Been looking to get back into the cozzy scene.

Been offered an 89 3 door.
It's tidy and been painted 12 months or so ago.
Hpi car and it comes up as year of manufacturer 1989 and colour change from red.
The chassis number shows as wfof xxgbbf is this not a saff chassis number.
Hpi also says saloon rather that hatch.

Originally from Chesham.

Googled searched and was a debate on here about it previous. (Although car with eBay link was different to the pictured car so at least two of them)





Any information would be great. Also what would you value it at as if I can get it cheap enough might still go for it.

Thanks in advance

 

Probably just late registered, is it cosworth on the log book? If so no worries and very rare but if not I guess someone built it or at great expense had ford specially build it.

 

It is but says 2 door saloon rather than hatch wfof chassis marker is associated with saloon rather than hatch. I believe hatch is wfoexxgbbe.
Thanks cos

 

Looks like it failed an MOT in 2006 due to rust. Worth making a note to check the quality of repairs.

Fail:
Nearside Rear Suspension component mounting prescribed area is excessively corroded (2.4.A.3)
Offside Inner Front Suspension component mounting prescribed area is excessively corroded (2.4.A.3)

Plus advisory:
Offside Inner Rear Suspension component mounting prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive (2.4.A.3)
Rear Suspension component mounting prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive (2.4.A.3)

 

Wouldn't put me off, as long as you have a really good look at all the history and check the VIN numbers look like they're factory I don't see an issue. Good luck and I hope it all pans out well.

 

Sellers market with cossies mate, if it looks straight and isn't rotten underneath or has horrid welding patches I think it's worth a punt. My uneducated mind tells me it's on saff I'd is this possible?

 

looks like a saff identity to me .as said 3dr is wfoexx

 

How can people say it doesn't bother them
It's got the wrong chassis number
It's a f reg
And the previous colour was red
And it's on the logbook as a saloon
It's been rung off a saph id
As soon as anyone goes for an agreed value they will be told to do one

 

Doesn't sound good judging by what you have said.

Also remember if you was to sell it at some point you would then get all the same questions asked to you.
I would say really effects the value

 

I'd guess someone has reshelled a sapphire into a 3 door shell but, instead of doing it properly with an SVA test, a DVLA-issued VIN and an age-related plate, they have effectively rung the Sapphire VIN onto what may or may not have been a new shell.

You can forget any idea of FoMoCo building a 3-door in 1989 at any kind of expense. Once the lines are re-tooled you couldn't pay enough to retool for a one-off car, and they don't have the facilities to build a car off-line unless all development and prototyping was to be stopped for a while!

 

I think that's the one I looked at a few years back when I was after a 3dr.

 

Wouldn't touch it with a barge pole it's wrong on so many points!

 

As already said several times it's a Sapphire I.D

 

Everyone saying it has been rung from a saph, how do you explain the fact it states 2 door???

Pending proof of the fact its dodgy, i'll go out on a limb and say I think its a late car with some sort of admin issue which explains the chassis number and unique 2 door description it's registered as.

 

How do you explain the previous colour as red .as far as I know the only red 3 door cosworth was for a duke and is now in a collectors garage

 

I can't, but I am keeping an open mind about it and not just assuming it's been messed around with. Like anything, we can speculate on here all day, or someone can actually go and view it properly, that's the only way it could possibly be clarified what exactly it is.

 

It's natural to assume the worst with a cossie considering their past

 

Agreed, it just happens all the time on forums though, the slightest bit of misinformation and the car is definately stolen.... I'm not for a minute suggesting people don't need to be cautious of his car, but it's not exactly damning evidence of any wrong doing.

 

At a guess I'd say its a replica. Probably started life as an xr4 or base model 3dr then someones bought a red sapphire cosworth and swapped everything over including the id, then changed the v5 to say 2 door and moonstone blue? If its cheap enough then buy it and put a private plate on

 

It could well be the ID from a mk2 lhd 3dr used on a new rhd 3dr shell, hence the red colour and 89. It wont be a special of any kind from Ford you can guarantee that.

Back in the 80s /90s you could also change model type on the V5, hence some of these converted cars may be listed as cosworth, but the VIN will identify the original model type anyway once decoded.

Its not actually a ringer if the shell used was a new one regardless of the original cars configuration, all the sierra range had the same type approval number, they were all variants of the sierra, so you could swap between the shells officially.

 

I remember the car being advertised - i'm guessing it's the white car that was floating around - a friend of the guy who actually did all the work said it was simple, magenta sapphire into a brand new shell, legal in the eyes of the dvla. frowned upon by the enthusiast.

 

Sounds like triggers broom

 

get an insurance quote and see what information comes back from that.

 

No it's not that one was never white.

I looked to buy this in 2006/7 and ended up with a white one as proffered it. My mate went on to buy this and has owned since 2007. He has recently had it painted and looks very clean and straight. Standard other than exhaust. He was told it was late registered as was in a demo car in showrooms.
How true this is I don't know.
All I can tell you it's clean and for sale as he has two other cosworths and lost his storage space.



Regards
Ian

 

How much is it?

 

Pmd mate
Cheers
Ian

 

WFOFXXGBBF is a sapphire chassis number, the second F in the number denotes a 4 door saloon. WFOEXXGBBE is a 3 door I'd the E denotes 3 door hatch

 

But v5 says 2 door on it as does info if you Hpi it Dave.

Cheers
Ian

 

Tell what is strange there is a 1991 j plate Sierra on eBay and that is also for, Chesum where the blue one originated from. Coincidence or what

 

The 2 door bit isn't difficult to do, you can just ring dvla and change it just like you can the colour or engine size

Tbh it wouldn't bother me as long as the price reflected the shell change. How many mk1 escorts were reshelled into mk2's back in the day?

 

made me laugh!

 

My mate has a mk2 and its on a h or j plate yes that happened to his lol