Princess Diana
Her car fetches £724,500 at auction
The black Ford Escort with the blue trim once belonged to Princess Diana.
© getty images /Tim Graham Photo Library
Princess Diana’s Ford Escort, which she drove her sons to social events, has sold for £724,500.
Princess Diana’s (1961-1997) former car has been auctioned 25 years after her death. As the auction house Silverstone Auctions in Leamington Spa announced, it changed hands for 724,500 pounds (equivalent to around 852,900 euros). A buyer from the county of Cheshire in north-west England was awarded the contract.
Auctioneer Jonathan Humbert said the “BBC”, the interest in the vehicle was very high, and the highest number of telephone bids had been received in twelve years. As a result, bidding started at £100,000 and soon escalated into a competition between buyers in Dubai and Coventry in the Midlands. At the £450,000 mark, Cheshire and Dubai attracted the most bids, with the UK buyer eventually winning the bid – buying a “piece of history” according to Humbert.
A car with history
The black Ford Escort RS Turbo with the blue stripe was driven by Diana from 1985 to 1988 when her sons William (40) and Harry (37) were young. The car was privately owned for a number of years in the 1990s before becoming part of a Ford RS collection. According to the auction house, it is in “top condition”.