The first Andy Rouse Engineering Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth Group A touring car Continuation built by CNC Motorsport has been completed.
The car is one of three to be built, all using brand-new Ford Motorsport-specification bodyshells, and are being built by CNC Motorsport’s Alan Strachan. He worked for Andy Rouse Engineering between 1989 and 1996, and saw the transition from the thunderous Group A Ford Sierra RS500s through to being the official Ford Works team with the Mondeo during the Super Touring years – with a couple of years running Toyotas in between.
Andy Rouse Engineering built some of the fastest Group A Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworths of the era, up there with Eggenberger in Switzerland, Dick Johnson in Australia and Trakstar in the UK; team founder Andy Rouse took the Group A Championship in an RS500 in 1988 and 1989, and famously triumphed over the ‘Works’ Eggenberger cars at the Silverstone TT in 1988. We spoke to Andy at the start of the project – you can read that feature here.
The new car has been assembled over 24 months with the assistance of Andy Rouse himself, with CNC Motorsport completing all the fabrication work to the bodyshell in house, alongside producing all of the machined parts, such as uprights, rear arms, hubs, brake calipers, wheel centres and roll cage to the precise specification of the original Andy Rouse Engineering cars.
One of those Sierras, a Labatts car, was used as a reference for the CNC Motorsport engineers. It features a Getrag five-speed gearbox, period-style gauges, fuel-tank enclosure and roll cage that are as originally designed by Andy Rouse Engineering. CNC Motorsport is also the only certified producer of period Andy Rouse Engineering cages to be recognised by Motorsport UK.
The first car matches a Harvey Gibbs-built Cosworth YB engine, which produces 575bhp, to a 10in viscous differential. The first car comes with full FIA HTP papers, allowing it to be used at Historic race events. The second Sierra is in build now, and a bodyshell has already been sourced for a third car. It’s a busy time for the workshop, because CNC Motorsport has a Group A BMW 635 CSi in build, as well as restorations on a period Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth and Merkur XR4Ti.
“This project has enabled us to build a reliable, period-correct car that will be competitive in Historic motor sport for a fraction of the cost of an original,” says Alan Strachan. “These are to be enjoyed, raced hard and fair, and without the concerns of taking a valuable, period car on track. The fans love to see these flame-spitting RS500s on the limit, and the cars open the door to take part in a huge array of events across Europe.”
For more information, head here.
