Classified of the week: the battle of the Cosworths

We present you with a bit of a conundrum. These three road-going legends have all been worked on by the motor magicians over at Cosworth, and are each available for £35,000 or less. There is also a fourth, and it isn't legendary – even though it bears the fruit of the British engineers' hallowed hands.

But if you could only choose one, which would it be? 

Photos: Silverstone Auctions

First cab off the rank is the oldest of the three – and some would say the daddy of the road-going Cosworths. This 1987 version is one of the earlier Sierra Cosworths, but that doesn’t make it any less potent.

Ford’s long history with Cosworth throughout the F1-dominating DFV years made the British engineers the natural choice to create a race engine for Ford’s upcoming Group A touring car. And, thankfully, the regulations for Group A meant that 5,000 road cars had to roll off the Ford production line.

So, the repmobile Sierra was transformed with a lairy bodykit and a turbocharged Cosworth version of Ford’s 2.0-litre 16V ‘Pinto’ engine, good for 200bhp on the road and somewhere approaching 550bhp on the track.

And, not to overstate things, but the Cossie dominated, both on and off the track, turning the otherwise drab Sierra into a people’s hero.

But is it enough to earn your money over the next two?

Making another fast Ford Cossie was always going to be a bit of a tricky situation. 

But, in the Escort Cossie’s favour, it did have all of the ingredients of the original, and not just in name. Cosworth revised and revamped the 2.0-litre turbo so it now made 230bhp, Ford shortened and massaged the Sierra’s chassis, and the designers’ penchant for wild flares and wings continued without any sign of circumspection.

The Escort Cosworth now had four-wheel-drive, as befitted Ford’s intention to take it rallying, but the centre diff ensured that two-thirds of the grunt was still delivered to the rear wheels.

Like its older brother, the Escort Cossie was a success on the track and still every bit the everyman’s hero on the street. 

But what if your Cosworth tastes extend a little further upmarket?

As synonymous as Cosworth and Ford seem to be, it’s worth remembering that it was a Mercedes-Cosworth mashup that produced one of Cossie’s greatest hits. 

Originally, Mercedes approached Cosworth with the idea of taking the 190 E rallying. Cosworth delivered, but not before Audi kicked off the turbocharged and all-wheel-drive revolution with the Quattro.

So, those in charge of Mercedes’ motorsport programme changed their minds, instead deciding to take on German Touring Cars – also known as DTM – which required 5,000 production models, rather than the 200 needed for Group B rallying. That’s why you’re still able to find 190 E Cosworths (and E30 M3s, for that matter) for almost-reasonable money.

Cosworth replaced the eight-valve head from the standard Mercedes engine with a lightweight alloy unit, with 16 valves and dual overhead camshafts, good for 300bhp in race trim and a much more plod-friendly 185bhp in street trim.

This one’s a rarer 2.5-litre version from 1989, which is good for about 200bhp. It might not sound like all that much – especially compared to more than 300bhp on offer in the racing versions by the time it hit showrooms – but it’s about much more than straight line speed with this one.

It’s a technical tour de force – multi-link rear suspension and an electronically controlled, hydraulically activated limited slip diff sat in the rear, with independent wishbone and a quick steering rack up front. There was anti-dive control and self-levelling rear suspension, lightweight alloy wheels and aerodynamic FRP bumpers. It really was an exceptionally over-engineered piece of kit, and all the better for it.

Or, if none of these is your style, here’s something from the other end of the spectrum. Yes, Cosworth engineered the twin-turbo setup on the 4.4-litre BMW V8 that resides under this Bentley’s bonnet, delivering stately progress thanks to 350bhp and 420lb ft. 

In a desperately unpopular move, Vickers, who owned Rolls, Bentley and Cosworth at the time, retired the traditional 6.75-litre V8 in favour of the modern powerplant. It was a marriage that only lasted for a couple of years, before customer pressure brought back the ol’ bruiser – albeit a thoroughly updated version. 

And all of this was going on while BMW and VW duked it out over who was going to take over Rolls-Royce and Bentley. So this car’s a little bit of a historical document as well. Well, it’s either that, or we’re trying to justify a £20,000 spend on a foppish Bentley. 

But what if it were your money, and you were standing at Silverstone’s ‘Race Retro’ auction on the 25th of February? Would you go for one of the everyman Fords, the over-engineered Benz or the Upstairs, Downstairs-approved Bentley Arnage?