The iconic Rouse 'Kaliber' Cosworth
This is one of the two legendary Kaliber Group A Sierra Cosworths built by Andy Rouse Engineering for the 1988 British Touring Car Championship. It was built and used in the 1988 season and driven, predominately by the well-known motorsport marketing guru and ex-Formula One driver Guy Edwards, to four podium finishes. Throughout the season the Kaliber Sierras were the cars to beat and in a golden era, the spectacle of these seriously powerful touring cars belching flames defined a magnificent chapter of saloon car racing.
At the end of the season, Andy Rouse Group A Sierras were very much in demand and one car went to Peter Brock and this car was sold to Adrian Fu who raced the car at Macau and in various rounds of the Asia Pacific Series. It then left Asia and was entered in the 1992 James Hardie at Bathurst for drivers Ken Matthews/Rod Jones/Mike Newton before being displayed in the Bathurst Museum until subsequently purchased in 1993 by its current owner, an accomplished New Zealand racing driver and businessman, who continued to race the Sierra in the New Zealand Endurance Championship after some re-engineering by Peter Brock. The Sierra still had its original alloy cage which was replaced with a Matter-style steel cage as used in the Eggenberger RS500s. The new cage directly supported the rear suspension points resulting in a massive improvement in stiffness with less flexing of the shell. With wins at Timaru International Motor Speedway and Teretonga, it helped him to win the Championship with co-driver Murray Cleland in 1996. After 1997, the Sierra was retired.
In 2016/2017 it was decided that the Sierra should be totally rebuilt and returned to its original livery with the possibility of running in the Archibald’s Historic car series in New Zealand which it did most successfully. Today's result is a superbly prepared Group A Sierra Cosworth that, in the right hands, could be a front running car in the HSCC 'Supertourers' series, the Grand Prix Legends Touring Car Challenge, as well as numerous prestige events throughout Europe.
In period, the car was continuously developed and evolved with input from Australia’s favourite son Peter Brock and all this hard-won know-how has been incorporated into the rebuild making this, possibly, the most race-ready and immaculately presented 'Group A' Sierra to land back in the UK, its spiritual home.
This iconic Group A Rouse Kaliber Sierra is on the button and ready to race or test. It's accompanied by a basic spares package (rebuilt turbo, Rouse developed viscous differential, Getrag gearbox in pieces requiring rebuild, original front hubs and twelve wheels) with the option of a complete inventory to support a race effort over many seasons.
Silverstone Auctions will be offering this stunning 1988 Rouse Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth Group A at their upcoming Silverstone Classic sale held between the 26-27th July. For more information on this and other vehicles at the sale, click on the link below. Photos: © Silverstone Auctions.