Ford Sierra

About Ford Sierra

The Ford Sierra is a mid-size/large family car manufactured and marketed by Ford of Europe from 1982–1993. It was launched as a three-door or five-door hatchback or a five-door estate car, with a car-derived van variant added in 1984 and the four-door Sierra Sapphire saloon car introduced in 1987 when the range was facelifted. The engine is mounted in the front with rear-wheel drive on most models and four-wheel drive on certain models. It was designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Robert Lutz and Patrick Le Quément, and was noted for its aerodynamic styling. It has a drag coefficient of 0.34, a significant improvement over its predecessors. The Sierra debuted at the 1982 British International Motor Show at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham, then appeared at the 1982 Paris Salon de l'Automobile. Sales began on 15 October 1982, replacing the Ford Taunus TC3 and Ford Cortina Mark V. The Sierra's aerodynamic styling and the initial absence of a saloon alienated many conservative buyers, including company car drivers. Developed under the internal code name "Project Toni", the Sierra name is derived from the Spanish word for a mountain range.