Everyone’s favourite princess of the people had a taste for some rather non-princessy cars. Favouring sporty American models over the conventional Rolls-Royces and Range Rovers of the British royal family. During the early-to-mid-1980s, Diana, Princess of Wales drove around in a red Ford Escort Cabriolet convertible, a car the SO14 Royalty Protection Command deemed too ‘exposed’ for her new public role.
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In lieu of something more ‘appropriate’ — read: boring — Diana suggested a 1985 Ford Escort RS Turbo S1 in a subdued shade of black. However, there was more to this model than meets the eye, with the car actually a turbocharged Mark 3 Escort custom-built to the British royal’s specifications, with modifications taking the car up to 132 bhp. The Ford Escort RS Turbo S1 was only ever available in white, making Princess of Wales’ model almost one-of-a-kind.
As a royal, special precaution needed to be taken. Three Ford RS Turbo S1s left the factory coated in black: Princess Diana’s, an identical decoy model, and a third which was given to another member of the royal family. Diana’s model was also outfitted with a secondary rear mirror for the passenger seat, where her protection officer sat. After the 1985 Ford Escort RS Turbo S1 Diana moved onto a sleek Audi 80 Cabriolet convertible, painted a shade of dark green.
The right-hand drive, manual-transmission model was returned to Ford Motor Company in 1988, with around 6,800 miles on the odometer, changing hands a few times before becoming part of a collection of ex-Royal cars. Now, having traversed 24,961 miles, the Ford Escort RS Turbo S1 is still in impeccable condition.
The Ford Escort RS Turbo S1, registration plate C462FHK, was sold today by Silverstone Auctions, to a buyer in Cheshire with a winning bid of £650,000. Factoring in the buyer premium, the total cost came to £724,000.
Words by Esmé Duggan
