A few weeks ago, we showed you a classic ad from the early days of the Ford Sierra, featuring a be-cardiganned Richard Briers doing his best to assure buyers that, yes, despite their fears about its radical styling, Ford’s new replacement for the Cortina was just as middle-class and aspirational as ever before.
By the end of the decade, though, the Sierra had established itself as one of Britain’s family favourites. A mid-life facelift in 1987 had softened off the styling with a selection of changes, including flush, wrap-around front headlamp and indicator units, a vestigial grille and a re-designed tail. A saloon model, the Sapphire, had been added, boosting the Sierra’s appeal among the more conservative buyers who hadn’t taken to the fastback and estate versions; and, it was upon this new model that the next Cosworth was based, with Ford now positioning it as an executive express, rather than an out-and-out racing car for the road.
The overall effect of the changes was to dramatically broaden the Sierra’s appeal, and the result was a hike in sales that helped to make it one of the UK’s best-selling cars. And, now that their most radical new model to date was coming good, Ford’s marketing bods felt more comfortable with advertising it confidently. No longer did they need to convince the public of the Sierra’s aspirational credentials – instead, they could show off its broad range of talents and guises.
That’s exactly what this advert sets out to do. It hails from around 1988, just after the Sierra’s facelift, and of course, features the rather naff synth-pop backing music that was de rigeur for Ford ads of the day. As the narrator reels off a list of the different flavours of Sierra available – petrol or diesel engines; with four-wheel drive or without; turbocharged or naturally-aspirated; hatchback, saloon or estate – we’re treated to a scroll-through of a host of different Sierras doing their thing, be that racing around a track, sitting on a motorway, racing around a track (again) or… um… providing a convenient rendezvous point for a herd of sheep. Yes, the Sierra really was the car for all occasions.
The ad concludes with a suitably rousing climax – a fleet of Sierras spreading out from behind a lead Cosworth, lights ablaze; a touch of glamour for what would have been one of the country’s most ubiquitous cars. But what’s really clever about this ad is the camera-work. It isn’t technologically advanced, but ensuring each shot was set up and positioned just right to give a seamless transition from car to car would have required an awful lot of precision and attention to detail – especially with some of the cameras being mounted in moving camera cars.
It certainly got the job done, as the Sierra continued to put on a good show in the sales charts right through until 1993. This despite the fact that its replacement, the Mondeo, was repeatedly delayed, meaning the poor old Sierra had to soldier on with a cabin and a range of engines that looked and felt a generation older than those of the all-new Cavalier it was going up against.
Yet, even at the end of its life, there was something about the Sierra that inspired fondness among its fans. Maybe because of the touring car heritage this ad alludes to not once, but twice, or the comfort of its big, squidgy seats, or simply its ease and cost-effectiveness to service and repair, the Sierra became a much-loved part of the scenery.
Today, the Cosworth models are obviously the most sought-after, fetching high prices and attracting nostalgic respect from a whole new generation, but even the cooking Sierra models have acquired their own devoted clique of fans who value their honesty, comfort and simplicity. Driving one is a little like eating comfort food: while it’ll never be a gourmet experience, you always know exactly what you’re going to get, and it’ll invariably be warming and satisfying!
By Alex Robbins
@Scrof
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