“♬ ♩ Hey! Hey! Tonight we’re gonna party like it’s nineteen eighty-nine…♩ ♫” Author photo (and car!).
Quick! Who remembers what they were doing back in 1997? If you’re like me, you’ll remember turning 24 at most… But happily, many of us car guys & gals remember specific years based on what we were driving. A few of us lucky ones with OCD sharp eyes and minds remember specific years based on cars we saw curbside. 1997 is one such year for me: late in the year I was holidaying nearby and whilst out walking one evening, I spied with my little eye, something beginning with…S! Yes, that’s right, a Sierra station wagon, curbside!
I’d been Sierra mad (details in here) since 10, learned to drive in my parents’ one, and by 1997 owned my third. I had the brochures and knew the details like the back of my hand. So as I approached this one, I knew that the ‘V6’, ‘4×4’ and ‘Ghia’ badges meant it was a Very Special Sierra Indeed. I immediately fell in love! But we had a dinner reservation and had to keep walking; when we returned the VSSI was gone, destined to remain a cherished memory. Fast-forward to August 2014, and I was geocaching in a town north of my home. Suddenly…what’s that in that sales lot…is it?…Oh…OHHHH! Unintentionally finding the very car I craved 17 years earlier blew my mind!! It was meant to be!!! And without giving it enough thought, it became mine!!!! Get your superfluous exclamation points here!!!!! To celebrate the splendacious wonderousity of the occasion, let’s delve into the life and times of a Superbly Innovative, Excitingly Ravishing, Remarkable Automobile!
Some of you will recognise this splendid example of a 1978 Ford Cortina! (“It’s not Bucket, it’s Bouquet!”).
In the late 1970s, the Cortina/Taunus twinlets were Ford’s entrant in the European/Australian/New Zealand family-car market. They sold well, being the market leader in the UK and New Zealand. But the basic structure had been around since 1970, and although updated for 1976 (and again in 1980), it was a conservative design – especially compared with the avant-garde creations British-Austin-Morris-CousinBob-Rover-WhoeverTheyWereCalledThen had on the showroom floor (which is where they often stayed…)
Early Project Toni sketch. Picture from aronline.
Charged with deciding the direction of ‘Project Toni’, the Cortina replacement, were Ford exec Bob Lutz, long-time Ford designer Uwe Bahnsen, and up-and-coming designer Patrick Le Quément. Led by Lutz (I’m going to trademark that phrase), the team came up with concept sketches which must have scared the crap out of the top Ford managers!
I can imagine the conversation: “Hey guys, check out Toni!” “Nice headlights, but Bob, isn’t this your wife?” “Sorry, wrong sketch, here’s Toni” “…uh…um…can we look at the picture of the pretty lady again?…” “C’mon guys, Toni’s gonna revolutionise the mid-size family car!” “By scaring our customers away, screaming?”
Despite misgivings, management allowed the Led-by-LutzTM team over a billion dollars to proceed with Project Toni. They could have bought all the pretty lady pictures they desired, but wisely spent the money developing the car. As the styling became finalised, management remained nervous – there was a very real fear that the buying public would gather around Toni with flaming torches, pitchforks, garlic and steaks stakes.
To prepare the public for the radical new ‘Cortina’, Ford displayed the Probe III concept car at 1981’s Frankfurt Motor Show. Designed by Le Quément, the PIII was Toni wearing contact lenses, falsies and a lot of makeup. Ford probably figured the buying public would be so shocked by the Probe (“Turn your head and cough III times sir”), that the production version would be a pleasant surprise.
Toni d’Sedan nips on over to clay studio to see how her sibling Toni d’Wagon is getting on. Picture from aronline.
As it turned out, Probe the III wasn’t badly received at all, but it must have been with tremendous trepidation that Toni teetered on stage at Britain’s International Motor Show on 22 September 1982. Toni, who’d changed her name by deed poll to ‘Sierra’, represented such a shocking departure from the Ford ‘norm’ that pictures immediately began filtering around the world. I remember my BL/Honda-mechanic Dad showing us a picture in the newspaper and saying “See this? It’s replacing the Cortina. One of these will be ours one day.” I was 8 and our family car was a 1975 Cortina wagon, so that Sierra picture seemed unimaginably other-worldly!
1982 Sierra range.
Upon launch, the Sierra greeted the world in three different body styles: a 5-door estate, and 3 and 5-door hatchbacks. The 3-door was available with a single side window, or as a sports model with two smaller side windows. Despite the revolutionary styling, the Sierra remained rear-wheel-drive, and most running gear was Cortina-based. Engines ranged from a lively asthmatic 1294cc 4-cylinder to a 2792cc V6. Ford tried to ensure there was a Sierra for everyone, so there were more variations than you could shake a Ford-branded stick at! Unlike the Cortina, the top-spec Ghia came loaded with electronic features – like a warning light for worn brake pads and a digital vehicle display that gave frost warnings!
Those of you in the United States will recognise the XR4i coupe as the Merkur XR4Ti. We’ve previously featured XR4Ti outtakes on CC, including a red one Robert found here, a red one Brendan found here, and a red uh white one Jason found here. Jeff Nelson also wrote some XR4Ti history here.
NZ-assembled July 1983 Cortina 2.3 V6 Ghia.
While the Sierra was busy launching in the northern hemisphere, in NZ the Cortina remained the top-selling car; the default purchase for families and fleets. But its time was over so in late ’83 Ford NZ followed Ford Australia and replaced it with the Telstar – a lightly made-over GC Mazda 626 sedan or hatchback. But the lack of a Telstar wagon left Ford NZ in quite a quonsiderable quandary, as Kiwis love station wagons – they suit our ourdoorsy lifestyle. So it wasn’t surprising when Ford decided the market was too big to abandon, and in late ’84 replaced ‘tina with Toni.
Publicity coup: install the Prime Minister in a Sierra, chase him down the motorway!
To get unsuspecting Kiwis used to the Sierra’s spacey styling, Ford NZ broke the ice by importing a limited number of V6 hatches – the XR4i 3-door and the Ghia 5-door. They even persuaded Prime Minister Robert Muldoon to trade his Triumph 2000 for a V6 Ghia! The publicity ramped up when numerous publications revealed that Muldoon didn’t bother with government limos, preferring to personally drive his Sierra to Parliament every day.
By August 1984, Ford NZ began assembling CKD Sierra wagons. There were two engines and spec levels: the 1600/2000cc ‘L’, and the 2000cc Ghia. All were 5-speed manual, with Ford’s C3 auto optional on the 2-litre only. The L came with a rather unattractive grille (made far uglier on the UK base model by being unpainted black plastic); the Ghia came with a smooth front panel with no grille opening.
My first Sierra experience was in late 1984, when family friends bought a Ghia wagon. I remember my first ride in it – and being fascinated by my first introduction to a trip computer – it had so many intriguing functions! At 10, this was the future – today!
I learnt to drive in this beautiful burgundy beast! White diamond sticker was mandatory requirement indicating dual-fuel LPG-petrol. Author photos.
In late 1985, the facelift Mk1 arrived, with the 1600cc dropped, and the L gaining the Ghia’s bigger-headlit degrilled front end (unlike the Ghia, the built-in spotlights were fake on the L). I first experienced a facelift Mk1 in January ’89, when my parents realised my (hehehe) dream and traded their ’83 Cortina on an ’85 Sierra L. I had just turned 15 and gained my learner driver’s licence, so the timing was incredibly convenient! *rubbed hands with glee at the time*
After years of riding in Sierras, I was finally able to drive one myself! It was a great car to learn to drive in, but sadly for me, Mum and Dad sold it a bit over a year later, when three growing kids required something with more seats (a Toyota Townace).
NZ-new 1990 Sierra Sapphire Ghia. Only sedans scored the little grille; the bonnet on wagons and hatches went down much closer to the bumper.
Meanwhile, in 1987 the Mk2 Sierra was released. It received a new frontal design and slightly bigger side windows, but the big news was the introduction of a sedan variant, the Sierra Sapphire. With strong Mercedes-Benz W124 overtones, it was really rather handsome!
Sadly the Teutonic sedan was verbotten in NZ, as the Telstar fulfilled Ford’s sedan needs. We continued to get the Mk2 Sierra wagon, now only in L spec. But we were blessed with the expensive 5-door XR4x4 and the even more expensiverish 3-door Cosworth.
But in 1988, Mazda introduced a 626 wagon, which meant Ford could introduce a Telstar wagon. So the Sierra’s fate was sealed and 14-year-old me was mortified! There was a huge rush on sales in the Sierra’s last few months – it achieved unheard-of sales for a single engine single-spec single-body car, and even topped the sales charts for one final month.
Not my parents’ Telstar.
The Telstar wagon duly took the Sierra’s slot in our market. It was more modern and space-efficient, with far better engines, but didn’t gain anywhere near the Sierra’s following. My parents owned a 1990 Telstar wagon from 1994-96, it was nice-looking, but interior comfort and ride/handling weren’t a patch on the Sierra. Ultimately its FWD unsuitability for boat-towing meant Mum and Dad traded it on a 4wd Subaru Legacy – beginning a love affair with Legacys that continues today.
In 1989 I visited the local Ford dealer with my Grandad while his XF Fairmont was being serviced. Grandad was having coffee with the dealership owner, and told him that I loved Sierras. I remember my elation when the dealer said “You know it’s coming back later this year don’t you?”. No! No I didn’t!! I was even more elated when he gave me the latest UK Ford range brochure, full of Sierra variants I hadn’t even heard of – like a V6 Ghia 4×4 Estate! True to the dealer’s word, in late ’89 the Sierra was indeed resurrected here in facelift Mk2 form (new engines and updated dashboard).
Our resurrected range was 2.0 GLX wagon, 2.0i Sapphire Ghia sedan, 2.9i V6 XR4x4 5-door hatch, and as Ford NZ’s NZ$95K flagship, the Sapphire Cosworth sedan. NZ was unique in selling the Sierra and Telstar side-by-side on the showroom floor – Ford was at the top of their game in our market then, which was reflected in their sales. I first experienced a Mk2 Sierra in 1991, when one of the Church elders bought a Sapphire Ghia and let me ride in it – oh I was still in Sierra-love!
The Sierra gained a new interior for 1992, but fuel compatibility issues saw it withdrawn from NZ. I was saddened, but it was a 10-year-old design by then, and no longer a revolutionary style leader. European production ended in December 1992, ready for the 1993 Mondeo to step into the Ford family-car role it still fulfills today.
Hot damn! Slim and sexy! And I’m not bad either at age 20! (I possibly haven’t aged as well as the Sierra’s styling though…) Author photo.
Although I was in Sierra-love when the resurrected range arrived here, all I could afford for my first car in 1991 was a 1971 Ford Escort. Nice, but not a Sierra. Sigh. But in January 1994, in my third year at University (BA in History seeing as you asked), I found an August ’84 Sierra L on the local sales lot for only $3,495! At the time that was extremely cheap for a Sierra, so I sold my Esky and made the red beast mine! Of course it transpired it was cheap for several amusing reasons:
- The factory red had faded to 11 different shades of reddish-pink
- There was an interestingly large hole in an A-pillar
- Extensive rust in the doors – around the windows and the bottoms. The driver’s inner door structure was so bad at the bottom, I could prise the skin out, slide my arm up inside and unlock the car without the key…
- It had an exciting habit of stalling
- Lots of weird electrical anomalies
- It was an ex-Hertz rental car, which probably explained all the above
I got the pillar fixed, and repaired the holes around the side windows with copious silicon sealer (used to great effect on my recently-sold Honda), which I coloured red using a permanent marker-pen. The door bottoms weren’t repairable, so I ignored them. The stalling issue was traced to a too-tall battery that moved slightly forward under braking and shorted out on the bonnet’s underside. The burnt hole in the bonnet eventually gave that one away, and a proper Ford battery with recessed terminals sorted it.
If you were the next owner of LT182, ignore the sealant gun on the passenger seat, the car didn’t leak a bit – honest! I just pulled out the dashboard to, uh, see how it was put together… Author photo.
The electrical issues remained, and whilst removing the dashboard one day, I discovered surface rust on the upper firewall, and strange disfigurements in the wiring loom. I surmised it had been immersed in salt water, as salt eating the wiring would explain both the electrical glitches and the spectacularly bad rust (all Sierras rusted around the windows, but I’ve never seen another with such rotten lower door structures).
After a year or so of ownership, Ol’ Rusty needed an engine rebuild. Once the head was off, my mechanic Dad pointed out it shouldn’t be possible to put one’s hand on a piston and rock it from side to side in the bore… After being rebored and reconditioned, it ran great! For a month…when the C3 auto blew its rear main seal, dumped its oil and left me with no gears…
Ol Rusty, showing early Mk1 headlights/grille combo. See the rust holes? No you can’t! Repairs sponsored by Silastic silicon sealer and Sharpie red marker pens! Author photo.
Ol’ Rusty was too, well, rusty, so in 1995 I graduated Uni, started working and traded it on a January ’87 Sierra L – also an auto, but a C4 this time. It wasn’t rusty, but after a few months blew its rear main seal, dumped its oil and…well, see above…
Shortly thereafter the clearly altered chassis number got me curious, so I contacted the first owners, who confirmed they used to own rego NF9517 and very much liked their silver Sierra. Except the NF9517 I had was champagne and had never been silver in the engine bay… Further investigation showed I had actually bought two wrecked Sierras welded into one…
My ’87 2.0L behind my ’86 2.0 Ghia. I found out the hard way that the MkV Cortina Ghia wheels I’d put on the Ghia only cleared the calipers if the brake pads were half worn (the calipers were too wide with new pads). Author photo.
Owning a Frankencar of dubious origin was a bit of a worry, so in July ’96 I traded it on a champagne August ’86 Ghia wagon. Owning a Ghia was a revelation after my two Ls! The velour trim was luscious, and it had all the fruit, including my first ever sunroof – a glass tilt-slide affair. I loved that sunroof, and even today rate a sunroof as a must-have if possible. My Ghia was a C4 auto, and ran well for 3 years until it blew its rear main seal and…oh, you get the idea, see above and abover. I had it fixed but it blew again a year later… Is there a support group for survivors of Ford C3/C4 transmissions?
Magnificent in magenta! The ‘V6’, ‘4×4’ and ‘Ghia’ badges still present and calling out to me 17 years later. Author photo.
It was while I owned my Ghia in 1997 that I spied the magnificent magenta Sierra I lusted after! But time marches on, and in late 2000ish, my Ghia was getting high in mileage and the paint was deteriorating, so I sold it to an acquaintance. He enjoyed it for a couple of months until the C4 blew its…oh never mind…
Over the 14 years since selling my Ghia, I went on to hate and love several cars (including falling in like with a Magnificent Honda) but I missed my first love, and for years surfed the Sierra listings on our Trade Me internet auction site, just hoping the magenta marvel might materialise.
My marvellous magenta Sierra. Note the NZ-new 1986 Mk1 Sierra XR4x4 hatch above it – also for sale but not in great condition. Author photo.
Fast forward to August this year, and as noted in the intro, I found my – MY! – magenta Sierra in a car sales lot! Further investigation revealed it was the one I saw in 1997! So after coughing up NZ$3,700, my 17 year dream came true! Of course I knew “25-year-old British Ford” spelled further expenditure, and since buying it 12 weeks ago, it’s spent 11 weeks and four days in my mechanic’s premises – I want it to be mechanically sound enough that I won’t have to spend money on it for 10 years or so.
Yucky two-spoke wheel being ditched for a later three-spoker. Author photo.
There’s a fairly lengthy list of required repairs or replacements, most of which have made my mechanic utter words like “obsolete” and “unavailable”… Thankfully the 4×4 was only available with the 5-speed manual transmission, so no C3/C4 oil seal issue to worry about!
Hmmm, this is the sill. Metal contains woven strands, right? No? Oh… Author photo.
Disappointingly, the fresh WOF (Warrant of Fitness, NZ’s stringent 6-monthly road-worthiness certificate) my purchase was conditional upon turned out to be issued by a dodgy garage! Thanks to spending the first eight years of its life in the UK (where roads are salted in winter), there is some serious unWOFable rust underneath…
Ford family car engineering, circa 1989. Author photo.
The rust repairs will cost over NZ$1,800, which 99.9% of folks will think is madness to spend on an old car, let alone a plebian Sierra. But the V6 4×4 Estate was rare new, and is even more so now. The wonderful UK resource, howmanyleft, says there are just 224 left, of which only 40 are licensed. Add to that the four that are in New Zealand, and you start to see why I’m spending more than it’s worth on keeping it alive and healthy.
My precious! NB this is the wrong front bumper; damaged correct one came with the car, will be repaired and refitted. Author photo.
Of the 1989 models like mine, there are only 64 left, of which only 9 are licensed! Even more awesomely, mine’s a rare factory-body-kitted Special Edition (I have the brochure) that was only produced for a few months in late ’89! Its original UK number plate slots in the number series Ford UK used on their press cars at the time, so it may even be one of those. Regardless, it makes me feel awesome to know that I have something so rare, and I’ll be keeping it forever! Even more awesomerer is the indescribable feeling of unintentionally stumbling across a car I’d first seen and lusted over 17 years earlier. But the most awesomerest feeling in the world is knowing that finally – finally! – it’s mine and dreams can come true!
Back in 1985 I drove in the Sierra 1.6 L of my girlfriend´s parents down to the Alpes for a skiing vacation.
The Sierra was literally brand new…had been delivered just a few days before. It was silver with light grey cloth seats.
What I remember most vividly is the smell of the interior´s grayish plastic trim. In the back, there was this gigantic Collie dog sitting in the trunk and having really bad breath.
Mix that with the oozing brand new Sierra plastic trim, and you might be able to imagine what my stomach felt like after a couple hundred kilometers ! 😉
Nice car I was in Aussie when these were on the market so never saw any OZ only got the awful Telstar, Back in godzone I was offered a DOHC 2L 5 speed wagon cheap it went well and seriously considered it as a powertrain donor for a MK2 Escort that Gernan spec running gear would make an Ekky fly however it wasnt to be. I must look up my car on that UK website it would be interesting to know how many remain.
One thing to note, the MT75 5-speed that comes with the DOHC 2L is bigger than the earlier Type-9 and doesn’t fit Escorts or Cortinas too well without metal surgery.
It was the dearth of Escorts that stopped me rather than the metal surgery, now that I dont want one I know of a paddock of Escorts surrounding a Singer I’m stripping
Congratulations Scott, for finding your dream car. It’s a beauty. I always liked the early Ford aero cars. I do find the upright B pillar unusual at first, but it also gives the styling an elegant, formal quality as well. I hope you enjoy it for a very long time!
Sorry, the B pillar is fine. It’s the C pillar that is unique. 🙂
Nice car and read Scott,thank you,it seems only Cosworths are preserved in the UK(or faked).My 2litre GL 5 door was the same colour,I got a set of Ghia wheels and low profile tyres from the scrapyard for it.A great car,cost £300,had it 2 years,got £200 for repairs after a moron driver ran into it in front of a bike cop and fixed it from the scrap one my flatmate had.I used to hit the bars in it after parking up safe in the knowledge it would still be there unmolested next day when I went back for it.In the end the rust monster saw it off.I see a lot of Cosworths and XR4s but hardly any other Sierras at shows
Thanks Gem! The Cosworth, XR4i and XR4x4 are the ones collected here, although only the Cosworth is worth anything decent (a good Cossie can still be over NZ$50,000). Considering how many standard wagons were sold, there seem to be none left – I haven’t seen a standard one in ages. Ironically there seem to be far more MkIII-V Cortina wagons still around.
Awesome and Double Awesome! You have truly captured a rarity and for that I salute you. Despite never having seen any of these in the metal, it is easy to see why these appealed to so many.
May you have many years of splendor and enjoyment.
As much as I am a Ford fan, I’ve often silently cursed the company for some of it’s marketing decisions. I realize I couldn’t own one when they were new, but I think it was a mistake to not offer either the Sierra or Scorpio wagon in the U.S.
Then again, considering how hard it was and is to find an XR4 ti with a manual transmission, we definitely would NOT have gotten a great car like this one in the write-up.
Yet in the rest of the world, the auto trans was never available on the XR4i! So America was somewhat short-changed there.
This one looks like a keeper. With a great backstory. Congrats Scott.
Scott, I think it’s awesome that you found the same car 17 years later, and this time could welcome it to your home. Great read, and I hope you have many years of enjoyment from this interesting, rare car.
How nice. I really like this wagon styling. It is modern yet still conservative. I think it has that Germanic Bauhaus vibe. VW/Audi took that style a step too far for my taste.
I am bit confused about the origin of the styling. This lead by Lutz Probe study looks like the mother of the Taurus/Sable and I thought the Taurus /Sable was an all American effort. In fact I thought the Merkur was a mongrel of the Sable with European underpinnings. Should I consider the Taurus/Sable an offspring of Toni?
The Sierra predates the Taurus but it was global Ford design language Aussies Falcon went grilleless in 88 too
I think the wagon styling still looks acceptably modern today. Certainly more so than the gen1 Mondeo IMHO.
The Granada/Scorpio, like the NZ-new one below, was the true offspring of Toni. It sits on a stretched Sierra floopan, and a lot of the mechanicals are shared. There’s no direct connection to the Taurus /Sable platform as far as I’m aware. I think the Sierra simply started a new styling direction for Ford that spread through the different product lines. Much like Ford’s Aston-esque grille is doing now.
In the early nineties a colleague had a Scorpio that looked exactly the same: the color, the black bumpers and the plastic grey wheel covers. His Ford had the 2.5 liter turbo diesel from Peugeot. From 1993 onwards the Scorpio had VM Motori diesels, also a 2.5 liter turbo diesel.
The one above is a 2.9i auto. NZ-new too, so it’s very rare (Ford imported a very small number between 1985 and 1988, they were priced midway between the XR4x4 and Cosworth Sierras).
Very nice, Scott. I’ve always liked pretty much the entire Sierra line, and the XR4x4’s and the wagons are some of the best. I didn’t realize you got the Cossie over there as well, but it makes sense I suppose. Did you get the Sierra Sapphire Cosworth too? I’m normally not a sedan guy but that one looked the part, especially with those wonderful cross-spoke wheels. Apparently South Africa even had an XR8 version of the 3-door at one time (yes, with a V8!).
And congratulations on finding your unicorn, it happens all too rarely especially once you let it get away once or even twice! I hope you enjoy it.
Thanks Jim 🙂 Yes, the Sapphire Cossie was the NZ$95K flagship (the Sapphire Ghia was NZ$43K to give you an idea of relativity). We got every version of the Cosworth made – hatch, sedan, 2WD, 4WD, RS etc. We also got the Escort Cosworth once the Sierra was put out to pasture. None were big sellers, but all have held their value remarkably well. The South African V8 was in the Mk1 5-door shell – I have the brochure. They only made a couple of hundred, but there’s at least one been imported here.
I love the Sierra variant sold in the USA as the Mukur XR4ti (especially the double spoiler.
A keeper for sure. Sounds like the ultimate Sierra, and a person who appreciates these cars should not have to settle for less then the rarest and best model. Fate seems to have been kind to you and the Sierra. Always wish the best for a long term owner.
Great article – it’s nice to know there’s a fellow station wagon aficionado in NZ. I never knew they made a wagon version of the Merkur, as we knew it here in the States. . . Very nice styling. The stick shift is awesome, too. I’m glad you have managed to save this car, as it will only become rarer (even with the 9 still licensed – wow!) Way to go 😀
I love station wagons! I blame my parents, as they’ve hardly ever owned anything else! I’ve had the four Sierra and two Mazda6 wagons, all so very practical. My current daily-driver Nissan is a sedan, and is lovely, but I miss the convenience of a wagon – except now I have a wagon too! 😉
My gosh I love these cars. One day I will import a Sapphire.
The silver Sapphire I included the photo of is for sale for only NZ$700, it could be yours! Of course that’s cheap, because half the engine comes in a bucket thanks to an errant piston leaving in a hurry…
Congratulations Scott ! Enjoy your Set-O-Wheels.
Years ago I saw a UK TV-show about the Sierra’s design and development. It wasn’t Top Gear, as far as I can remember. One of the former members of the Sierra-team said that the inspiration for the Sierra’s (3th) rear side windows came from this:
We have owned 3 different xr4ti cars over quite a few years— 1 automatic and 2 five speeds. (We paid less than $1,000 for each– and that was about what they were worth.) Also owned a Scorpio. We constantly imagined what the xr4ti could have/ would have been like with the Scorpio engine! Still watch eBay UK and see the Sierra 4X4 versions up for sale– wishful thinking of what Ford could have achieved in the US with a proper introduction and sales strategy.
Of course in the rest of the world, the XR4i was only ever sold with the Scorpio engine!
What I think of when I see the name Sapphire applied to a car….
Nicely played pfsm! Armstrong-Siddeleys were popular here, and still turn up for sale reasonably frequently. Ford actually used the Sapphire badge on the 1996-8 Australian Falcon sedan too. The Falcon Sapphire was a limited edition model, with special wheels etc.
Different strokes for different folks ! I always thought the Sierra was a dog. The last Cortinas were a bit bland, but very crisply styled. Early Sierras had ugly front ends, very strange wheeltrims, and small retro windows with thick pillars that reminded me of a 1940s Ford. ( The Citroen BX launched at the same time with infinitely more stylish looks )
The Sierra Sapphire didn’t offend me nearly as much, and obviously I would have killed for a Cossie Sapphire.
The Sierra a dog???!! Wash your mouth out with soap right now mister!! Although, to be honest, none of the NZ-assambled Mk1 Sierras I had were terribly well made, with a cacophony of rattles and buzzes. And they quickly developed a reputation in NZ of being a car you swore by or swore at. I personally think their style does outrank their substance, as they were very obviously built down to a cost in a number of areas. I like the BX, but no doubt you’ll want me to wash my mouth out with soap, as I don’t think the BX’s angular styling has lasted nearly as well as the Sierra!
Woven strands in the sill? could your car perhaps be one of the even more rare, oft rumored, Carbon Sierras?
You know what Mark, I truly hoped it was! Sadly my mechanic demonstrated that it’s a poor quality fake! *gasp* Apparently if it were a real Carbon Sierra, he wouldn’t be able to poke his screwdriver through important structural components! I said he was just an unbeliever, but then bits of the “carbon” started falling off in chunks… 😉
Nice one Scott, I hope it doesn’t cost you to much to get it back on the road.
The only Sierras we saw in Australia were a handful of RS Cosworths/RS500s imported by fans of touring car racing, then a few RS Sapphires. I don’t think I’ve seen any other type although there are at least a couple of the South African XR8’s here.
Thanks John – and I can confirm you have at least one standard 5-door Sierra hatchback somewhere in Australia, as the scrap yard I Just bought replacement headlight wipers from had just sent a set of doors over to the Australian owner. We only have one of the South African Sierra XR8s here that I’m aware of – it was for sale earlier this year for NZ$40+K. Rare yes, but not even a harden fan like me would pay that much versus a Cosworth for similar money.
Yummy. That Estate is a beauty, and I really wish there was still one around in Norway that wasn’t rusted to death. I do prefer the MK1’s though, with what was probably the messiest hatch ever, the ‘Ford Sierra 2.8i GHia 4×4’ badging barely left some room for the numberplate. With your car having the ‘RS’ styling (and matching 7 spoke wheels) it is probably as loaded as a Sierra ever was.
Originally I wasn’t a huge Sierra fan, as they were incredibly ‘mainstream’ over here, scoring a sales record in 1986 or 87 (or both?), but that also made them very cheap when I started buying cars in the early ’00’s. In total I’ve had about 5 or 6 daily drivers, and a couple of never finished projects, and almost as many cars bought just to strip for parts. All but two have been mk1’s, and I’ve never had a sedan (sapphire), as I don’t think they look as awesome, and they’re not as practical as the hatch.
The XR4i would be the best of them (I’ve had two), and they really stand out as comfortable grand touring cars, with lots more sound deadening and better interiors, and the large (by Norwegian standards) fuel injected 2.8. v6
Another great car was the 85 and 86 2.0 ‘iS’-version which used the suspension from the XR4i coupled with the 115 hp 2.0i engine and a 3.93:1 rear differential (same as a 1.6 Estate, made it feel rev-happy). A brilliant mix of economy and fun, without being really as fast as it felt.
As for build quality, these cars where cheap, and pretty lightweight for their size, lets keep it at that….
As of now my last Sierra (’84 2.3 GL 5-door) has been standing around rusting slowly, waiting for me to assemble a tuned 2.8 with 2.9 Scorpio Cosworth internals. It’s been 6 or 7 years, so I’m afraid I’ll never get around to finish it…
Thanks zykotec! After my 3 Mk1s (4 counting my parents’), this is my first Mk2. I’m not sure if it’s because it’s a Mk2 or because it’s European built, but it’s a LOT better built than my NZ-assembled ones were. Other than the spare wheel and jack covers, there are no interior rattles or buzzes, which is fantastic! Being a pre-facelift Mk2 it still has the Mk1 dashboard, which I prefer.
The RS bodykit and wheels (and the RS badge inside it) are factory-fitted, as it’s one of the UK “Special Edition” ones that came with the RS bits as standard (as whell as the a/c and ABS). I suspect the Special Edition was created to sell the last of the V6-equipped wagons, as for 1990 the 4×4 dropped the V6 and gained the new twin-cam 2.0 4-cylinder. Special Edition brochure:
I know I’m way late but WOW, what a car! I never would have guessed such a Sierra even existed (XR4x4 in a wagon body). Great color and wheels, too. I think I like the Mk1 Sierra styling a little better, but that may just be familiarity, as that’s the only one we got in the U.S. (as a Merkur).
I recently stumbled across a black ’89 XR4Ti parked on the street which was still shiny and looked all of 2-3 years old; first one I’d seen in quite awhile. We always talk about what a failure the whole Merkur debacle was, but they do have a strong, albeit small, following over here. Personally, I’ve always loved them and could still see myself owning one some day. That WHEELS comparo you posted had me really missing my old T-Birds, and a more practical, German turbo Ford is even more appealing to me at this point. I think the final Cortina/Taunus TC is a very handsome car, too.
Hang onto this one, Scott – it was meant to be!
Thanks Sean 🙂 I didn’t find out they existed until that dealer gave me the UK brochure – which was sadly lacking photos of the 4×4 wagon too! The wagon came with the standard Ghia suspension (with self-levelling rear shocks that are now completely unavailable anywhere…) and seats; the uprated suspension and seats of the XR4x4 would have been nice!
Agree the final Cortina/Taunus is great looking – I think its one of the prettiest designs ever actually.
Good find, the Sierra is one of those cars I’ve always wanted to try. My UK Ford experience is limited to Fiestas and Escorts, plus a Contour (US version of Mondeo).
The hotrod Sierras always interested me, but my favorite Ford Estate remains the MK2 Granada 2.8 Injection.
I came across this delicacy this morning.
To be auctioned, a 360 hp (although the engine has been built to deliver 500 hp) 1988 Ford Sierra Cosworth. Sweeeet !
More here: https://www.silverstoneauctions.com/ford-sierra-cosworth
Oh, that’s very nice! One of the three genuine Eggenberger Sierras is actually right here in New Zealand, and for sale on trademe for NZ$585K!! It belongs to a friend of the Sierra racer who I just bought a new sunroof from for mine. http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/ford/auction-768189631.htm
How nice, and what a coincidence, that the Real McCoy and the tribute car are meeting here ! Given the price difference the tribute car would do just fine, thank you. I like the black & red color combo and its “Take No Prisoners” looks and stance.
Way late on the comment, but that appears to be quite the excellent Sierra you’ve found! The rarity/options, plus the backstory stretching over 17 years, make it a definite keeper! I think you’re doing the right thing putting the money into it now, so that you’ll have a collectible that you can drive whenever you like and actually get use out of the wagon capacity, as opposed to something that turns into a driveway ornament at the first sign of trouble. Hoping for many years of enjoyment!
It is something of a shame we never got the rest of the Sierra line over here, as opposed to the tepid Tempo (I think that’s the proper size match up?). I was always a fan of the XR4ti, but confused marketing, a crowded segment and a high price due to the exchange rate made them slow sellers. A shame, as they just looked “right” in the lineup due to the shared styling cues with the Taurus and made a fine little sports coupe with the turbo motor.
Thank you 🙂 I only intended to get it mechanically good now, I’d hoped the body would last 5-6 years before needing repairs, so the rust was an unpleasant discovery. But it is what it is… And yes, I bought it to drive, not to stare at in the back yard!
I think the Tempo is indeed the right size match up. It’d have been interesting to see how the two compared at the time actually.
This guy truly is devoted to Sierras. I remember them well growing up in the late 80s. We all know the 4 x 4 and cossie!. I bought a Sierra myself in 1996 an old A reg circa 1984 lol and the brakes were shocking, no ABS in those days and it wouldnt stop in the wet just locked up and skidded. Took me allover the UK though illegally before i passed my test properly in 2006.
Oh I am! And I still have the wagon – it’s not going anywhere! (Literally, as it has two flat punctures!). Back in the 80s and 90s the tyres – 195/65×14 were common and cheap; nowadays they’re rare and expensive… The price of progress!
Quick update: my partner and I moved house (and town) 3 weeks ago, and naturally the Sierra needed to come too. So I wandered to a local garage to get a new WOF (NZ roadworthiness certificate, without which a vehicle isn’t allowed to be driven on road). It promptly failed due to a variety of blown bulbs, dud wiper blades and an inertia-reel set belt that no longer grabbed when braking. Long story short, this was all sorted and I’d saved enough to get the tyres fixed too, so the Sierra successfully moved with me. It was the first time since August 2014 that it had travelled more than 20km, and it performed faultlessly. It still surprises me how well it drives for a 28 year old car. And after a year of searching, I’ve finally found and bought, and just received, a replacement dashboard for it, so will install it and refit the rest of the interior soon – following which will be a proper CC update!
I’m glad it’s in good hands, ANY Sierra is a rare car now, even in the U.K and the 2.9 4×4 was a fantastic machine. I seem to remember the gearbox was a bit fragile on them but aside from that, great cars.
I had two, both sapphires, a 1.6 Lx with the Pinto engine and a 2.3 GL Diesel, with a Peugeot indenor engine. It remains the slowest car I’ve ever driven but reliable as a hammer and 45 mpg.
Can you please email me Kahlee.thompson@gmail.com
My dad has the twin of your Sierra & would like to get in touch with you
Hi Kahlee, I have done a couple of times over the last few months but no reply. Might have gone to your junk mail, so let me know if you want me to try again. Cheers, Scott.
Sorry my bad. It’s kahleethompson@gmail.com
Or my dad is Tommo 0274524250.
I know he has being having a heck of a time trying to get it certified.
Well here we are a few years later and it’s still with me! Sometimes I rather wish that it wasn’t though, as it’s become more and more obvious that Ford didn’t intend Sierras to last this long, and every time I drive it something else breaks, falls off or stops working… The a/c has just been rebuilt (again) at vast sum, the rear shock absorbers are worn out (again) and replacements unavailable, the viscous fan has died (again), rust is appearing again (and again!), and the brand new battery won’t last more than three days so there’s a sizeable electrical draw somewhere (yes again). And yet…and yet when it is running, it runs beautifully, sounds fantastic and belies its almost-32 years. So I guess I’ll keep spending money on it and keep loving it when it’s running…! Thank goodness our Peugeot 508 is reliable though…
Just checking in for anyone who’s interested (all 1 of us!). After sitting outside in all weather for 3.5 years, the magnificent Sierra is back under cover inside our garage again. Added fresh fuel and a new battery and after winding over several times it eventually started, settled down to a smooth idle and drove nicely up and down the road. Everything still working except the interior fan and a couple of exterior lights. Will give it a good tidy up and get it roadworthy again.