1987 Ford Sierra Sapphire 1.8L - Absolutely fascinating* discovery - see page 48

[Peter C]

Further to these two threads:

It looks like I will soon be the owner of a very tidy 1987 Ford Sierra Sapphire 1.8L.

I was looking for a poverty spec Sierra in the south east of England but thanks to @cort16 my next toy currently resides with a collector based in Northern Ireland. A deal has been done and Sierra will be put on a low loader on Monday and arrive here in Buckinghamshire the follow day. I have spoken with the seller, checked out his comprehensive Facebook presence and he seems totally genuine. WCPGW? Nothing. There was talk about me picking up the car in person, however for logistical reasons and my imminent big birthday that will keep me busy for a couple of forthcoming weekends, I wouldn't be able to fly to Belfast for at least the next 3-4 weeks. 

I hope to receive more photos from the seller later today but these are images taken from his Marketplace listing.

The Sierra has a genuine 33k miles on the clock, apparently with adequate paperwork to back this up. Online MoT records go back to 2005 and it is clear that the car has seen very little use over the past 18 years and passed most MoT tests outright. 37 year old Sierras don't look this good unless they've been looked after and have clocked up low mileages. 

More about this gem once progress is made with the seller.

The reason why I wanted a poverty spec Sierra is because when I was a student, I bought a D reg Sierra 1.6L from my then girlfriend's dad. I paid £800 for the car, which was about 10ish years old at the time and was owned by girlfriend's dad from new. It was mint. I sold it and bought a Guards Red Porsche 924 but that's another story.

Sometime later I bought a Sierra 2.0GL estate. I bought it cheap and it came with Ford Escort S2 Turbo 15" alloy wheels, which I sold for a decent price and fitted a set of Sierra steel wheels and Mondeo trims, which I got from a mate for free. I sold the car a few months later for a lot more than I paid for it. Win.

Fast forward (not Fast Ford) a good few years and when I bought my first house, I needed a cheap estate for tip runs and trips to DIY centres. I bought another red estate, this time a 1.8L, fitted with a lovely CVH engine that snapped its cambelt on the second journey. I had it fixed by a local garage for £250. It needed three valves and a new belt. Later, this became my wife's first car, however as it didn't have power steering and was too heavy to drive, it was quickly replaced with a Vauxhall Vectra 2.0 GLS. That was a good car.

Fast forward even further, my wife and I moved to a rural spot in Buckinghamshire and I treated myself to a lovely Sierra Chasseur estate, again fitted with a 1.8 CVH motor. That was a one owner car, an ex Ford employee who was given the Sierra as a retirement present from Ford management. I kept it for a few months, sold it to a friend who was later diagnosed with a terminal disease and I ended up selling it for him to a complete stranger who looked very pleased with himself as he was driving away. He should have been, it was a lovely car.

Whilst I had the Chasseur, I bought a Sierra 2.0i Ghia hatchback for £150, a runner, with MoT but it was shabby and I flipped it as soon as the V5 arrived, in the process doubling my money.

So, ladies and gentlemen, this is why I want another low spec Sierra. I want to relive the good old times and have a car to play with that won't be flashing an EML at me, won't need an EGR delete and will put a lasting smile on my face.

More soon.

[danthecapriman]

I do like a Sierra! Very iconic car imho.

Youve had some lovely ones too. The new blue car certainly looks a superb example. I guess it’s been owned by an old boy and garaged its whole life? 
I used to work on a few Sierra’s. One was a Pinto powered hatch in the same blue as yours that got towed in one day with a broken cam belt. Timed it up and put a new belt on it and it fired straight up and drove within an hour of arriving! 
There was an absolutely mint 2.0 twin cam engined one too in silver, that was another one that was old boy owned and barely used. Every few years we’d have to rebuild the brakes on it as they kept seizing up!

Great cars.

[timolloyd]

Looks like a great buy, well done. 
Do you know more about the backstory? Looks like a UK reg; PK is Surrey I think.

[The Vicar]

Northern Ireland? You've saved that sweet Sierra from a dark future:

[wesacosa]

that's glorious. I remember seeing the newly launched Sapphire on Top Gear and wanted one ever since, especially the early low spec ones.  

[Peter C]

The seller told me that the Sierra started life down in Kent and after many years found its way to Scotland, which is where he found it and brought it over to Northern Ireland. It’s now coming back to the south east of England.

From a £3 text message check, it’s a four owner car.

[hairnet]

19 minutes ago, The Vicar said:

Northern Ireland? You've saved that sweet Sierra from a dark future:

Not a diesel itll be reet ( hai)

[Shep Shepherd]

That's lovely. Just how I remember them back in 1987, in fact.

I wonder which dealer it was originally sold by? I reckon Invicta Motors or Thompsons of Dover.

[bunglebus]

My 1.8L - one of the first CVH cars. Bought it for £80 with minor damage which I got repaired.

I especially liked it as it was Regency Red and my dad had an E reg 2.0i GLS Sapphire in the same colour at the time 

Replacing the fuel tank on the Saph

Funny enough my hatchback went to Ireland to be a tarmac rally car

[ProgRocker]

Excellent news @Peter C . Perfect for that "1988 junior salesrep" experience.

My late parents' friends had a hatchback around the same age but I cannot remember which. Might have been a semi-decadent GLS in silver.

[egg]

I sold my Sierra from Kent and it went to Northern Ireland! (2006). Well bought.

[Jerzy Woking]

I had a 1988 Sapphire Cosworth for a couple of years. The front doors were rotten at just 6 years old and 38,000 miles. Replaced both doors with an immaclate pair from a scrapped 1989 1800L. 

[junkyarddog]

3 hours ago, The Vicar said:

Northern Ireland? You've saved that sweet Sierra from a dark future:

Couldn't be darker than my one though.....

[mk2_craig]

Sierras are ace. I miss my 2.0i Ghia,

I never drove the £50 spares Sierra, couldn’t work out what was causing it not to start, it did give up plenty of spares to keep the white one going though. 
 

And the brown one eventually ended up as parts donor too, XR2 is still around in new ownership though. 
 

[HMC]

One working definition of an established classic car using HML….

 

Numbers fairly stable and a cyclical pattern of rising taxed examples in the summer, and less taxed over winter. 

 

[Peter C]

I have a large collection of What Car? magazines that date back from mid 1980s to mid 1990s. I should get them laminated really, as I get quite aroused whenever I peruse them. 

Details taken from a magazine that dates back to 1987, same as the incoming Sapphire.

Sierras of all shapes and specifications often featured in road tests and similar articles. They usually did well, scored average points, were said to be comfortable, reliable and cheap to run but dated. Makes sense.

[Missy Charm]

Looks great!  Would have been a good car to have this morning, too, as the cold weather overnight in the South East left us with a touch of frost.  

Are the 1.8 ones any good?  I had a 1.6 CVH in an Orion and found it willing, if somewhat unrefined.  Would it be a lot slower than a 2.0 Pinto?  Those were hardly refined either (if old memories of driving a Cortina so equipped are anything to go by), but quite willing once the revs were up.  The CVH is, presumably, the opposite.  I've somehow managed to get through life, at least thus far, without ever having driven a Sierra!  

[New POD]

I was stopped by plain clothes police drugs squad officers for overtaking them down the Dock Road in Liverpool. It was a week after I passed my driving test. In my dad's dangly mirror beige base 1.6 estate.  Probably doing 80 mph in what is Now a 30.  I think it was a 60 in those days. Got a bit of advice at the side of the road. 

Not taking the advice I spun that car on the coast road at Southport about 6 months later. No visible damage. 🤔

A few years later I got his Sapphire 1.8LX up to an indicated 136 on a German Autobahn at 2 am heading for Stuttgart. He was asleep. When he woke up he was complaining about how much fuel I'd used. 

He took me off the insurance when I got his 2.0 16V ghia estate sideways on a motorway roundabout in the dry.  Probably shouldn't have done it with him in the passenger seat.  30 years later he still won't put me on his insurance. 

[sierraman]

53 minutes ago, New POD said:

I was stopped by plain clothes police drugs squad officers for overtaking them down the Dock Road in Liverpool. It was a week after I passed my driving test. In my dad's dangly mirror beige base 1.6 estate.  Probably doing 80 mph in what is Now a 30.  I think it was a 60 in those days. Got a bit of advice at the side of the road. 

Not taking the advice I spun that car on the coast road at Southport about 6 months later. No visible damage. 🤔

A few years later I got his Sapphire 1.8LX up to an indicated 136 on a German Autobahn at 2 am heading for Stuttgart. He was asleep. When he woke up he was complaining about how much fuel I'd used. 

He took me off the insurance when I got his 2.0 16V ghia estate sideways on a motorway roundabout in the dry.  Probably shouldn't have done it with him in the passenger seat.  30 years later he still won't put me on his insurance. 

😂😂😂 136!!! What kilometres per hour?

[Peter C]

Just received these photos, the Sierra is ready for it’s trip to the UK.

[bunglebus]

2 hours ago, Missy Charm said:

Are the 1.8 ones any good? 

They're alright, no road burner but they get the job done.

Easiest cambelt ever though, ICME time is 36 minutes

[junkyarddog]

Looks like a decent car that.

[Peter C]

Just received confirmation email from the DVLA that the car is mine.

The seller has sent me one more photo.

The Sierra may start its journey tomorrow instead of Monday, details to be confirmed tomorrow morning.

Excitement level is high.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

4 hours ago, HMC said:

One working definition of an established classic car using HML….

 

Numbers fairly stable and a cyclical pattern of rising taxed examples in the summer, and less taxed over winter. 

 

Whilst the stability is promising, I think it has more to do with the value of Cossies rather than anything else.

[lisbon_road]

Congratulations.  That is a total time warp, especially in Smartie blue.  Like so many others, I sold mine to someone in Northern Ireland.  There must be a handful of D reg saloons now. 

I suspect also that you've got one of the very early Mk2 Sierras that had Mk1 door windows.  They got larger windows but I think that the earliest had the smaller ones from the Mk1.  Be worth checking in the hopefully unlikely event that you need a window.

 

[Wibble]

I think I drove every configuration of Mk2 Sierra back in the day, except the diesel. Now feeling a big Sierra hole in my life. Very jealous, well done!

[Peter C]

39 minutes ago, lisbon_road said:

 

I suspect also that you've got one of the very early Mk2 Sierras that had Mk1 door windows.  They got larger windows but I think that the earliest had the smaller ones from the Mk1.  Be worth checking in the hopefully unlikely event that you need a window.

 

Is that possible? A Mk2 with Mk1 glazing?

[lisbon_road]

Just now, Peter C said:

Is that possible? A Mk2 with Mk1 glazing?

I think they enlarged the windows a year or so after the first Mk2s.  The doors had narrower sections too. 

I remember that a knew a bodyshop and he'd occasionally fitted early Mk2s with Mk1 doors but had to weld part of the inner door so that the various bits fitted.  At the time, early Mk2s were newish.

Anyway, that's my memory. 

[hairnet]

8 hours ago, sierraman said:

😂😂😂 136!!! What kilometres per hour?

off the dunes at birkdale

[High Jetter]

5 hours ago, Peter C said:

Is that possible? A Mk2 with Mk1 glazing?

Purest green!