Great Britain, great cars. The UK motor industry is respected the world over, and though many of the vehicles are actually owned by foreign manufacturers, there can be no doubting of the fantastic heritage of the British motor.
To celebrate Britain’s famous history CarSupermarket.com is launching a series looking back on some of the most famous vehicles the UK has ever seen.
Ford Sierra
Described as a ‘jellymould’ by the critics on launch in 1982, it can hardly be said that the Sierra was an instant success with those Ford fans expecting a smoother conversion from the best-selling Cortina.
The Ford Sierra certainly shook up the market, with many company car drivers unsure of the new aerodynamic styling, and preferring th straight-edged, and perhaps straight-laced style of the Cortina, which was ending a 20 year legacy.
Early slow sales weren’t helped by Ford dealers heavily discounting their surplus Cortina stock, but the ‘salesman’s spaceship’ as it became to be known, soon took off, with sales across Europe preceding a jump in the UK market.
The Sierra was built and sold in most markets, with the UK’s Dagenham plant primarily responsible for Britain’s production. Ford’s gamble certainly paid off, with the shapely car going on to become the tenth most popular car to have ever been in sold in Britain, with 1,299,993 units being sold from 1982 through to late 1994/early 1995.
Sierra’s legacy is perhaps best set in stone by the the success of the legendary RS Cosworth, a vehicle which was essentially a race car for the road, and one of the motoring icons of the 80s.
Though the Sierra was succeeded by the Mondeo, even to this day it is estimated that there are still 4,000 Sierra’s wobbling around the UK’s roads with their distinctive jellymould design.
Ford have a wide range of models and trims available at CarSupermarket.com. Order yours today.