London:
A sporty Ford Escort that was once Princess Diana’s runabout was sold at auction on Saturday for £737,000, a few days before the 25th anniversary of her death.
The modest car, with just 24,961 miles (40,000 km) on the odometer, went under the hammer at Silverstone Auctions in Warwickshire in central England.
Bidders from Dubai, the United States and Britain waged a heated bidding war for the unique model, which resulted in a sale to a buyer from Alderley Edge, an upscale village in northern England that is home to many Premier League footballers.
The sale price equal to about $866,000 comes as interest in Diana’s life continues to be huge, a quarter of a century after her death, fueled by the success of the Netflix series “The Crown”.
The auctioneers said the sale “attracted a tremendous amount of global press and publicity interest”.
The car was sold without a reserve price, with bids starting at £100,000. It sold for £650,000 plus buyer’s premium.
The black Ford Escort RS Turbo S1 with blue stripe was driven by Diana between 1985 and 1988, because according to the lot description she preferred her own car to the stately Rolls-Royces and Daimlers of the royal family.
The auctioneers said the unique Ford Escort remains the “darest choice” of cars by any member of the royal family.
The Escort was not a luxury vehicle, but one of the best-selling cars of the time in the UK, totaling more than 4.1 million sales, according to the Auto Express website.
Similar cars of less illustrious provenance can be found on adverts in the UK for around £10,000.
However, this car was made by Ford to Diana’s specifications and is considered the only black-painted version of this model, according to the auctioneers.
Diana was often photographed behind the wheel while visiting shops and restaurants in London. Prince William was also photographed sitting in the back.
The princess drove the car with a royal detective in the passenger seat and was modified with features like a second rear-view mirror and a radio in the glove box.
The vehicle was previously owned by a Ford car collector.
Last year, another Ford Escort, previously owned by Diana, was a 1981 silver 1.6L Ghia saloon which was an engagement gift from Prince Charles and sold in London for £52,640 including sales tax and buyer’s premium.
The buyer of the car would be a museum in South America. It was previously owned by an American museum.
Saturday’s sale comes ahead of the anniversary of Diana’s death at age 36 following a car accident in Paris.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.)