When discussing the late Princess Diana, the term “iconic” is often used to describe her activism, style, and the scandals and drama that surrounded both her life and death. To the dismay of the royal family’s security detail, she was also a real car lover who preferred to drive herself rather than be chauffeured. One of Diana’s most amazing automobiles, a 1985 Ford Escort RS Turbo Series 1, will be auctioned off later this month.
This was Diana’s third Escort, after a modest silver Escort Ghia that was a wedding present and a red Escort 1.6i Cabriolet that the Royal Protection Command found unfit for driving since the convertible roof didn’t provide enough privacy or security. Diana reportedly insisted on the then-new Escort RS Turbo variant after being persuaded to choose a more covert vehicle. This special variant, designed for homologation in Group A racing, has a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with 130 horsepower, upgraded chassis, Recaro seats, and some wild cosmetic changes.
A specific modification to Diana’s Escort was made at the suggestion of Ford’s PR department. Diana’s RS Turbo was finished in a more covert black paint job, albeit it still had the blue racing stripes found on all 8,604 units in the RS Turbo’s production run. In addition, it received a second rearview mirror for use by the security officer who would generally travel with the Princess as a passenger in place of the sharper single-slat grille found on the RS Turbo.
From August 1985 to May 1988, the princess operated this Escort, utilizing it to get around Chelsea, London, and ferry her small children. Later in life, she developed a taste for expensive vehicles and acquired a Jaguar XJS, an Audi 80 Cabriolet, and many BMWs, including an E36 3 Series and an E39 5 Series. Despite the Porsche 911’s presence in the film Spencer, she has never owned one. I am a fellow owner of an R129, thus Diana’s maroon Mercedes-Benz 500SL, which is currently on exhibit in the Mercedes Museum in Stuttgart, is my particular favorite of her vehicles. After the lease ended in 1992, she was essentially compelled to give up the SL since the royal family didn’t like the fact that she was using a pricey German vehicle, particularly in a down economy.
The Escort was returned to Ford after Diana was finished with it and given a new registration and license plate. Following a $3,200 sale to a Ford manager for his wife, the vehicle was utilized in a promotional giveaway by Kiss FM in 1993. The Escort was subsequently purchased by a man by the name of Mr. Windsor in 1994. He owned it until 2008, when a well-known Ford RS collector decided to purchase it.
Diana’s Escort will be sold at Silverstone Auctions on August 27 with no reserve and in superb concours-ready condition with only 24,961 miles on the odometer. The Escort is anticipated to sell for over $100,000 by Silverstone Auctions — This is maybe the most well-known Ford RS type, and they are all already very valuable and rare. Diana’s 1994 Audi 80 Cabriolet sold for over $66,000 in 2016 and her first Escort sold for $63,000 at auction last summer. If you have money and are reading this, please buy it for me.
In This Article...
Distribute this article
Really? Since the Queen loves everyone to gain three pounds over the holiday season, members of the Royal Family likely sit down on an antique weighing machine upon arriving and again upon departing.
This whole thing is a myth. It is true that a sit-on scale used to be hidden away outside Sandringham’s main entrance as a museum item, but it had not been in use for more than a century.
During the time of Edward VII, according to a former Sandringham employee, it last operated. Many people will undoubtedly decide to accept this portrayal of a princess who is imprisoned in an unhappy marriage and is faced with the brutal animosity of her husband’s family.
However, the film’s believability is compromised right away in the opening scenario, in which the princess drives a Porsche alone to the royal residence before mysteriously becoming lost in the Norfolk backroads.
The pearl necklace that Diana believes is suffocating her is merely one of the movie’s allegorical devices.
Why on earth is this the case? Diana was raised in Norfolk and lived in Park House, which is actually a part of the Sandringham estate, for the first 14 years of her life.
and solo driving? Where were her bodyguards from the police? She’s never driven a Porsche, to be honest.
The princess pauses at a cafe to inquire for directions, which was one of the many symbolic devices director Pablo Larrain was able to use as a result of her being lost. Its name? Diana’s younger Spencer siblings called her “The Duch” because she behaved like a duchess.
What actually happened at Sandringham that Christmas over 30 years ago, and how was the royal marriage doing? Importantly, at what point did the princess think her marriage was over?
The cold fog that covered north Norfolk over Christmas that year will always be remembered as the holiday.
The princess had not driven alone; rather, William, 9, and Harry, 7, arrived on Christmas Eve and drove her from Kensington Palace. Yes, police officers served as the party’s security.
The princess stayed for longer than a week, not the three days depicted in the movies.
From Highgrove, where he had been based for months, Prince Charles set off on his journey.
Princess Diana (shown left in 1989) undoubtedly felt pressure as she prepared for her part as the royal in Spencer’s Diana, which Kristen Stewart (seen playing Diana, right) has stated helped her understand personally.
The couple hardly ever saw one another, if they weren’t completely estranged, unless it was for the benefit of the kids, the larger Royal Family, or formal events.
The dismissal of Major General Sir Christopher Airy, the prince’s then-private secretary, in May really marked the marriage’s psychological turning point.
The previous Guardsman had Diana’s support, so when he left, the office that assisted both the prince and princess was inadvertently split in two.
Prince William’s injury that summer, in which he accidently hit his head with a golf club, served as the best example of this.
2.4S Porsche 911
One of the luxury vehicles driven by celebrities is the 1972 Porsche 911 2.4S, which Lady Diana used. This car has a very distinctive appearance with an oval-shaped rear bumper and a flat, curving hood. The car has a distinctive appearance thanks to the spherical headlights that are mounted on the upper edge of the flat bonnet corners. The vehicle has an eye-catching appearance thanks to the thin rectangle-shaped turn signal indication lights and brake lights.
On the other side, the vehicle’s large wheels provide for a smooth drive. The vehicle has amazing wheels made of forged aluminum with five leaves.
The interior of the car is stunning because Porsche chose high-quality materials. The riders enjoy a comfortable journey thanks to the chairs’ attractive leather upholstery. The unique feature of this vehicle is that the engine is installed at the back and the cargo space is located on the front side.
This vintage car is powered by a 2.4-Liter six-cylinder engine that generates 198 horsepower and 217 Nm of torque. It can reach 144 mph at top speed and goes from 0 to 62 mph in 7.0 seconds. Rear-wheel drive 1972 Porsche 911 2.4S with a 5-Speed manual transmission.
Jeep XJ-SC
Prior to the royal wedding, Lady Diana Spencer made due with an Austin Mini Metro and a Renault 5 (sold in 2017 for PS58,000). However, the princess felt she needed a pick-me-up in 1987 when her marriage was really in trouble and purchased a V12-powered sports automobile. Her Jaguar XJS was the XJ-SC with a targa top. Diana had her XJ-SC equipped with rear seats for her sons even though it was only designed to accommodate two people. In order to prevent William and Harry from accidentally hitting their heads on the solid roof bar, it featured a specially manufactured and permanently installed rear hard-top. The Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust bought this car from the Princess in 1991 in exchange for a donation to charity.
What vehicle was Princess Diana’s debut ride?
Throughout her life, Princess Diana had a number of vehicles that are now regarded as classics.
Then-Lady Diana Spencer returned to England after completing her education in Switzerland and took a position as a teaching assistant at a kindergarten school in the Pimlico neighborhood of Central London. She had a blue Renault 5 and was 18 years old. According to the manufacturer’s website, the original Renault 5 was introduced in 1972 and was among the best-selling automobiles in the world by 1980.
But the vehicle Diana was driving when she was 19 was the first of hers that the general public was aware of. That’s because soon it was made public that she and Prince Charles were dating, the paparazzi started pursuing and photographing her in her red 1980 Austin Mini Metro L. Even the term “courting automobile” was applied to it. It is now on display at the Coventry Transport Museum after being auctioned off in the 1990s for PS6,000 ($8,300 USD).
a vintage Porsche 911 was spotted on the Princess Diana movie set in Norfolk.
The upcoming Princess Diana movie “Spencer” just had some behind-the-scenes images published in a story by The EDP. Kristen Stewart was spotted in Norfolk at Hunstanton Beach with what appears to be a vintage Porsche 911.
The photos of Kristen Stewart and Sally Hawkins, her co-star who will play Diana, Princess of Wales in the next movie, show them from a distance.
Around the Norfolk village of Breckland, which is close to Attleborough, film crews have been observed.
As they are a well-known and sought-after classic, we have worked on Porsche 911s quite comparable to them over the years. We worked on a 1992 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 that had a similar appearance and had come in for a MOT in 2018.
Recent arrivals include our 1982 Porsche 911SC, which, despite being blue, has a similar silhouette.
Jaguar XJ-SC with Princess Diana
The 1987 Jaguar XJ-SC is a convertible with a fixed center that is powered by a 3.6-liter Jaguar straight-six engine. Between 1987 to 1991, when Princess Diana gave it up for her charitable work, she drove the XJ-SC. The XJ-SC was designed as a two-seater, but two rear seats were added so that the young Princes William and Harry could travel with their mother and bodyguard.
Did Princess Diana operate a personal vehicle?
(AP) LONDON Just days before the 25th anniversary of her passing, an automobile used by Princess Diana in the 1980s was auctioned off for 650,000 pounds ($764,000).
Before the auction ended, the black Ford Escort RS Turbo was the subject of “fierce bidding,” according to Silverstone Auctions. According to the historic automobile auction house, the unnamed U.K. buyer added a 12.5% buyer’s premium to the selling price.
The nation of Britain and Diana’s followers all over the world are getting ready to commemorate her passing. On August 31, 1997, she was killed in a high-speed vehicle accident in Paris.
From 1985 through 1988, Diana was the Escort’s driver. She was captured in photographs with it in front of upscale eateries in Kensington and Chelsea. She chose to take the wheel of her own vehicle while a member of her security detail sat in the back.
She chose a black RS Turbo Series 1 instead of the standard white because she wanted to be more covert. Ford also included security elements, such a second rearview mirror for the security guard.
Diana’s last Ford Escort sold for 52,000 pounds ($61,100) at auction the previous year.