The Sierra RS Cosworth dominated Group A circuit racing in the late 80s, frequently beating it's great rival the E30 BMW M3. To homologate a car for Group A racing, a manufacturer had to build 5000 road going versions which had to be very similar to the race car (the same aerodynamic add-ons, the same type of engine, but in a milder state of tune of course, and so on). Hence to build a competitive Group A race car required a huge investment by a manufacturer, as the car not only had to be a competitive racing car but also be a practical sales proposition for the general public in order to sell the required number of 5000 cars.
Ford had a great history of producing popular performance versions of it's regular cars and the Sierra was no exception. Ford commissioned Cosworth to develop a turbocharged 2 litre four cylinder engine with 4 valves per cylinder and double overhead camshafts, which in the roadgoing version produced 204bhp, and closer to 300bhp in the racing versions of the engine. The 2 litre engine on which the Cosworth version was based started life as the engine in the awful Ford Pinto, one of the worst cars Ford ever made. But Cosworth were able to use it as the basis for a superb racing engine. All the 3 door Sierra Cosworths were rear wheel drive, while the later 4 door Sierra Sapphire Cosworth had a 4 wheel drive system.
In 1988 the famous 1000km race held on the Mount Panorama circuit at Bathurst in Australia was run to Group A regulations and the Sierra Cosworth was the car to beat. The winning car was driven by Anthony Longhurst and Tomas Mezera who completed the 1000km race in 7 hours and 2 minutes (and 28 seconds!) ahead of another Sierra RS500 driven by Dick Johnson and John Smith. In fact, the first 4 cars home in 1988 were Sierra Cosworths. The "500" in the RS500 designation referred to a loophole in the Group A rules that allowed a manufacturer to build an additional 500 "Evolution" cars after the original run of 5000 cars in order to introduce a number of improvements aimed at keeping the car competitive on the track.
This particular model was made by Minichamps for the Australian model car retailer and manufacturer Biante. They specialise in releasing significant Australian racing cars, with Bathurst winners generally being the most significant. Of note are the incomplete sponsorship markings on the car. The real thing carried sponsorship logos for the cigarette brand Benson & Hedges, but as it is no longer permissible to have cigarette advertising logos on models sold in Australia (as most of these models are) Biante were not allowed to release the model looking exactly like the original 1:1 car. But what they did do is release the model without the "Benson" and "Hedges" (leaving blank areas on the car where the logos should have been) but with the "&" symbol in place. This is to make it easy to position the many aftermarket "Benson & Hedges" decals that are available for this model in order for a collector with a talent for modifications to correct the appearance of this car. To date I haven't added the required extra decals (I do have a set waiting to be applied!) but I hope to do so in the future.
The Minichamps Sierra on which this model is based is a good model, not as good as the more recent AUTOart 3 door Sierras but nonetheless a nice looking model with an accurate body shape. The least impressive parts of this model are the tail-lights which appear too flat and featureless compared with the appearance of the real cars lights, plus the mounting pegs for the rear lights are clearly visible. The interior and engine details are very good indeed and overall it is a must have model for anyone interested in Australian racing cars (especially as it is a Bathurst winner).
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