The Ford Sierra RS Cosworth stands as one of the defining machines of 1980s European touring car racing — a homologation special built around a Cosworth YBB turbocharged 2.0-litre engine that transformed the Group A category. Spark Model captures car No. 8 as it ran at the 1987 Spa 24 Hours under the Andy Rouse Engineering banner, in what proved a landmark result for the British preparation outfit. For collectors focused on period British and European saloon car racing, this 1:43 resin model addresses one of the most sought-after liveries of the era.
A Homologation Special That Changed Touring Car Racing
Ford introduced the Sierra RS Cosworth as a road car producing 204 bhp, building the minimum numbers required to homologate the model for Group A competition. In race specification, the Cosworth YBB turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder produced well in excess of 300 bhp. The three-door hatchback body — 4,490 mm in overall length — was topped by a prominent rear spoiler that became one of the most recognisable shapes on any European touring car grid of the period. The RS Cosworth fundamentally altered the competitive order in Group A from its introduction onwards.
Andy Rouse Engineering at the 1987 Spa 24 Hours
Andy Rouse Engineering was one of the most respected Ford-affiliated preparation outfits in Britain, run by Andy Rouse himself — a four-time British Touring Car Champion. At the 1987 Spa 24 Hours, held at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Rouse co-drove the No. 8 Sierra RS Cosworth with Win Percy, himself a multiple British Saloon Car Champion, and Belgian driver Thierry Tassin, a regular competitor at Spa in both endurance and touring car events. The three-driver line-up combined British pedigree with local Belgian knowledge, and the car took an outright victory, marking one of the most significant results in the team's history.
The Spark Model Replica in 1:43
Spark Model, known for the breadth of its racing livery coverage at 1:43, produces this replica of the No. 8 Andy Rouse Engineering entry in resin. The French manufacturer has built a reputation in the collector market for reproducing obscure and significant race-winning liveries that larger producers overlook — the 1987 Spa 24 Hours Sierra RS Cosworth being precisely the kind of niche, historically important subject that defines Spark's catalogue. The Andy Rouse Engineering livery is rendered on the distinctive three-door Sierra body, complete with the whale-tail rear spoiler that is inseparable from the car's identity.
Placing It in the Collection
This model pairs naturally with other Spark Model entries from the Spa 24 Hours SB-prefix range, creating a shelf-level record of Belgian endurance racing across the 1980s. Collectors building a Group A touring car sequence will find it sits alongside Sierra RS500 Cosworth BTCC replicas from the same Andy Rouse Engineering stable, as well as any Win Percy-related 1:43 models. For those following British motorsport heritage specifically, the combination of a four-time BTCC champion as team owner and driver, a multiple British Saloon Car Champion co-driver, and a race win at one of Europe's most demanding circuits makes this a coherent centrepiece for a dedicated British touring car display.
