Princess Diana’s Ford Escort set to be sold at auction
Princess Diana’s beloved black Ford Escort will soon go up for auction.
“We wouldn’t be surprised if it went for over $100,000,” Arwel Richards, a classic car specialist at Silverstone Auctions, which will be hosting the auction on August 27, told the Daily Mail.
The Ford Escort RS will come with just under 25,000 miles on it, a Lifetime Tracker, a spare key, Ford internal memos and the car’s registration documents.
The People’s Princess drove the small family car for three years — from 1985 to 1988 while Prince William and Harry were young — until the royal protection service made her switch to a more high-end model that offered more privacy and protection.
“Parallels could be drawn with the RS Turbo’s reputation as the People’s Sports Car and the honorific of People’s Princess bestowed by the British public on Princess Diana,” the auctioneers said.
“The RS Turbo was never designed to be driven by the wife of the second in line to the British throne nor to transport the future king.”
Despite Princess Di driving more luxurious cars, the auctioneers said that the Ford Escort RS Turbo “far outperforms them at auction, selling in some cases for three times the price of equivalent models.”
This car was said to be the princess’s car of choice because it reminded her of her previous car which was also an Escort, although it was red instead of black.
The Daily Mail also reported that driving the car was likely an escape for Diana, possibly using the car to meet friends or go shopping.
For it to be more suitable for a royal lifestyle, Ford’s special vehicle engineering department gave the car a “stealth makeover,” which included a five-slat front grille instead of three, along with an extra rearview mirror for the protection officer she had to ride with.
The car has had quite the journey since it was owned by the People’s Princess, having three owners after her before being added to the Ford RS collection.
However, Silverstone Auctions noted the vehicle is still in “top condition.”
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