Sapphire Cosworth 4WD vs 2WD Differences Part 1

I thought I would start listing the differences between the 2wd and 4wd Sapphire Cosworths, this information is based on what I know and some forum information.

The main forums I use are located here on my other blog page refer to link below:

http://ford-topia.blogspot.com.au/p/car-shows.html

I have owned a few 2wd Sapphire Cosworths and when purchasing parts from overseas especially from the U.K. its good to know the difference, and also what is not original or has been modified to your car. There is also quite a few people that have done a conversion from 4wd to 2wd for example and wish to retain the 4wd body and they might find this useful as well.

If you find anything else that I have missed please leave a comment or email me.

Starting with the years of production, the 2wd Sapphire Cosworths were produced from 1988-1989 and the 4x4 Sapphire Cosworths January 1990 till the end 1992.
The Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth 4WD was produced on G to K-registration plates in the UK.
The Sapphire Cosworth was discontinued to make way for Fords new Mondeo. Ford's alliance with Cosworth continued however with the Mark 5 Escort RS Cosworth.

Prices

In New Zealand, the prices between the 2wd and the 4wd are currently close.
In general the cheap 2wd ones are being wrecked and parted out. I have seen a lot sold as parts in the previous 5-10 years to re-power 3 door sierra cosworth's and also Mark 1 and 2 escorts and kit cars etc.

Lately in last few years they have started to be more desirable, especially for original car or ones with only minimal tasteful modifications. I would say the current prices would be for a 2wd and 4wd

Sapphire Cosworth in New Zealand:
(2015)

Poor to Average: 6000-10,000 NZD
Good solid usable condition: 10-15,000 NZD
Excellent concourse condition or highly modified: 15,000-20,000 NZD

Trademe would be most common website for purchasing
http://www.trademe.co.nz/

Sapphire Cosworth in UK:
(2015)

Poor to Average: 4000-6000 Pounds
Good solid usable condition: 8000-9000 Pounds
Excellent concourse condition or highly modified: 15000+ Pounds

Sapphire Cosworth in Australia:
(2015)

There are very few Sapphire cosworths in Australia, I have been living over here for the last 7 years and they rarely come up for sale. Due to the import laws 1989 is the cutoff, if you have a look at my previous blogs on Sydney All Ford Day Etc you will see the regulars.

http://ford-topia.blogspot.com.au/2014/11/2014-all-ford-day-eastern-creek-corrupt.html

There is a company that can assist in bringing in UK cars to Australia called 'Chalker'
http://www.chalker.com.au/compliancing-%20pre%201989.htm

I am not sure what the market value would be on a 2wd Sapphire, as they rarely come up but my recommendation would be $20,000 for a excellent condition car, This coincidentally was advertised today it is a good example but slightly overpriced, in my opinion.

I have previously written up my interpretation of the buyers guide for a Sapphire Cosworth refer to this link:
http://ford-topia.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/buyers-guide-ford-sierra-sapphire.html

How Many Left Website

At the time of writing this blog according to the "how many left" database there are 376 sapphire cosworth's in the U.K. that are taxed and on the road or on SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification) similar to registration on hold / exempt in New Zealand

https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=sapphire+cosworth

For an extensive parts list and description refer to my next blog post located here:
http://ford-topia.blogspot.com.au/2015/08/sapphire-cosworth-4wd-vs-2wd_31.html
(Still working on it will be live shortly)