As a member of the British royal household, the late Princess Diana had an array of chauffeurs and high-end automobiles at her disposal. And but, she was usually seen behind the wheel of a humble Ford Escort. Her first Escort — a comparatively primary mannequin — was offered at an public sale in June 2021, and her second Escort — a much more attention-grabbing RS Turbo that is distinctive in some ways — will quickly cross the public sale block.
Princess Diana ended up behind the wheel of a 1985 Escort RS Turbo on account of security-related issues. Silverstone Auctions explains she was initially set to get a crimson convertible till the member of The Royalty Safety Command in control of her safety intervened. The delicate prime offered little in the way in which of privateness and even much less in the way in which of security, so she had no selection however to order a automotive with a set roof.
Getting a bare-bones variant with metal wheels and a carburetor was seemingly out of the query. She chosen the RS Turbo, the newest in a protracted line of hot-rodded Escort fashions. It was solely provided in white, although Ford’s PR supervisor got here up with the concept of portray Diana’s automotive black, and the Particular Automobile Engineering workforce put in a five-slat grille from a typical Escort as a substitute of the Turbo’s three-slat unit in a bid to make the hatchback extra delicate. They left the rally-inspired driving lights, the seven-spoke wheels, and the spoiler, nonetheless.
Silverstone Auctions notes that Princess Diana gave her Escort again to Ford in Could 1988 with about 6,800 miles on the odometer. Geoff King, the supervisor of Ford’s Authorities Gross sales Division, bought the automotive for his spouse. It one way or the other ended up as a prize given away by radio station KISS-FM in September 1993, and a girl recognized as Miss Jones of Essex, England, received it. It had 12,000 miles on the time.
Quick-forward to 2008: A non-public collector purchased it from a person named Mr. Windsor (unsure if he was one in all these Windsors) who had bought it in November 1994. It has been on this assortment since, and its odometer presently shows 24,961 miles. It is unmodified, it is provided with a protracted record of service information and different paperwork, and it has been reunited with the C462 FHK registration quantity assigned to it when Princess Diana took possession of it.
The so-called Folks’s Princess had good style in automobiles. Energy for the RS Turbo comes from a turbocharged, 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that sends 130 horsepower and 133 pound-feet of torque to the entrance wheels through a five-speed guide transmission. That is quite a bit for a automotive that suggestions the dimensions at 2,182 kilos. For context, a base 1985 Escort putted together with a 49-horsepower, 1.1-liter engine.
Even with out a connection to Princess Diana, this first-generation Escort RS Turbo would undoubtedly promote for a jaw-dropping determine. It is authentic (many ended up closely modified within the Nineteen Nineties), it options unusually low mileage, and it is the one identified instance painted in black. Its possession historical past will possible ship the promoting value by way of the roof. It should cross the public sale block on Saturday, August 27, with no reserve, however we would not be stunned if it sells for a six-digit sum. Needless to say Diana’s first Escort, a 1981 four-door hatchback given to her by Prince Charles two months earlier than their marriage ceremony, offered for £52,000 (round $63,600) together with taxes and the customer’s premium in 2021.
