SIERRA RS COSWORTH

Ford’s reputation for transforming its family-themed models into performance icons was already well established by the mid-1980s, but it well and truly knocked the ball out of the park with the July 1986 launch of the most outlandish RS yet — the Sierra RS Cosworth.

Based on the rather uninspiring three-door Sierra, the new RS was arguably the ultimate hot hatch but, like the vast majority of its Rallye Sport brethren, it wasn’t conceived to drive up showroom footfall. Instead, it was a by product of Ford’s desire to obliterate its rivals in motorsport, this time in Group A touring car racing.

Of course, beating the heavy hitters that ruled the class would require something a little special under the bonnet and Ford opted for nothing less than a 16-valve version of its venerable Pinto