The Ford Sierra RS Cosworth is a high-performance version of the Ford Sierra that was built by Ford Europe from 1986 to 1992. It was the result of a Ford Motorsport project aimed at producing an outright winner for Group A racing in Europe. .

The project was defined by Stuart Turner in the spring of 1983. He had recently been appointed head of Ford Motorsport in Europe, and he immediately realized that Ford was no longer competitive in this area.

Turner contacted Walter Hayes, then vice president of public affairs at Ford, to get support for the project. Hayes had previously been the driving force behind the development of the Ford GT40 that won Le Mans in 1966, and the Cosworth DFV engine that brought Ford 154 victories and 12 world championships in Formula 1 during the 1960s and 1970s. Hayes found the design very attractive and promised his full support.

Turner then invited Ken Kohrs, vice president of development, to visit Ford's longtime partner, the Cosworth automotive company, where a project developed on Cosworth's own initiative, the YAA engine, was presented. This was a 16-valve engine with two valves, based on Ford's T88 engine block, better known as the Pinto. This prototype proved to be an almost ideal base for the engine Turner needed to power his Group A winner.

Resultado de imagem para Ford Sierra RS Cosworth competição

Therefore, an official order for a turbocharged version (designated Cosworth YBB) capable of 180 HP on the street and 300 HP in the racing version was placed. Cosworth responded positively, but they put two conditions: the engine would produce no less than 150 kW (204 hp) in the street version, and Ford had to accept no less than 15,000 engines. Turner's design would only need 5,000 engines, but Ford accepted the conditions. The extra 10,000 engines would become one of the reasons why Ford also chose to develop a second-generation four-door Sierra RS Cosworth.

Finding a suitable gearbox proved more challenging. The Borg-Warner T5, also used in the Ford Mustang, was chosen, but the Sierra's taller nature caused some problems. Eventually Borg-Warner had to set up a dedicated production line for the gearboxes to be used on the Sierra RS Cosworth.

Many of the suspension differences between the Sierra and Cosworth attribute their development to what they learned from racing the Jack Roush IMSA Merkur XR4Ti in the United States and Andy Rouse's successful 1985 British Saloon Car Championship campaign. Ford's external customer race preparation indicated "built for the XR4Ti" when describing specific Sierra Cosworth parts. Roush's aerodynamics and suspension engineering for the IMSA cars was excellent feedback for Ford. A few production parts from the XR4Ti made their way into the Cosworth, such as the speedometer with integral gauge and the 909 sport chassis reinforcement plates.

Resultado de imagem para Ford Sierra RS Cosworth competição

Em abril de 1983, a equipe de Turner decidiu usar a Sierra como base para seu projeto. A Sierra preencheu os requisitos para tração traseira e arrasto aerodinâmico decente. Uma versão de corrida também poderia ajudar a melhorar a reputação pobre e um tanto imerecida que a Sierra conquistara desde sua introdução em 1982.

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