TIPS FOR BUYING A USED EXAMPLE 

The first thing to ask anyone selling an RS500 is what the chassis number/vehicle identification number is. This is located on the front slam panel and under a plastic flap beside the driver’s seat. This number must read WFOEXXGBBEGG , RS500’s have unique chassis no’s they are a run of 500 in consecutive order GG38600 through GG39099 this will be either Stamped into (Down) or Pressed from below (UP) ,both are genuine Ford methods, This is not the Tickford 1-500 list , that list was in order of what cars Tickford put through first , I:e No 001 is not chassis 38600 likewise no 500 is not 39099 so quite random as you can see If it is not in that range of numbers, it is not an RS500

There are only three colours, black, white and moonstone blue. Any other colour has been painted by someone else and not Ford. Don’t listen to anyone who tries to tell you it’s a one off Ford made because it is not true. Also, all RS500’s had sunroofs and all were right hand drive "we know of one car that was converted to left hand drive a the owners request once it had left FMC"  . If it’s anything else then it was built out of parts and ask yourself, where did they come from? 

Other things to look for are original spoilers, i.e. front bumper and splitters, rear upper spoiler. Engine parts - eight injectors, big turbo, and horseshoe shaped turbo damper, massive intercooler 73.5cm x 42 cm (29” x 16) smaller core plugs approximately 7/8” diameter. To check it’s an original engine, the GG and five digit number is stamped into a flat plate on the side of the block behind the alternator not all cars were stamped this depended on who fitted the engine out of the crate and if theycould be bothered stamping the block, if it's not there , then take off the cam belt cover and look down between the thermostat housing and cam belt tensioner, where there should be stamped the YBD number. This is Cosworth’s identification number. RS500’s are designated YBD and this number should fall between YBD 0015 and YBD 0537. These numbers are not in any order and some are missing. If the YBD number is not present, then questions should be asked.

14 Rs500's were road registered pre homologation and used in various roles, 4 were development/prototype cars , 3 were AMT training cars, 3 were press appraisal cars, 3 were validation cars, 1 was a photography car of the 14 cars 3 were sent to Germany 2 have since returned .     

The cars are now dotted all over the world see the build list page for more information 

The Interior will be the same as the 3 door cosworth and suffers from the same problems of tired seat bolster sponges, worn cloth on high mileage examples the bolster sponges can be replaced as they are still available; however the cloth is not and is very hard to locate. They also suffer from cracking of the top of the dashboard around the Speaker grille, a new or replacement mint 2nd hand dashboard you can expect to pay anywhere between £400 to £1,300 for. Do not be put off if the car you are looking at does not have the black Tickford plaque between the electric window switches this was not an original item and was supplied by Martyn Lobb who was the Rs owners Club's Rs500 registrar and a founder member of CLUBRS500 these were supplied for the tenth anniversary in 1997 if a car does not have one all it means is the car was not registered with the RSOC or CLUBRS500. 


UK price guide (Sterling) 

Note: The RS500 is a rare classic vehicle and hence the prices reflect this. Potential buyers would be lucky to find a good example available for less than £35000 Sterling! As with many classic vehicles over time they are prone to accident damage and some may have been re-shelled if so please consider a body shell is a serviceable part and nothing more ,there may be a small reduction percentage in value but the difference is not huge in our opinion as the vehicles get older    . 

Condition 

Average = £ 55500 - £ 65000 

Good = £ 70000 - £ 80000 

Excellent = £ 85000 - £95000

There is another bracket IMO , this is low mileage cars ,some have sold in recent years for above what i have said so far ,these cars are hard to place a guide on as it's all down to how much you want it and what the seller wants, there have been cars that have sold way above   £100000, remember these are very low mileage cars and as such have there own problems if not looked after/stored correctly to keep that mileage down , low mileage does not always mean the best car ,choice is yours. 

The above is My opinion based on seeing cars sell for the above over the last few years

Note: Some cars have had colour changes every car should be checked out to see if there genuine , we have on record cars that are duplicates ,if you have any questions or your unsure about a car your viewing please just drop me a line using the e-mail below.

admin@rs500cosworth.com

WHEELS & TYRES: WHEELS: USUAL “COSWORTH” RIAL 
ALLOYS 7” X 15” 
TYRES: 205/50 YR 15 

BODY: TYPE: 3-DOOR HATCHBACK SIERRA L 
WITH PHOENIX-MANUFACTURED 
BODY-MT PLUS RS500 MODIFICATIONS 
REAR WING TO FORD DESIGN 
WITH 30mm “GURNEY” LIP PLUS 
LOWER RS PARTS, SECONDARY 
SPOILER WITH CUT OUT FOR UPPER 
WING PYLON, USUAL “COSWORTH” 
WHEEL ARCH EXTENSIONS, SIDE 
SILLS, FRONT BUMPER/SPOILER 
WITH EXTRA RS500 AIR INTAKES 
(FIVE IN TOTAL INCLUDING 
OFFICIAL DELETION OF AUXILIARY 
LAMPS INSIDE FLASHERS). 
AUXILIARY FOG LAMPS WERE 
SUPPLIED IN BOXES IN THE BOOT. 
HARD PLASTIC LIP/EXTENSION 
SPOILER BLADE (SPLITTERS), TWIN 
BONNET LOUVRES, AIR INTAKE, AIR 
INTAKE BETWEEN HEADLIGHTS. 
CD: 0.351 (UP 0.015 ON ORIGINAL 
COSWORTH) BUT GREATER DOWN 
FORCE. THE REAR WING ALONE 
CREATES 220LB OF DOWN FORCE 
AT 100 MPH. 

DIMENSIONS: LENGTH 4,448mm WIDTH 1,727mm 
HEIGHT 1,377mm WHEEL BASE 2,609mm 
FRONT TRACK 1,450mm REAR TRACK 
1,470mm WEIGHT 1,240 kg/2728 lb (UP 35 
kg ON ORIGINAL) 

MANUFACTURER’S FIGURES: MAX SPEED 154 MPH 
0-60 MPH 6.2 SECS 
0- 100 MPH 16.2 SECS 
STANDING ½ MILE 15.1 SECS 
FUEL CONSUMPTION 20.6 MPG URBAN 
33 MPG AT CONSTANT 56 MPH, 24.5 M 
MPG AT CONSTANT 75 MPH 


FUEL & IGNITION: GARRETT AIR- 
SEARCH T31/T04 TURBO. ENLARGED 
AIR INTERCOOLER. WEBER MARELLI 
MICROPROCESSOR MANAGED FOUR 
INJECTOR INJECTION AND IGNITION 
REPLACED BY SECONDARY RAIL AND 
EIGHT INJECTOR LAYOUT. NOT PRO- 
GRAMMED FOR MORE THAN FOUR 
INJECTOR OPERATION FOR PUBLIC 
SALE. MANY ANCILLARY ENGINE 
CHANGES FOR DURABILITY! ACCESS- 
IBILITY/IIOMOLOGATION REASONS. 
INSTALLATION: FRONT, LONGITUDINAL 

TRANSMISSION: TYPE: REAR DRIVE, VISCOUS COUP- 
LING, LIMITED SLIP DIFFERENTIAL 
GEARBOX: BORG WARNER T5 
INTERNAL RATIOS: 1ST 2.95, 2~ 1.94, 
3RD 1.34, 4TH ~ DIRECT, 5TH 0.80 
FINAL DRIVE: 3.65:1 22.79 MPH 
PER 1000 RPM IN 5TH 

SUSPENSION: FRONT: INDEPENDENT BY 
MACPHERSON STRUTS, LOWER 
TRACK CONTROL ARMS (TCA’S), 
COAXIAL COIL SPRINGS, FICHTEL 
& SACHS TWIN TUBE GAS DAMPER 
INSERTS, 28mm DIAMETER FRONT 
ANTI-ROLL BAR 
REAR: SEMI-TRAILING ARMS, 
UNIBALL JOINTS, COIL SPRINGS IN 
FRONT OF AXLE, SEPARATE TELE 
SCOPIC FICHTEL & SACHS GAS REAR 
DAMPERS, 14mm REAR ANTI-ROLL 
BAR, UNIQUE ALTERNATIVE 
TRAILING ARM MOUNT INSTALLED 
FOR RACING HOMOLOGATION 
PURPOSES. 

STEERING: TYPE: POWER ASSISTED, CAM 
GEARS/TRW RACK & PINION, 
LOCK TO LOCK 2.6 TURNS 

BRAKES: FRONT: 283mm VENTED DISCS 
REAR: 273mm SOLID DISCS 
SYSTEM: HYDRAULICALLY 
ASSISTED, ALFRED TEVES GMBH 
ANTI-LOCK ACTION

NOTE: The FORD Sierra RS500 Cosworth 3-door was produced on D and E-registration plates in the UK, we do know of cars that are unregistered to this day and we dont suffer fools or there storys  surrounding certain cars we fully check every detail before we upload to this site or any web based forum. 


NOTE: For turbo longevity it is recommended that the Sierra RS500 Cosworth along with all other turbocharged RS models run with fully synthetic oil. These types of oil give the necessary engine protection for the high temperatures attained in turbocharged vehicles. The following viscosity synthetic oils are recommended: 5w50, 10w40, 15w50, 10w60 

the above Buyers Guide is meant for reference only, the author will not be held accountable for any issues arising once you have bought your car or before hand. 
these cars are gaining value yearly and are worth a lot of money ,view a car a couple of times before parting with your money , do your homework , ask questions , a good source of information is The Ford Rs Owners club www.rsownersclub.co.uk ,The RSOC Rs500 registrar can be found on there ,also there is this forum its full of Rs500 enthusiasts ,good luck with your search 
remember buy on condition condition condition ,history history history  

All Cosworth engines are fitted with hardened valve seat inserts and can therefore run continuously on unleaded fuel. With ordinary unleaded petrol it is necessary to retard the ignition by 4 Degrees. A power loss of approximately 10 bhp will be experienced after the ignition is retarded. Retarding the ignition may not be necessary if the engine is always run on Super Unleaded fuel (97RON or above). 

The Cylinder head was also modified, having locating dowel’s on the inlet side, and slightly larger inlet ports. 


Parts are becoming very hard to find. Ford themselves have no front bumpers, splitters or rear upper spoilers, no turbos, injector plenums or engine blocks, no interiors or dashes. These parts have to be found from other sources and people can name their price. For example, front bumpers are £1000 plus. 

There aren’t very many problems with RS500’s, mostly the same as any Cosworth - check for smoky exhaust, this could be valve seals or turbo seals and bearings. Noisy gearbox, steering shake under braking, warped discs, no rust yet to speak of unless from accident damage. 

A full service history is a must, but don’t just rely on the service book as anybody can get one stamped up in order to sell a car. Receipts for everything are the best guide, from services to oil changes, down to a light bulb. 

Modifications are a minefield. There are just too many to go into here but whether you want a standard car or a modified car, the same principles cover both. If it is highly modified get a full engine build list, also details of what’s been done to the brakes and suspension. 

After all that, which colour? Most people think that white is the rarest colour but in fact it is moonstone blue. Although there were four white prototypes, these prototypes were not planned for general sale but destruction after homologation approval was received however all 4 made their way in to general circulation. At the time of writing all 4 prototypes are still on the road. 

The white and moonstone blue are in limited numbers, this is  reflected in the price now  never use to be back in the day as people believe it or not many did not like moonstone i remember seeing Moonstone cars in the back of Rally News and other motoring mags where they were priced £1000's below the other two colorus today though there desirable and the price reflects this again condition dictates and the buyers preference also ,recently a Black & Moonstone car sold for close to £65000 " 2016 "  so for the right car there are buyers waiting no matter what colour .

so buying ? selling ? 

Ive been asked the question many times about values , and protential investment options .

We have seen a hefty rise in values since 2004 , i recall the bidding war on e-bay for the 6000 mile moonstone and two big time " then" Rs500 players biding against each other for anything Rs500 that was desirable 2 really good blokes for the record , since that time values of parts and full vehicles have gone through the roof just look at the record paid at Silverstone auctions in 2023 for £596000  .

Rightly so IMO.

the problem i see is the long time for sale cars currently on the market " you know the ones" ,now there is little wrong with these cars and the owners/sellers are entitled to ask what they want for them , but the public have little faith in these cars as thay have been for sale for a long time , my advice would be to pull them off sale for a while it's these car that are keeping the market static in the public eye , cars are changing hands under the radar through the RSOC or this site .

I do see the cars being investments , take my car bought for £10000 ish about 12 years back needing work and a new block  whats it worth   today ?  if i put £10000 in the bank back then what would it be worth today ?.

Rs500Cosworth.Com advise is dont panic people imo your investments are safe

2023  some cars cars selling in the **£80000 - £120000 * range.