1990 FORD Sierra 3 Doors 1.6L 5MT RWD (71 HP)

Vehicle Overview

Following the heritage from its predecessor, the Taunus/Cortina lineup, Ford made the Sierra lineup in a few body shapes, including a coupe. But it wasn’t a regular one since it featured three doors.

Ford introduced the three-door version in the early ’80s, and in the beginning, it didn’t prove to be very successful until it introduced the Cosworth engine several years later. A car that made high-performance accessible to the blue-collar workers who couldn’t afford a BMW M3 or a Mercedes-Benz 190 2.3-16v. That brought more attention to the three-door version, which was a good, affordable, roomy vehicle for five and a respectable trunk.

For the refreshed 1990 model, the three-door Sierra featured wider headlights with corner-mounted turn-signals. That left less room for the grille, which forced the carmaker to install an additional one on the lower side of the wrap-around bumper. From its profile, the three-door Sierra was completely different than its four- or five-door version. Its arched roofline and the huge rounded, triangular rear side windows were unique in Ford’s range. In the back, a small metallic panel at the bottom of the rear window left room for a small lip-spoiler, which was available as an option.

Inside, there were other upgrades in terms of comfort, materials used, and instrument panel. It was still the same Sierra with low-mounted front seats and a tall and slim transmission tunnel that crossed the car from engine to the rear differential. Its one-piece folding bench allowed an increase in the trunk size.

The Sierra received a few engine choices under the hood, including a new 1.8-liter turbo-diesel, which replaced the older, naturally aspirated oil-burner from before. All versions were paired to a 5-speed manual.