One to Buy: Unique Rosso Red ex Marquess of Tavistock / Vince Woodman 1986 Ford Sierra RS Cosworth
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.
Reprinted below is Iconic Auctioneers’ description:
Chassis Number WF0EXXGBBEGB43909
Registration Number D506 RVW
Odometer reading 97,994 miles
Believed to be the only RS Cosworth factory-finished in Rosso Red
Built by SVE for the Duke of Bedford and owned for many years by legendary touring car racer, Vince Woodman
Anyone interested in the Ford Sierra Cosworth will know that they were only available in three colours, Diamond White, Black and Moonstone Blue.
Walking into a Ford dealer in 1986 and trying to buy one in a different colour would be met with a very polite 'No', unless you were the 14th Duke of Bedford. Quite how he persuaded Ford to instruct their Special Vehicle Engineering Department to finish one in Rosso Red is not clear, but they did and furthermore, D506 RVW was added to their Press Fleet and offered to the Duke on long-term loan.
When that arrangement came to an end, the car remained registered to the Ford Motor Company until 13th December 1988 when it was sold to Vince Woodman, the famous touring car racer, who enjoyed most of his successes at the wheel of various Ford Escorts and Capris. His company, VMW Motors, was a Ford main dealer and RS agent for the Southwest of England and despite always having the pick of the latest Ford range, Vince kept this Sierra RS Cosworth for nearly 30 years. The car was also registered as 'VMW 2' during his ownership.
Vince was a successful stalwart of the British saloon car racing scene, competing in the British Saloon Car Championship from 1971 through to 1989 during which time he won 12 races outright. The first part of his racing career centred around various Ford models, beginning with a Lotus Cortina at his local circuit, Castle Combe, in 1965 prior to which he had competed in hill climbs with the Cortina, a Triumph TR3A and a Jaguar E-type.
To begin with, racing was a side line for Vince whilst he concentrated on building up his Ford Main Dealership to the extent that by 1970, at the age of 33, he was the youngest Ford Main Dealer in the country. His racing career continued in Special Saloons, Touring Cars, Thundersaloons and Super Tourers, ending with a final win at Castle Combe in 2008. A prominent BRDC member, his red Cosworth could regularly be spotted in the Club car park at Silverstone.
The car was purchased by our vendor around five years ago to join his Performance Ford Collection and in 2022 was treated to a refresh and a repaint in its original Rosso at a cost of over £4,000.
Other than its colour, the car is a standard RS Cosworth that's been well used and well maintained. D506 RVW was issued as a 1:43 die-cast model by Corgi Toys and is still available as part of the Vanguard Range (VA 11704).
Here at Iconic Auctioneers (previously Silverstone Auctions) we have a reputation for achieving great results with RS Fords, particularly Sierra RS Cosworths and we are proud to offer this unique, factory-finished in Rosso, example.
