Under the guise of homologation, road-going versions of popular racing cars have been made over the years, and one of these cars is probably oddly familiar yet strange to those of us in Europe: the Ford Sierra XR8.
In South Africa, the clock runs differently when it comes to cars: motorized curiosities from far-flung continents constantly cross the Atlantic to reach Europe, such as this restored one from 2023 . BMW 530 MLE BMW South Africa was its forebear and it caused quite a stir. BMW M5 But not only the performance-optimized Bavarian product, in our latitudes this model was especially popular in the 1980s. Ford Sierra RS Cosworth and Sierra Cosworth RS 500 High waves. These models, the most evolved stage of the mid-range sedan, are still considered popular and, above all, very expensive collector’s items. One of the 500 limited-edition RS 500 Cosworths achieved a record price of 670,000 euros at auction in September 2023.
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Ford Sierra XR8 as a homologation model
But the Ford Sierra XR8 could be even more exclusive. It doesn’t have the “Cossie”-sounding name, but it rivals its European sibling in terms of rarity. Why? For this, we need to go back a bit. The year is 1984. In the South African G1 racing series, among other things, BMW 745i and Alfa Romeo GTV 3.0, both unique to South Africa, would win podium places. Ford wanted a share of the success. It needed a competitive racing car based on a production model and which needed to be homologated. The choice fell on the four-door Ford SierraThe reason was practical and simple. Sierra XR4i It wasn’t available in South Africa, where the Sierra XR6 was sold instead with the 3.0-litre Essex engine.6-cylinderThis means that spare parts have been provided.
V8 for Sierra
But they didn’t think it would be competitive with the regular Essex V6, so they had to do something under the hood. Again, a cost-effective and above all simple engine was chosen. Ford Mustang The proven 5.0-liter V8 engine was immediately installed in the engine bay. LimousineThe Ford Sierra XR8 was born. Around 218 P.S. (160 kW), and on the road it delivered 354 Nm, but it needed some further tuning work. The gearbox and differential were borrowed. Ford GranadaTo match the performance of 8 cylinders I was able to record it. The four-piston brake system provided the necessary negative deceleration at the front. The Ford Sierra XR8 accelerated to 100 km/h in about 8 seconds and reached a top speed of 225 km/h.
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That’s why the XR8 is so rare.
The Ford Sierra XR8’s exterior is kept simple. All the copies built were included. Ford It was painted Motorsport White with three light blue/blue/black decorative stripes below the door handles. The rear had a two-story decorative deck.spoilerwhich makes the Ford Sierra XR8 resemble a Cossy, at least from the rear. When viewed from the front, the special Sierra is revealed to be from the well-behaved series only through a specially made fiberglass radiator mask with additional ventilation slots. Middle classThe limo was deflected. The interior was no surprise for Ford fans, remaining in gray velour and standard Sierra trim.
Last but not least, there was the issue of homologation. The regulations stipulated that 200 road-legal Ford Sierra XR8s had to be built. A total of 250 Ford Sierra XR8s were produced between 1984 and 1985. This means that Ford South Africa even exceeded its target. According to reports, the V8 Sierra was so well received that the first 200 were sold out before the first race. With such low numbers, the Ford Sierra XR8 is rarer than the Cosworth RS 500. If copies are available for sale, they are even more affordable. In 2022, two XR8s, number 88 and number 216, were sold in the UK, priced at just under £20,000 (equivalent to about €23,500 at the time).
Our conclusion
A Sierra V8, what more could you want? Few would trust their ears and look for muscle cars when a limousine roars past them in traffic. It’s a pity the XR8 never made it to Europe. A Mustang in Sierra fur would have certainly excited many fans.