Forget about Aston Martins, Bentleys and Ferraris - the brand that's sending car collectors into a frenzy right now is Ford. And Fast Fords in particular.
That might explain why a full-on boy-racer-spec RS500 Cosworth is being tipped to smash the record for the highest figure paid for a Sierra when it features at an auction in Birmingham next month. Predicted to sell for about £115,000 (NZ$212,000), it has risen in value by a monumental 310 per cent in the last 10 years alone.
It has done just 6,000 miles in three decades and will go under the hammer at the Silverstone Auctions NEC Classic Motor Show Sale on November 11, along with four other high-performance models, all of which have estimates that will make you wish you'd invested in a Ford ten years ago.
We take a look at the Sierra RS500 Cosworth and the other Fast Fords below.
1988 Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500, Estimate: £100,000-£115,000 (NZ$185,000–$212,000)
Sierra RS Cosworths have sky-rocketed in value in recent years to the point where exemplary versions are now selling for six figure sums - more than four times what they were worth a decade ago.
Just two months ago a 1987 car with less than 11,000 miles on the clock sold for a staggering £114,750 (NZ$212,000). But that record is expected to be smashed next month when this pristine 1988 model goes under the hammer.
Of the limited run of 500 built - hence the name - this is number 455 and it has covered a paltry 6,037 miles from new - that works out at an average of 208 miles a year.
Of course it features all the additions that made the Sierra RS500 Cosworth an '80s icon - the enormous whale tail spoiler, gaping cooling ducts and the upgraded 224bhp 2.0-litre engine.
And to make it even more collectible, this is just one of 56 that was finished in the Essex-specification white paint.
It was formerly owned by exotic-car dealership mogul Joe Macari, who found it while visiting a Ferrari collection in Germany in 2007 and brought it back to the UK for an undisclosed price.
In the same year he sold it to a private Ford collector for £28,000 - considered a significant amount for a Sierra Cosworth back then. Little did he know that in 10 year's time it could be worth £87,000 more than that.
When Macari sold the car it had covered just 5,300 miles, so it's barely turned a wheel in the last decade.
It was last serviced by a Ford specialist in Southampton in 2014 at the cost of £4,000 and has since been stored in an indoor heated and dehumidified facility to protect it and its now incredible value.
What makes it even more collectible is that it remains almost untouched, unlike many Sierra Cosworths that were modified and upgraded by Ford aficionados in its hey day.
This particular car is totally original and has been described by highly respected RS500 registrar, Paul Linfoot, as 'one of the most original and best available RS 500s in the world today'.
It's highly unlikely that there's a lower mileage example of this poster car of the 1980s in existence, according to the auctioneer, so expect to have to pay a fair whack if you want this stunning Fast Ford.
1989 Ford Escort XR3i Cabriolet, Estimate: £15,000-£20,000 (NZ$27,000–$37,000)
From the same era as the RS500 Cosworth comes another 1980s throwback, this fetching turquoise - the official colour is 'Aquafoam Metallic' - Ford Escort XR3i Cabriolet.
It's been kept by one owner from new in what is described as meticulous and completely original condition, having covered just 10,600 miles since it came off the production line.
You'll struggle to find another one in such incredible nick, especially with a single keeper since it left the factory. With Fast Fords from the 1980s in big demand, this is primed for an increase in value in the coming years.
1987 Ford Capri 280 Brooklands, Estimate: £45,000- £55,000 (NZ$83,000–$100,000)
The Capri 280 Brooklands is another of those '80s era Fast Fords that back in the day might not have stood out as a future classic. However, the record figure paid for good examples has already been broken twice this year, most recently at the same Silverstone Auctions event that the Sierra RS500 sold for £114,750 (NZ$211,000).
The final edition run of the infamous Capri stands out for its limited slip differential, full leather Recaro interior and 15-inch seven-spoke alloy wheels - as well as the 2.8-litre injected V6 engine.
Just 1,038 were ever made - all in 'Brooklands Green' - and this is one of them.
Silverstone Auctions says it has lived a 'very cossetted life' and has covered just 5,500 miles. It's unrestored, unpainted and showroom fresh. If it sells for more than £55,125 (NZ$100,000) it will be a record breaker too.
2011 Ford Focus RS, Estimate: £38,000-£44,000 (NZ$70,000–$81,000)
No, this pea-green Ford Focus hasn't accidentally slipped into this list - it's genuinely being sold in a 'classic' car auction despite being no more than six years old.
Why? Because it has covered just 18 miles in that time.
From new the 2.5-litre, five-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine packed 301bhp - not a single one of those horses should have been lost in this one, meaning it's good for 0 to 62mph in 4.7 seconds and a top speed of 163mph.
This 'Ultimate Green' example would have cost around £25,000 when new - that means it has almost doubled in value by remaining pretty much undriven. Silverstone Auctions describes it as 'basically unwrapped' as the radio aerial has never been fitted, external wheel centres have never been put on, and the seats still have the delivery plastic covers.
1969 Ford Shelby Mustang GT350, Estimate: £80,000-£100,000 (NZ$148,000–$185,000)
We're going a little further back in time with this example, but it still fits the criteria of a fast Ford. It's a Shelby Mustang GT350 from the transition era of the legendary American car after it ditched the iconic looks of the original but before the ungainly examples from the early '70s.
This generation stood out for its completely different nose and a wider, blacked-out grille. It also featured the special Shelby bonnet with five ducts that scream American muscle.
The 1969 example set to go to the auction has been part of a collector's American-car-only fleet for the last few years and is UK registered. You'll struggle to find a better example of a late 1960s Shelby Mustang than this one.
- Daily Mail
