• Car Dealer Plus
No Result
View All Result
  • Latest
  • Used Cars
  • Live
  • Forum
  • Power 2020
  • Used Car Awards
  • CDX
  • Knowledge
  • Suppliers Guide
  • About Us
  • Latest Issue
  • Top 100
  • CD Plus
  • Latest
  • Used Cars
  • Live
  • Forum
  • Power 2020
  • Used Car Awards
  • CDX
  • Knowledge
  • Suppliers Guide
  • About Us
  • Latest Issue
  • Top 100
  • CD Plus
No Result
View All Result

Real Deals: Once ahead of its time, it is now a rare sight

Car Dealer Magazine by Car Dealer Magazine
October 1, 2015
0
Home Columns
Andy Entwistle
     Andy Entwistle

The Ford Sierra divided opinion at launch but it broke new motoring ground, as Andy Entwistle reports.

The ‘Salesman’s Spaceship’ or a game- changer, the Sierra divided opinions, but you can’t argue with the fact that it had a huge impact on the European car market.

Released to an amazed public in August 1982, believe it or not it was only on sale for just over 10 years. It feels like it was much longer, but for those years it really was one of the most significant cars on the market.

Replacing the ageing and woefully outdated Cortina, the Sierra was a car with a modern shape. By the time the Mondeo replaced it in 1994, its silhouette – with plastic wraparound bumpers, no discernible grille and flush-moulded lights and windows – was commonplace.

Everyone else followed where Ford had first ventured, and I think that it’s fair to say modern car design owes more to the Sierra than it does any other single model.

As with most sales rep fodder, the proliferation of these vehicles meant they ended up being cheap second-hand purchases, normally bought by those with little concern for their upkeep by the time they were six or seven years old.

So despite 1,299,993 being sold in the UK, there are only 3,000 remaining on the road, according to Howmanyleft.co.uk, and only six from 1993 when this car was first registered.

It wasn’t just the European public who were shocked by Ford’s new offering, and it’s alleged that Ford’s US parent company was baffled by 
its European offshoot. Who in their right mind would launch something so radical into the fleet market? At first these concerns seemed justified, as the public couldn’t adjust to such a radical change in styling and people flocked in the opposite direction.

It took around two years for sales to pick up and it was only when the MkII was released in 1987 that things really took off. Although the interior was less cutting edge than the exterior, it still had one of the first moulded dashboards, designed with driver ergonomics in mind, and warning lights via a very rudimentary onboard computer – something that up to this point had been the preserve of executive cars only

Technically, it felt as if Ford had spent all the money on styling, as under the bonnet early Sierras picked up where the Cortina had left 
off, with a range of OHC Pinto and Cologne V6 engines and tried-and-tested MacPherson struts upfront. In 1987, Ford introduced the Sapphire, a booted Sierra that fleet managers and sales reps had been crying out for as something a little more ‘classy’. Ford also put a grille on the Sapphire as a gesture to the conservative British public.

We can’t talk about the Sierra without touching on the XR4 and Cosworths. Lending some sporting prowess to the range, the Cosworth 
was a legend the moment it was released. Sadly, it also appealed to joy-riders and ram-raiders, and people’s inability to get insurance on these cars in the early ’90s is well documented. These days, MkI Cosworths change hands for well over £40k, with even later Sapphires regularly achieving more than £10k.

The car we have here is a MkIII – in reality,
 a facelifted MkII, which was the pinnacle of 
the Sierra. By then, all cars came with painted bumpers, smoked rear lights (very ’90s cool) and a range of decent engines.

The interior had been improved and the Azura special edition had all the expected toys – alloy wheels, an FM radio (with cassette player of course), electric windows and a sunroof.

Time has not been kind to many Sierras, with smoking engines and body rust, but there are no such problems with this Azura. It’s covered a tad over 31,000 miles and had only four owners. The current owner hopes it might be worth somewhere over £3k. Will Larmour of Pebley Beach is a bit more realistic and looking for bids on this piece of motoring history. Call him on 01285 648503 and see if you can come to a deal.

 

Previous Post

Key Notes: Handle with respect

Next Post

Motor groups advised to enhance their online presence

Related Posts

EU regulator says BMW, Daimler and VW colluded to limit emissions tech
News

Volkswagen Group sales fall 15 per cent in 2020

January 14, 2021
Used car market stronger than ever as August sees sales up by nearly 50 per cent for Big Motoring World
News

Lockdown 3 having minimal impact on consumer demand, reveals Auto Trader

January 14, 2021
News

Groupe Renault announces model offensive including new electric Renault 5

January 14, 2021
News

Arnold Clark and other major Scottish dealers plan to continue offering click and collect from Saturday

January 14, 2021
Hendy Group chooses Crawley for second Suzuki franchise
News

Hendy pre-tax profit for 2019 dropped by 64 per cent to £2.6m, latest results show

January 14, 2021
Comment: Can or can’t car dealers in Scotland offer click and collect? Why on earth do we still not know for sure?
News

Comment: Can or can’t car dealers in Scotland offer click and collect? Why on earth do we still not know for sure?

January 14, 2021

Want to receive the latest news?

Sign up to the Car Dealer daily news briefing for the latest news and advice during these unprecedented times.

Subscribe Now
Car Dealer Top 100 – The list in full of the most profitable car dealers in the UK
Car Dealer Top 100

Car Dealer Top 100 – The list in full of the most profitable car dealers in the UK

December 21, 2020
Used Car Awards Shortlist: Find out who made it through mystery shopping and are now in running for our gongs
News

Used Car Awards Shortlist: Find out who made it through mystery shopping and are now in running for our gongs

January 6, 2021
Investigation: Should car dealers be selling and delivering during lockdown?
News

What do we know about online used car dealer Cazoo? Who is Alex Chesterman? And will Cazoo float on the stock market?

January 5, 2021
Become a Car Dealer Plus member and get more out of this website including free legal advice
News

Become a Car Dealer Plus member and get more out of this website including free legal advice

January 5, 2021
Used car dealer Cazoo accused of online-only U-turn as it sets up physical sites and closes Imperial dealerships
News

Comment: Why Cazoo founder was naive to label this used car sales business as ‘flawed at every level’

December 1, 2020
Car Dealer Power

Car Manufacturer of the Year – Where did your manufacturer rank in Car Dealer Power 2020?

November 23, 2020
Investigation: What do car buyers want from online car sales? New research reveals customers’ likes and dislikes
Car Dealer Live

Investigation: What do car buyers want from online car sales? New research reveals customers’ likes and dislikes

November 28, 2020
Car Dealer Power

The best car dealer suppliers named in the Car Dealer Power Awards 2020

November 26, 2020
  • Latest
  • Used Cars
  • Live
  • Forum
  • Power 2020
  • Used Car Awards
  • CDX
  • Knowledge
  • Suppliers Guide
  • About Us
  • Latest Issue
  • Top 100
  • CD Plus
Call us: 020 8125 3880

© 2020 Blackball Media

No Result
View All Result
  • Car Dealer Plus
  • Latest
  • Used Cars
  • Live
  • Forum
  • Power 2020
  • Used Car Awards
  • CDX
  • Knowledge
  • Suppliers Guide
  • About Us
  • Latest Issue
  • Top 100

© 2020 Blackball Media

Log In
Register
Register
Server C