7:13 am, August 28, 2022
A Ford Escort RS Turbo driven by Diana, Princess of Wales has sold for a staggering £650,000 at auction.
The black Escort, driven by the late royal from August 23, 1985 to May 1, 1988, went to a UK buyer at the Silverstone Auctions sale yesterday (Aug 27).
Including the premium, the buyer paid £730,000 in total.
Diana was previously pictured with the RS Turbo Series 1 outside the boutique shops of Chelsea and the restaurants of Kensington.
She preferred to drive her own car at the time and had a member of the Royalty Protection Command (S014) in the passenger seat.
The car is believed to be unique as the first and only black RS Turbo Series 1, as agreed by S014 and the Ford PR department for reasons of discretion, instead of the only-white manufactured model.
The Ford factory’s special vehicle engineering department was tasked to supply the car and it fitted a regular five-slat front grille to assist in the ‘stealth makeover’.
There was also a secondary rear-view mirror for the protection officer with a radio in the glove box, with the cable still visible. The car has just 24,961 miles on the clock.
Arwel Richards, classic car specialist at Silverstone Auctions, said it was ‘an incredible result’ with ‘fierce bidding’ and a packed room.
‘The car exceeded all expectations,’ he said, adding that it was a ‘top ten world record for its type’.
Richards added: ‘The selling price of £650,000 plus 12.5 per cent buyer’s premium shows that a unique Ford can sell for supercar money.’
In June 2021, another Ford Escort used by Diana sold at auction for £52,000.
Yesterday’s sale took place just four days before the 25th anniversary of Diana’s death following a car crash in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris.
The accident – early on August 31, 1997 – also killed her companion Dodi Fayed and their driver, Henri Paul, after he lost control of their Mercedes-Benz W140 S-Class and hit a pillar head-on while trying to shake off paparazzi.
