Princess Diana's 1985 Ford Escort Sells at Auction for Nearly $800,000
Diana drove the car for personal use from 1985 to 1988, and it's still in mint condition.
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An old Ford Escort that once belonged to the late Princess Diana sold at auction Saturday for a whopping £650,000, or around $763,700.
That's a huge sum, considering the folks over at UK-based Silverstone Auctions told the Daily Mail they wouldn't be surprised if the car sold for just over $100,000. According to the outlet, the 1985 Ford Escort RS Turbo was Diana's car of choice when she owned it from 1985 to 1988.
Fun fact: Diana preferred to drive herself around town whenever she met up with friends or went out shopping. But there was still the issue of security. The solution, the Daily Mail reported, consisted of having a member of the Royal Protection Command sit passenger side when she drove around town.
"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," said a spokesperson for the auctioning firm.
Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images
Joe Giddens/PA Images via Getty Images
Joe Giddens/PA Images via Getty Images
In fact, there's a photo of a smiling Diana behind the wheel with her bodyguard in tow, as well as Prince William as a toddler sitting in a child car seat. What's more, the car had to be equipped with a second rear-view mirror for Diana's bodyguard, and there was also a radio in the glove box for her bodyguard.
"The RS Turbo is a driver's car and the late Diana, Princess of Wales was clearly a fan, and it was a fascinating choice for the daughter of an earl, mother of the future king, and the daughter-in-law of the Queen to choose," Arwel Richards at Silverstone Auctions told the Daily Mail. "Isn't it fascinating that the Escort RS Turbo was to be synonymous with the white stilettos of Essex but its first champion was the most glamorous woman on Earth?"
The new owner's getting a classic car and quite a deal, given the Escort has accumulated less than 25,000 miles. It's reported to also be in mint condition despite the car having several owners since Diana.
According to Silverstone Auctions, it has sold numerous cars belonging to royal pedigree -- usually Range Rovers and Rolls Royce's -- but Diana's Ford Escort "ticks every box in terms of history, rarity, condition and mileage."
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