This is the first of three 575bhp Ford Sierra RS500 continuation touring cars

Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500s seem to be receiving a fair bit of attention of late - just take the unhinged one-off Carbon Piranha restomod as an example. Or the 5,000-mile original that sold for almost £600,000 at auction in 2023. Yeah, seriously. And now there’s sure to be a bit more attention on the way, because the first of three continuation RS500 touring cars built by CNC Motorsport is complete and ready for use.

We're told that Alan Strachan (who worked at Andy Rouse Engineering as an engineer on the Team Labatts Sierra RS500 in the BTCC) and his son Andrew built this first car over two years to the exact spec of the period racers. At its core sits a 575bhp Cosworth YB engine and a Getrag five-speed manual transmission. Probably a fair bit of turbo flutter thrown in as a side dish too.

As for the rest of the car, CNC has reproduced all the original machined parts, from the hubs and brake callipers to the uprights and rear arms. The fuel tank enclosure and the roll cage are also identical to the original Rouse design, as are the period gauges, all of which means these RS500s can compete in historic race events.

"This project has enabled us to build a reliable, period-correct car that will be competitive in historic motorsport for a fraction of the cost of an original," said 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 they open the door to take part in a huge array of events across Europe."

Build number two is apparently already in progress using an all-new body, while the third and final car’s shell has been sourced, with CNC likely to begin the rebuild soon. 

We cannot wait to see these things on track...