In the 1980’s, the world of rally racing was exploding, quite literally in the case of the no-holds barred Group B. Group B didn’t last too long, though Group A touring car racing, which also starred production car-based tour car racing vehicles, went on to enjoy a few more successful years. Ford proved an incredible competitor in Group A touring classes.

SpeedHunters took a trip to New Zealand to meet with the owner of one of the most famous Ford Group A race cars, the #1 Eggenberger Texaco Ford Sierra Cosworth.

The Sierra Cosworth as a Euro-only hatchback that proved quite popular, both for its racing skills and street mannerisms. Ford contacted famed turbo tuner Reudi Eggenberger to transform a production Sierra Cosworth into the ultimate touring car version of itself. Suffice to say, the resulting was an immensely-powerful all-wheel drive racing machine.

With many famous drivers at the helm, the #1 Texaco Cosworth would go on to rack up an incredible number of victories. In its freshman year, it qualified in the top three in all eleven races and finished on the podium five times. At the end of the 1989 racing season, Japanese driver Yojiro Terada bought the car and continued to campaign it, up until it was sold to the Fuji Motorsports museum, which went belly up and sold off its assets. That’s how a New Zealand car dealer came to own, restore, and race it, bringing this legendary Ford back to the track, where it belongs.

Make sure you check out the full SpeedHunters article for all the awesome photos.