Princess Diana’s ‘85 Ford Escort Sells For $850,000 At Auction

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Princess Diana’s ‘85 Ford Escort Sells For $850,000 At Auction

A one-of-a-kind 1985 Ford Escort that was customized for use by Princess Diana sold for 724,500 pounds ($850,000) at auction Saturday–an eye-popping sum for an economy car that the so-called people’s princess chose to drive around town–one week before the 25th anniversary of her death in a car crash in Paris.

KEY FACTS

The Escort was kitted out with two interior rear-view mirrors and a radio in the glove compartment for a bodyguard riding in the passenger seat, according to Silverstone Auctions.

Diana owned the car from 1985, four years after her marriage to Prince Charles, until 1988.

The Escort was a tremendous departure from the Rolls Royce’s, Daimlers, Bentleys and limousines that typically carry members of the Royal Family—Arwel Richards, a classic car specialist at Silverstone Auctions, told Reuters this week it’s the kind of car “you would see on a housing estate, not outside the palace.”

It’s believed to be the only Escort RS Turbo Series 1 model made in black, a departure from the all-white fleet.

NBC News reported that as bids kept rising Saturday, auctioneer Jonathan Humbert at one point said, “560,000 pounds for a Ford Escort, I’ve never said that before.”

SURPRISING FACT

The car was offered at auction with only 24,961 miles on it, according to Silverstone Auctions.

KEY BACKGROUND

Ford Escorts were manufactured in Europe from 1968 until 2000, while the North American version went out of production in 2003. Auctioneers had expected the car to sell for 100,000 pounds.

Princess Diana’s ‘85 Ford Escort Sells For $850,000 At Auction