A car used by Diana, Princess of Wales has sold for £650,000 at auction.
The black Ford Escort RS Turbo, driven by Diana from August 23, 1985 to May 1, 1988, was sold to a UK buyer at Silverstone Auctions on Saturday.
Diana was previously photographed in the RS Turbo 1 Series outside boutique shops in Chelsea and restaurants in Kensington.
He preferred to drive his own car and had a member of Royalty Protection Command (SO14) in the passenger seat.
The car is believed to be one-of-a-kind as the first and only black RS Turbo 1-Series, as agreed by S014 and Ford’s PR department for discretionary reasons, rather than the model manufactured in white.
Ford’s factory special vehicle engineering department was tasked with supplying the car and installed a five-slat front grille to aid in the “stealth makeover”.
There was also a secondary wing mirror for the protection officer and a radio in the glove box, with the wire still visible. The car only has 24,961 miles on the clock.
In June 2021, another Ford Escort used by Diana sold at auction for £52,000.
Arwel Richards, classic car specialist at Silverstone Auctions, said it was “an incredible result” with “ferocious bidding” and a full house.
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“The car exceeded all expectations,” he said, adding that it was a “top 10 world record for its type.”
Richards said: “The asking price of £650,000 plus 12.5% buyer’s premium shows that a unique Ford can be sold for supercar money.”