The Famous Ford Escort Driven by Princess Diana Put Up For Auction
A unique black Ford Escort driven by the late Princess Diana in the 1980s is to be auctioned this weekend at Britain's Silverstone racetrack, Reuters reports.
One of 130 lots up for sale on Saturday, the RS Turbo Series 1 Escort belonged to Princess Diana between 1985 and 1988.
One of 130 lots up for sale on Saturday, the RS Turbo Series 1 Escort belonged to Princess Diana between 1985 and 1988.
This special Ford Escort is believed to be the only model made in black, according to Silverstone Auctions, which expects it to fetch more than £100,000 (118,000 dollars).
Princess Diana's Ford Escort To Be Auctioned
The RS Turbo Series 1 was usually made in white, but the royal family police requested that Princess Diana Ford Escort be painted black "for discretion".
The car has just under 25,000 miles (around 40,000 km) on the clock.
Princess Diana's decision to drive the vehicle was "a very brave choice", Arwel Richards, a classic car specialist at Silverstone Auctions, told Reuters.
"All the other members of the royal family would be driving around London in the back... of an official car... and she's driving in a car... that you would see on a housing estate not outside the palace."
Next week marks the 25th anniversary of Diana's death. She was only 36 years old when the limousine she was in crashed into a tunnel in Paris while she was being chased away by paparazzi on motorbikes.
Other lots at the auction, which is being held in conjunction with the Classic - a three-day motor racing festival at the Northamptonshire circuit - include a Rolls-Royce convertible once owned by Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees.
