Princess Diana’s Escort RS Turbo was a 1985 Series 1 hot hatch that replaced a convertible her protection officers considered too exposed, and Ford finished it in black. That one paint choice set it apart from the white cars that filled Ford showrooms. Decades later, that history made a modest Ford into a record-setting royal car.
Diana liked to drive herself around London. Her security team, however, wanted a car that would draw fewer eyes and give her more protection than an open-top Escort. The answer was a compromise that suited everyone: the flagship of the Escort range, in a colour nobody else could order.
Here is why the officers asked for a change, what Ford did to the car, and how it went from royal runabout to record breaker.
Why Diana’s Escort RS Turbo replaced a convertible
Before the RS Turbo, Diana drove an Escort Cabriolet. Her protection officers from SO14 wanted something less conspicuous and less vulnerable, according to Retro Motor. The soft top was the main problem. Artnet reports that the Royalty Protection Command judged the convertible’s manual canvas roof unsuitable because it “offered little privacy in a hurry and zero protection.”
Diana still had a say. She was a fan of the Escort, Retro Motor says, and she insisted on the flagship RS Turbo. So the officers got a closed car, and the princess kept her fast Ford.
Also, the car fit the way she lived. A Royal Protection officer rode along on her trips around London, Goodwood notes, but she preferred to drive herself. Retro Motor adds that she used it often, including outside boutiques in Kensington and Chelsea. Her sons, William and Harry, often rode in the back.
Why Ford painted Diana’s RS Turbo black
Surprisingly, the black paint came from Ford’s own press office. Ford’s PR department suggested it, according to Retro Motor. That made the car stand out among its siblings, even as it helped it blend in on the street.
Ford sold every other Series 1 RS Turbo in Diamond White, Retro Motor reports. Silverstone Auctions later called Diana’s car the only black example of an otherwise all-white model, Artnet says. Other accounts claim a few more black cars, so the safest description is that hers was one of very few. Either way, a black RS Turbo was not something an ordinary buyer could order.
The changes went beyond paint. Retro Motor lists a standard five-slat Escort grille in place of the three-slat grille the RS Turbo normally wore. That small swap made the car look more like an everyday Escort. It also gained an extra rear-view mirror for the protection officer and a police radio in the glove box. In fact, the radio’s cables remain in the car.
What made the Series 1 RS Turbo quick
Meanwhile, under the bonnet, Diana got the full performance car. The Series 1 RS Turbo kept the 1.6-liter CVH engine Ford already used in the XR3 and RS1600i, according to Fast Car. A Garrett T3 turbocharger lifted output to 132 bhp.
The rest of the package matched, too. Fast Car lists a limited-slip differential among the new parts. It also quotes 0 to 60 mph in 7.8 seconds and a top speed of 126 mph. Those were serious numbers for a family hatchback in the mid-1980s.
That performance is part of the story’s charm. The officers asked for a quieter car, and they got the flagship of the Escort range. However, with the white RS Turbo’s grille swapped out and the paint turned black, most people on a London street would have seen only a dark Ford.
What happened after Diana handed it back
The royal chapter lasted about three years. Goodwood says Diana used the car over three years, and Retro Motor dates its return to Ford to 1988. At that point, the car received a new number plate. Artnet puts the return in May 1988, with 6,800 miles on the clock.
Then it began a second, quieter life. Ford sold it internally to one of its managers, according to Artnet. Later, the radio station Kiss FM gave it away in a promotion, Retro Motor says. Eventually, a Ford RS collector bought it and kept it in remarkable condition.
Along the way, the car lost none of its paperwork. The history file came with Ford internal memos, newspaper clippings and photographs of Diana using the car, Retro Motor notes. By 2024, DVLA records showed it wearing its original number plate again, Retro Motor reports.
What Diana’s Escort RS Turbo sold for
The car came up for sale at Silverstone Auctions in August 2022. It showed 24,961 miles. Bidding opened at £100,000, Goodwood reports, and the hammer fell at £650,000. With fees, the total reached £722,500.
That price stunned even the people in the room. “£500,000 for a Ford Escort? I’ve never said that before,” auctioneer Jonathan Humbert said, according to Goodwood. John Mayhead of Hagerty added, “Not much shocks me these days in the classic and collector car market, but this sale price astounded me.”
By comparison, a normal RS Turbo costs a fraction of that. Hagerty’s UK price guide put the model’s average value at £35,400, Goodwood notes, so Diana’s car sold for 2,062% of that figure. Retro Motor records the £722,500 result as a record for the model, set by the black Escort that her protection officers asked for.
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