Ford has agreed in principle to buy ...

Published on 13 July 1998 by Verstappen Info Page

Ford has agreed in principle to buy the Cosworth Racing engine division of Cosworth Engineering from Audi AG. Cosworth Racing has worked together very closely with Ford for more than 30 years. The sale allows Audi to concentrate fully on the engineering, development, casting and manufacturing capabilities of Cosworth. Martin Whitaker, Ford European Director of Motorsport, about the deal: "Cosworth has played a significant role in Ford's motorsport heritage and we are delighted with the outcome of the negotiations. The agreement will allow Cosworth Racing to continue to draw on Ford's global engineering capabilities in meeting our commitments in Formula One, Indycar and Touring Car Racing."

Audi, or actually Volkswagen Audi AG of which Audi is part, had bought Cosworth as part of the deal with Rolls Royce. Rolls Royce was the owner of Vickers, the parent company of Cosworth Racing. Acquiring Cosworth permits Ford a much closer integration of Ford's advanced vehicle technology programmes and it allows the cross-over of personnel from Ford's various engineering departments to Cosworth and vice-versa. Cosworth Racing will remain at it's Northampton UK base. Cosworth Racing Inc. serving the American CART programme is also included in the sale and remains at it's Los Angeles facility.