I
t is perhaps understandable
that those rally cars
homologated in the immediate
aftermath of Group B’s sudden,
premature cancellation at the end of the
1986 are often overlooked, lacking in both
technical sophistication and drama as they
doubtless were – certainly in comparison to
what had immediately preceded them. Cars
like the DF HF AWD, the Renault 11 Turbo
and Mazda 323 Turbo, none could hope tomatch the likes of an RS200 for drama, let
alone stage presence and pace – at least not
to begin with.
Yet it really didn’t take long for the early
Group A cars to develop a cult following
all of their own, one lent further charm
and credence through the sheer variety of
machinery shoved to the fore in the wake
of Group B’s demise. Front, rear and four-
wheel drive cars were all well represented,
as were cars fed through natural aspirationThe Sierra Cosworth may bet better known for its success in
touring cars, especially in dominant RS500 guise, but from
1987 to 1990 the iconic whale-tail Cossie had a compelling
career in Group A rallying too...
Words JAMIE ARKLETHE COSWORTH
ER A BEGINS
and forced induction, either by way of a
turbo or, in the case of the VW Golf Rallye, a
VXSHUFKDUJHUb
One of the most compelling if not
necessarily successful was the Ford Sierra
RS Cosworth, specifically the three-door,
two-wheel drive version campaigned by
Boreham from 1987 to 1990. Ford had
more reason than most to rue the demise
of Group B, what with its ground-breaking
RS200 having emerged mere monthsThe Sierra Cossie may be better
known for its circuit racing, but it
was a formidable rally car tooMOTORSPORT MEMORIESMOTORSPORT
MEMORIESall but routed from rallying’s top tier by the
Quattro and its imitators. But it was also
true that the World Rally Championship of
1987 was vastly different from the one of
12 months previously, the banning of the
Group B supercars having left the sport
in a state of flux. Not unreasonably, Ford
reasoned that there was time and space for
its two-wheel drive racer to steal a march on
the all-wheel drive opposition, so a Group
A rally programme was duly given the go-
DKHDGb
Boreham could at least count upon
adequate forward momentum on top in the
form of the Cosworth YB. As we all know this
engine proved to be a staggeringly effective
proposition in anything it was placed in,
and the Sierra rally car was no exception.
It’s worth pointing out that while Group A
cars were nominally supposed to put out
no more than 300bhp, this was far from the
case. Indeed, while the FIA did mandate a
40mm restrictor from 1990 in an attempt to
limit peak power, it was pretty much open
season as far as boost was concerned in the
preceding seasons.‘REAR GUNNER’
Not that power was any substitute for
traction, not when the majority of the
rallies which comprised the WRC were held
on gravel. This meant that the Sierra was
destined to be nowt but a beloved also-ran
on anything other than tarmac, so rounds
like Corsica, Sanremo and the Monte
became far more important to Borehaminto the final season run under those
regulations, and therefore given scant
opportunity to showcase its undoubted
SRWHQWLDObCIRCUIT TO SPECIAL STAGE
It didn’t matter, not once the FIA had spoken,
and Ford was forced to once more peruse
its model line-up with one eye on rallying
and the other firmly on racing. It was
therefore only sensible that the company
would land upon the Sierra Cosworth:
after all, it had already proved itself to be
a cripplingly dominant touring car racer
in championships as diverse as the BTCC,
WKH(7&&DQGHYHQȆGRZQXQGHUȇb+RZKDUG
could it be to take the same, essentially
brilliant race car and turn it into a rally
winner?
In a word, very. The most daunting
obstacle facing Boreham was an
insurmountable one, the Sierra’s rear-wheel
drive layout, a configuration that had beenSEPTEMBER 2019 FAS T FOR DѴȽMOTORSPORT
MEMORIES
all but routed from rallying’s top tier by the
Quattro and its imitators. But it was also
true that the World Rally Championship of
1987 was vastly different from the one of
12 months previously, the banning of the
Group B supercars having left the sport
in a state of flux. Not unreasonably, Ford
reasoned that there was time and space for
its two-wheel drive racer to steal a march on
the all-wheel drive opposition, so a Group
A rally programme was duly given the go-
DKHDGb
Boreham could at least count upon
adequate forward momentum on top in the
form of the Cosworth YB. As we all know this
engine proved to be a staggeringly effective
proposition in anything it was placed in,
and the Sierra rally car was no exception.
It’s worth pointing out that while Group A
cars were nominally supposed to put out
no more than 300bhp, this was far from the
case. Indeed, while the FIA did mandate a
40mm restrictor from 1990 in an attempt to
limit peak power, it was pretty much open
season as far as boost was concerned in the
preceding seasons.‘REAR GUNNER’
Not that power was any substitute for
traction, not when the majority of the
rallies which comprised the WRC were held
on gravel. This meant that the Sierra was
destined to be nowt but a beloved also-ran
on anything other than tarmac, so rounds
like Corsica, Sanremo and the Monte
became far more important to Borehaminto the final season run under those
regulations, and therefore given scant
opportunity to showcase its undoubted
SRWHQWLDObCIRCUIT TO SPECIAL STAGE
It didn’t matter, not once the FIA had spoken,
and Ford was forced to once more peruse
its model line-up with one eye on rallying
and the other firmly on racing. It was
therefore only sensible that the company
would land upon the Sierra Cosworth:
after all, it had already proved itself to be
a cripplingly dominant touring car racer
in championships as diverse as the BTCC,
WKH(7&&DQGHYHQȆGRZQXQGHUȇb+RZKDUG
could it be to take the same, essentially
brilliant race car and turn it into a rally
winner?
In a word, very. The most daunting
obstacle facing Boreham was an
insurmountable one, the Sierra’s rear-wheel
drive layout, a configuration that had beenSEPTEMBER 2019 FAS T FOR DѴȽ