Steve Pascoe’s Ford Cosworth Restoration with Diamondbrite

Steve Pascoe is a good friend of Jewelultra, and we love to hear about his latest projects, especially when Diamondbrite is involved! (Clearly it runs in the family, as his son, Paul Pascoe, is our distributor for Ireland.)

Steve’s latest project has been restoring a Ford Sierra Cosworth. However, this isn’t just any Ford. This car is one of the first 3 door Sierra Cosworth’s produced by Ford, and it needed a lot of work to bring it up to scratch. The car was previously owned by a Sierra Cosworth enthusiast, who has owned many in his time, but unfortunately the car’s condition was worse than feared. This meant that many of the parts had to be sold, leaving only the body shell remaining.

The restoration process

The body shell needed a full restoration, as the floors, sills, inner and outer wings, real wheel arches and more were all damaged. All of the rusting panels were replaced with steel, and many areas of the body were strengthened to bring the car up to race standard. The body shell alone took 12 months to restore, using genuine Ford body panels where possible.

A genuine 2.0 litre Ford Sierra Cosworth engine was purchased, featuring the stronger 200 block with balanced crank and rods. The cylinder head has been reworked to group A specification, as have the camshafts with adjustable Vernier pullies. The gearbox is a T5 racing dog box that can withstand power in excess of the predicted 450 break horsepower output. The rear end is also a Ford Motorsport Group N limited slip differential, with strengthened drive shafts.

Getting the car ready…

The whole of the running gear is to Group A specification, with a Ford Sierra Cosworth Group A suspension, as well as front anti roll bar, which required a full reworking of the crank sensor location, as well as modifications to the body shell. The work was carried out by Tim Swadkin, who is a specialist in performance Ford cars, with over 50 years’ experience working on Ford racing engines including the RS200, BDA, BDG and Cosworth.

This car is now one of only 2 known genuine Ford Sierra Cosworth’s to still exist in Rallycross around the world, and likely the only one competing in a full championship, and not just demonstration races.

Everything about this car has been geared for performance, with a modern link ECU, and an engine system managed by Clinton, from Brands Hatch Performance, a Ford and Cosworth specialist whose customers are span all corners of the globe.

The final results

The total car build cost at this point is upwards of £35,000, with the car being valued in excess of £50,000 after an extensive two-year restoration. So, what does this translate to? 0-60mph in ~3 seconds, 170mph+ top speed on current gearing, 120mph on a Rallycross track with short straights.

We’re so pleased to be able to support Steve with the restoration, as the whole car has been treated using Diamondbrite products. This will help protect the car from wear and tear, as well as preventing damage to the paintwork and interior.

Keep an eye on our blog for any updates on this, and other projects – and if you’re interested in protecting your vehicle, whether it’s a restoration, or a new buy, you can take a look at our range of Diamondbrite Automotive products here.