Princess Diana’s Ford Escort sells for almost $1m at auction

A Ford Escort RS Turbo S1 that belonged to Princess Diana has sold at auction for a staggering $843,000 (£722,500) at auction.

The hefty price is more than 10 times higher than the previous record-holding RS Turbo which was sold as a collector-quality example.

The new record holder was one of several Ford Escort models the late Princess of Wales owned.

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One month before Princess Diana married Prince Charles, he bought her a silver Ford Escort Ghia sedan.

That car sold at auction last year for $54,800 (£47,000) – also around 10 times the usual sale price.

Although Diana originally replaced that car with a bright red Escort convertible, security concerns meant she was forced into a more subtle car.

That’s when she got her hands on this black RS Turbo in 1985, which her team hoped would allow her to fly under the radar.

Just three black-painted examples were made for Diana and her security; almost every other RS Turbo was white.

While the color was subtle, the car’s performance wasn’t.

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Ford fans will know the Escort RS Turbo as one of the most potent hot hatches of the time, with 130hp on offer from its 1.6-liter engine.

That doesn’t sound like much these days, but the car only weighs around 950kg (2097lbs), making it good for 0-97km/h (0-60mph) in around 7.5 seconds.

Silverstone Auctions handled the sale, which was won by a bidder from Cheshire, England.

“We have sold a number of motorcars that have had a royal pedigree, but this car ticks every box in terms of history, rarity, condition, and mileage,” Silverstone Auctions classic car specialist Arwel Richards said in a statement.

“When royal cars come to auction, they’re usually Rolls-Royces or Range Rovers, so to offer the very best example of the working class hero’s sports hatchback with such provenance is perhaps unique and therefore very exciting.”