On May 30, 1984, Ezequiel Bustillo Avenue in the picturesque Patagonian city of San Carlos de Bariloche She was moved by the passage of a group of mosquito trucks transporting a series of eleven cars that looked like something out of science fiction. The route took the convoy from the dealership ford from the city center to kilometer 25, the final point of that route that borders the Nahuel Huapi lake.
Patagonian autumn usually offers a wonderful color palette that combines sunlight with the yellow and red leaves of lengas, poplars and notros. But that year, winter came early and as a harbinger of the arrival of a white blanket of snow that a month later would isolate the city for almost two weeks, the sky was overcast and the cold was greater than expected. However, the weather took pity on the organizers of the event, so that in the surroundings of the Hotel Llao Llaowhich at that time was still closed, and Puerto Pañuelo, the first two versions of a model that would begin to rewrite the history of Argentine cars could be presented: the Ford Sierra.
The market context was very special. Just a year and a few months before, the coupe had begun to be sold in Argentina. Renault Fuego, the sports version of the Renault 18, which was still imported from France. Unlike its French competitors, the “movida” of Ford Motor Argentina It was much bolder with the Sierra, because not only did they manufacture the car in Pacheco, after an investment of 80 million dollars that completely modernized the plant with the first robotic systems, but also the range was made up of sedans with two different equipment and engines.
While the R18 was a conventional three-volume saloon, the Sierra L and the Sierra Ghia, were four-door cars (actually 5 because they had a tailgate), and were not intended to be a sports car like the Renault Fuego was. For that the fabulous Sierra XR4. Ford’s car had more to do with modern Citroën CX Pallas that had arrived at the beginning of the 80s, than with the French product. However, the fact of being imported into a country with times of freedom and times of restrictions, left the Sierra practically alone in those years.
“With this new stage that the Sierra represents, Ford comes out of a nap that in no way has led to a dream, so the competition must be alert,” he said. Juan María Courardpresident of Ford Motor Argentina during breakfast with the press at the Hotel Catedral, where the group of Ford executives who had traveled to Bariloche were staying, among whom was none other than Oscar Alfredo Gálvez.
And Ford’s top executive at that time was right. The user was accustomed to the noble and voluminous Falconand for those who wanted a more European and not so American car there was the Taunuswho by then had already had his last restying. The Sierra arrived with two very different proposals trying to seduce both customers of the oval. The luxurious Ghia with 105 hp 2.3 engine of power, the same one that equipped the coupé Taunus SP5which offered a 5-speed manual gearbox option and a 3-speed automatic transmission, but above all, it had independent suspension on all four wheels as a real novelty, and disc brakes on the front wheels and drum brakes on the rear wheels. .
But the big news was in the interior equipment. From the design, with a wraparound dashboard that turned towards the driver in the central area, to the standard accessories such as lifts electric windows and sunroofso common today, but absolutely novel in the mid-80s.
He Sierra L, on the other hand, was a much more austere car, its strong point was the image of a modern car, although in terms of equipment it had no comparison with the Ghia. The engine was a 4 cylinder 1.6 liters and 75 HP of power, somewhat little for a 1,150 kg car, and was associated with a four-speed manual gearbox with an optional fifth gear, which at that time was still a plus that was paid separately. While the 2.3 reached 181 km/h, the Sierra L barely reached a discreet 165 km/h.
In both cases, however, the dynamic behavior The Sierra was good enough to surprise drivers, even despite having a small tire, 165/70 R13 for the 1.6 and 185/70 R13 for the 2.3 liter. The independent suspension, the aerodynamics and a very precise brake that did not pitch even under very strong braking, at that time ABS did not exist in Argentina, were the true revolution in the market.
The advertising with which it was presented proposed “managing the wind.”
In September the XR4 coupethe car that starred in another feat in Argentina, that of facing the Renault Fuego in the streets and on the slopes of the TC2000. Between both models, an era of profound transformations began that prompted all brands to stop being so conservative in their proposals, and join the first world of automobiles forever.
This Thursday, May 30, Ford Argentina celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Sierra at the Pacheco plant, accompanied by “Ford Sierra Fans Club” and other proud owners of units in perfect condition, in a meeting that commemorated the life of this vehicle that marked a before and after in national automotive history. Throughout its production at General Pacheco, which extended from 1984 to 1993, a total of 73,024 Ford Sierra unitsin a 5-door body, in an XR4 coupe version and in a rural version that also arrived on the market some time later.
