.
Uniquely, this example, chassis ‘43909’, was finished by Ford’s Special Vehicle Engineering Department in Rosso Red as opposed to one of the three official colours offered (Diamond White, Black and Moonstone Blue).
Upon completion, chassis ‘43909’ joined Ford’s Press Fleet and was loaned to the Marquess of Tavistock, Robin Russell, a renowned stockbroker who also managed his family’s Woburn Estate in Bedfordshire. Russell succeeded his father as the Duke of Bedford in October 2002 but died seven months later owing to complications from a second stroke. Workaholic Russell had suffered a first stroke back in February 1988 aged just 48.
Chassis ‘43909’ departed the Press Fleet in December 1988 at which point it joined the collection of Ford main dealer and noted racing driver, Vince Woodman. Woodman retained the car for nearly 30 years and switched it from the original registration, D506 RYV, to VMW 2.
Today, this one-of-one Sierra Cosworth is being offered with a little under 98,000 miles on the odometer having recently undergone a paint refresh.
