Just this May, Hagerty released their first Power List report to investigate the effects of ownership by a famous person on the value of a vehicle. Using the Hagerty database to pull the list of celebrity owned cars that have been offered for sale, there was a list of 260 vehicles made. Hagerty experts then compared the estimated sale price or sold price to the price for a standard car at that time.
The report was divided into different sections that covered every aspect of celebrity. There was music, film, and others, but it was the Royalty section that was most interesting. Some of the most influential are unsurprisingly Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, and the Duke of Cambridge. What is interesting is that amongst the royals, Princess Diana ranked first. Recently, Princess Diana’s Escort RS Turbo which was the only example to have a factory black paint finish was sold at Silverstone Auctions for £724,500 including fees.
Hagerty Price Guide Editor John Mayhead explained, “Silverstone Auctions offered a 1985 Ford Escort RS Turbo S1 once owned by Princess Diana, and it sold for an astonishing £650,000 on the hammer. After costs, the new buyer paid a total of £724,500. The UK Hagerty Price Guide values this model at an average of £35,400 for a totally concours, low-mileage, original car. The Diana-owned car sold for 2062% of Hagerty’s top value.”
Before the recent sale, data from Hagerty Price Guide shows that cars that was previously owned by the Princess of Wales had a spike from its average price for an average of 813%. Two of the cars sold were Rolls-Royces that the Princess simply used, though she also had the same effect on more average cars.
In 2021, Reeman Dansie was able to sell her 1981 Ford Escort Ghia for £47,000 which was 527% higher than average. Her beloved 1994 Audi Cabriolet was sold at Silverstone’s NEC sale back in 2016 and it was sold at an unbelievable 2473% higher than average price for an Audi, fetching £54,000 at the sale.
“Diana topped our Power List Royalty section with an average of 813% increase over a standard car without a link to her. As a result of this sale, her rank will rise even further in our 2023 List. Prior to the sale, I was asked what I thought the Escort would sell for, and I forecast anywhere between £100,000 and £120,000. Not much shocks me these days in the classic and collector car market, but this sale price astounded me,” Mayhead added.
The complete Hagerty Power List is available in their website.
