A Ford Sierra RS Cosworth driven by Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear is going up for auction. Affectionately dubbed ‘Cossie’ by enthusiasts, the Sierra was built by Ford between 1986 and 1992 as the result of Ford Motorsport’s attempts to build a winning Group A race car.
The car going under the hammer is a second-generation ‘Sapphire’ model, and rose to fame at the hands of Clarkson during one of Top Gear’s famous challenge films – where the boys each had to buy a £5000 4-door saloon which could be used everyday, but would also be good on a track (S15E02). Clarkson purchased the car with a budget of £5,000, before putting it up against Richard Hammond’s BMW M3 and James May’s Mercedes-Benz 190 Cosworth in a series of challenges.
Fortunately for those who might be interested in this particular vehicle, this Cheap Car Challenge was one of those rare ones where Top Gear didn’t kill the cars. In fact, the Sierra Cosworth performed well, beating Richard Hammond’s BMW M3 and James May’s Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16 Cosworth in Germany’s road-worthiness test. As new, the Ford Sierra RS Cosworth was capable of completing the 0-60mph sprint in 6.1 seconds, before hitting a top speed of 150mph. During filming, Clarkson achieved 142mph on a stretch of de-restricted Autobahn, a highly impressive feat for a car more than 20 years old.
According to Classic Car Auctions, where the car is being auctioned, it has 82,000 miles, a box full of history, and the original stainless steel exhaust. It even has a new MoT issued with no advisories, and is presented in ‘good’ condition.
When bidding takes place on Saturday 18 June, the car is expected to fetch between £13,000 and £16,000.
1 comment
They need to put more TG famous cars and vehicles on sale. I’d want to buy Geoff/ Hammer head i Eagle Thrust, the pile of scrap that was Jazza’s Citroen block of flats and May’s Lotus from the Argentina Special.