A 1985 Ford Escort RS Turbo Series 1 that belonged to Diana, Princess of Wales, sold for £730,000 (roughly R14,491,044) at a Silverstone auction on August 27. The final price includes a buyer’s 12.5% premium.
The price sets an astounding new record for Escort sales, decimating the former record of £63,000 (roughly R1,243,913) earned by a white 1985 Ford Escort RS Turbo S1 at auction in 2021. That one had fewer than 24,000km on the engine and was considered collector quality. The sale also beat the price of the Ford Escort Ghia Prince Charles gave Diana as an engagement gift and that sold for £47,000 (roughly R927,526) last year.
Ford Escort Turbos are considered humble economy cars and can be bought for roughly $10,000 (roughly R197,386). The two listed most recently on Bring a Trailer failed to sell.
“We have sold a number of cars that have had a royal pedigree, but this car ticks every box in terms of history, rarity, condition and mileage. The market adores early Ford RS models,” said Arwel Richards, a Silverstone Auctions classic car specialist.
“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.”
The house would confirm only the buyer is British.
Most royals at the time drove around in Bentleys, Aston Martins and Jaguars rather than a lowly economy car from a US brand.
“It remains the most daring choice of class-dividing motor car by any member of the royal family since,” the lot notes for the car stated.
Offered at no reserve by the UK auction house, Diana’s black hatchback had blue pinstriping, a mere 40,170km on the engine, and an ownership history that included RS Owners Club documentation, maintenance receipts, newspaper clippings, glossy photos of Diana using the car and period registration forms. It also included memos from Ford confirming the replating of the registration number, a common practice for cars that formerly belonged to royal figures.
The princess originally preferred a red Ford Escort 1.6i Cabriolet in which she was photographed when she drove it to Ascot in 1984, but her security team asked her to select a different vehicle for driving around town because the soft top of a convertible did not provide what they considered adequate privacy and security. She specified that hers be black, the auction catalog states.
Her choice became the first and only black RS Turbo Series 1. It also came with unique adjustments to make it lower key. Ford’s special vehicle engineering department fitted a five-slat front grille and a secondary rear view mirror for the protection officer who would ride in the passenger seat when the princess drove. Mechanics also installed a radio in the glove compartment.
The car was registered on August 23 1985, nearly 37 years before it was sold.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
Princess Diana’s 1985 Ford Escort tops $850,000 at auction sale
A 1985 Ford Escort RS Turbo Series 1 that belonged to Diana, Princess of Wales, sold for £730,000 (roughly R14,491,044) at a Silverstone auction on August 27. The final price includes a buyer’s 12.5% premium.
The price sets an astounding new record for Escort sales, decimating the former record of £63,000 (roughly R1,243,913) earned by a white 1985 Ford Escort RS Turbo S1 at auction in 2021. That one had fewer than 24,000km on the engine and was considered collector quality. The sale also beat the price of the Ford Escort Ghia Prince Charles gave Diana as an engagement gift and that sold for £47,000 (roughly R927,526) last year.
Ford Escort Turbos are considered humble economy cars and can be bought for roughly $10,000 (roughly R197,386). The two listed most recently on Bring a Trailer failed to sell.
“We have sold a number of cars that have had a royal pedigree, but this car ticks every box in terms of history, rarity, condition and mileage. The market adores early Ford RS models,” said Arwel Richards, a Silverstone Auctions classic car specialist.
“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.”
The house would confirm only the buyer is British.
Most royals at the time drove around in Bentleys, Aston Martins and Jaguars rather than a lowly economy car from a US brand.
“It remains the most daring choice of class-dividing motor car by any member of the royal family since,” the lot notes for the car stated.
Offered at no reserve by the UK auction house, Diana’s black hatchback had blue pinstriping, a mere 40,170km on the engine, and an ownership history that included RS Owners Club documentation, maintenance receipts, newspaper clippings, glossy photos of Diana using the car and period registration forms. It also included memos from Ford confirming the replating of the registration number, a common practice for cars that formerly belonged to royal figures.
The princess originally preferred a red Ford Escort 1.6i Cabriolet in which she was photographed when she drove it to Ascot in 1984, but her security team asked her to select a different vehicle for driving around town because the soft top of a convertible did not provide what they considered adequate privacy and security. She specified that hers be black, the auction catalog states.
Her choice became the first and only black RS Turbo Series 1. It also came with unique adjustments to make it lower key. Ford’s special vehicle engineering department fitted a five-slat front grille and a secondary rear view mirror for the protection officer who would ride in the passenger seat when the princess drove. Mechanics also installed a radio in the glove compartment.
The car was registered on August 23 1985, nearly 37 years before it was sold.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com