VA10016 Ford Sierra Sapphire RS Cosworth - Radiant Red

During the Sierra Sapphire RS Cosworth's production, Ford only made fourteen examples in Radiant Red, a strikingly bright colour that was popular on smaller Ford cars at the time. Of those, eleven were 4x4s, and three were two-wheel-drive like the example modelled, which is believed to be the only one of the three left on the road. 

It was first registered on 9th October 1989 to a Mr Brian Grantham, who purchased it from Ford RS dealers Hartwell Ford, Banbury, Oxfordshire, at a cost of £20,310. It was ordered with leather upholstery, a front heated windscreen and a sunroof, plus the dealer-fitted, and then very important, Autowatch 160RLi/T CAT 1 alarm and immobiliser.

It was used sparingly by its first three keepers, all of whom had it serviced more often than strictly required by Ford, so it remained in superb original condition and retained all its service and delivery paperwork, including the original bill of sale. In January 2008, when it had covered around 28,000 miles, it was purchased by its fourth owner, well-known fast Ford collector Mark Bailey, to become part of his ‘Bonkers Ford RS Collection’. 

He kept the car over six years during which time it appeared in an article about the collection on the Piston Heads website. In early 2021, this still immaculate 31,000-mile car was acquired by Lincolnshire-based fast Ford enthusiast and collector Bryn Ilsley, who cherishes this ‘time-warp’ original example.