Believe it or not, 2022 marks 40 years since the Ford Sierra was introduced. We’ll be marking the occasion with a special article later in the year. In the meantime, it’s a good time to reacquaint ourselves with the best repmobile ever made in the latest of our series of Great Drives.
We’re enjoying driving some great classics courtesy of the Great British Car Journey in Derbyshire. Unlike other museums, the Great British Car Journey gives visitors the chance to drive a wide selection of cars from their collection. Make sure to read our recent test drives of the Morris Minor Million and Hillman Imp and stay tuned for more to come. This month we’re looking at the Ford Sierra, the aerodynamic jellymould that controversially replaced the boxy Ford Cortina in 1982. Can it really be so long ago?
Hugely popular with private and company car buyers alike, the Ford Cortina was a mainstay of the British car sales charts. Although the model was clearly on borrowed time by 1980, Ford made a surprising number of revisions to transition the Cortina from Mk IV to Mk V, including costly sheet metal changes. The mid-size car market was highly competitive and Ford couldn’t risk becoming complacent. The arrival of the front wheel drive Vauxhall Cavalier in 1981 dented Cortina sales, and although the Cortina 80 still drove well enough, the oily bits were largely carried over from the 1970 Mk III and it was beginning to look dated. With all to play for, the Cortina’s replacement was a critical project but Ford were about to take quite a risk.
From this….. – to this!
The Cortina replacement program was codenamed Project Toni, and Uwe Bahnsen, Ford’s VP of Design, was granted a budget of $1.2bn to bring the new car from the drawing board to the showroom. Although the industry was moving inevitably towards front wheel drive, Bahnsen opted to retain the tried and tested layout of rear wheel drive with a longitudinal engine. The front end would remain mechanically similar to the Cortina, but there was a notable improvement at the rear where the old live axle was replaced by independent rear suspension. Pinto 4-pot and Cologne V6 engines would also be carried over, so although the Project Toni would have no real power advantage over the Cortina, the IRS meant it rode better, handled better and drivers could put the power down more confidently. Nothing too earth shattering so far, but few suspected what the design team had planned for the bodywork.
Credited to rising star designer Patrick Le Quément, the shape that emerged from the design office at Cologne-Merkenich was an ambitiously bold move. Marking a complete change of direction, the three-box saloon template was ditched in favour of an aerodynamic hatchback. The shape was very much the product of the wind tunnel with features such as flush door handles, a bonded windscreen and fared-in plastic bumpers all contributing to a class leading drag coefficient of 0.34. The outgoing Cortina 80 could only manage a barn-door like figure of 0.44 and none of the Sierra’s competitors could get close; even Vauxhall’s new Cavalier Mk2 only recorded 0.37. The focus on aerodynamics brought greater fuel efficiency and noise suppression, but also signaled a radical new design direction for the 1980s. Would it be a step too far?
When the first Sierras hit the showrooms in October 1982 buyers were initially wary. In the UK, heavy discounting of the outgoing Cortina hindered sales of the new Sierra, and the challenges were compounded by Vauxhall getting a head start with the new Cavalier. The Sierra had a better time in Germany where the Cortina/Taunus hadn’t been quite as much of an institution, and Ford must have been encouraged when the Sierra took second place in the 1983 European Car of the Year awards. In a sign of the aerodynamic times, the Audi 100 was awarded top spot. Although three-box saloon architecture had initially been abandoned, Ford’s decision to produce only hatchback and estate models had been a miscalculation, so in 1987 the whole range was facelifted and the booted Sierra variant was introduced. Badged as the Sierra Sapphire for the UK market, it was fully equipped to do battle on an equal footing with the forthcoming Cavalier Mk3.
Our test car is a very smart Sierra Sapphire GLS, first registered in August 1989 and having covered only 85,000 miles since. Placed midway between the GL and Ghia in the Ford trim level hierarchy, the GLS offered a sharper drive than the Ghia whilst still boasting an impressive level of standard equipment. It certainly looks the part with its two tone paint; an unusual Olympic Gold metallic over a charcoal lower half. The GLS’s sporting pretentions are signaled by those very 1980s red inserts on the bumpers and side rubbing strips, whilst a colour-coded spoiler perches on the boot lid. At the front end you’ll notice the headlamp wash wipe and although the GLS spec list didn’t quite run to alloy wheels, the original 14” X 5½ ” steel wheels are clad with sports wheel trims of a style unique to the model. It’s enough to tempt me inside for a closer look.
With much promised externally, the cabin doesn’t disappoint. Olympic Gold paintwork was matched to beige Mace pattern cloth, a combination that places the car in period. It’s certainly more interesting than the more usual gloomy black or elephant grey and the cabin is airy due to slim pillars and a decent glass area, including a glass tilt and slide sunroof. It’s even got electric windows and door mirrors, plus an FM radio and tape player. In case you’re curious which top tunes may have blasted out of that stereo in 1989, the charts were headed by Black Box’s Ride on Time, followed by Top Ten hits including Pump Up The Jam by Technotronic FT Felly, Too Many Broken Hearts by Jason Donovan, and not one but two choices of banging rabbit-driven party mood lifters by Rotherham-based sample-wizards Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers. A mixed year for the music lover, then.
With the radio remaining firmly off, I turn the ignition key and the Sapphire comes to life. The venerable 2.0 Pinto engines were gone by 1989; this car boasted the new DOHC motor. The chain driven 8v 1998cc unit was fed by modern Electronic Fuel Injection and produced 125bhp at 5,500rpm with a respectable 128 lb/ft of torque at 2,500rpm. This was enough to power the Sierra from 0-60 mph in 9.1 seconds and onto a top speed of 121mph, plenty enough to dominate the fast lane. The transmission was new too, a five speed MT75 type with a beautifully slick change. If there’s one thing Ford did really well, it was quality gear shifters. I should know; I was responsible for sourcing them at one point, but that was after Sierra production had long since finished. In order to help the keen driver make the most of the new drivetrain package, the GLS had a stiffer front anti-roll bar, variable rate rear coil springs and gas shocks all round. Braking was delivered via discs all round, vented at the front, with ABS offered as an option. There’s not much wrong with the standard unassisted rack and pinion steering, but you could also upgrade to hydraulic PAS which brought the added benefit of a quick 2.8 turns lock to lock.
Out on the road, there’s a fluidity to the Sapphire that belies its simple origins. There was nothing revolutionary about it from a mechanical perspective; arguably it was already outdated when it was launched. However, especially in twin cam GLS specification it’s a lovely car to drive. You are connected to the road without being exposed to it. It’s hard to believe this example is over 30 years old as it drives like a modern car, except of course it doesn’t, it’s far better than that. I’ve long argued that car design reached its peak around the turn of the 1990s and the Sierra represents the pinnacle of the good, honest, rear wheel drive family car. There’s much to like about the way it feels, and although softly sprung by modern standards it remains composed when threaded through the GBCJ’s cone slalom with a bit of gusto. Once up to speed and through the gears the car remains quiet and comfortable, with just enough exhaust note to remind you this car has go-faster red bumper inserts. The 150mph speedometer may be optimistic but it’s not a sluggish car by any means. Sierras were built and geared to sit on the motorway for hours on end, so there’s nothing about the modern road network to worry it. If anything, traffic moves slower than it did 30 years ago, so the Sierra would still make excellent daily transport.
By 1989, the Sierra’s core competition came from the newly released third generation Cavalier, and the GLS would have gone head-to-head with the Cavalier CD and SRi. Patriotic British buyers could have alternatively opted for a Rover Montego, but it was old hat in comparison even though it was launched a full two years after the original Sierra. The Volkswagen Passat B3 was worthy but dull, and the well-equipped Sierra GLS certainly made greater financial sense than a sparsely appointed entry level BMW 3-Series or Audi 80. When viewed as a potential classic car purchase, the Sierra remains a tempting proposition. Nostalgia coupled with scarcity has driven asking prices dramatically upwards in the past couple of years, so an old Sierra isn’t as cheap as it once was, but what else is? In this 40th anniversary year, don’t expect the growing appreciation of this fine Ford to subside.
If you want to experience a well-sorted Ford Sierra for yourself, you can drive the very car featured here by visiting the Great British Car Journey at Ambergate, Derbyshire. Opened in summer 2021, the museum has rapidly become a must-visit destination for lovers of old British cars and offers an interactive journey through 100 years of triumph and disaster. The “Drive Dad’s Car” experience lets visitors test a wide range of makes and models dating from the 1930s to the 1990s. As the perfect way to round off a visit to the UK’s newest large motoring attraction, it’s an immersive treat that will either bring back memories or create brand new ones. The best way to secure your chosen drive is to book in advance. Go to www.greatbritishcarjourney.com to plan your visit.
