For Sale: Princess Diana’s 1985 Ford Escort RS Turbo S1

Each example of the Ford Escort RS Turbo S1 that was made is a special car, this one is perhaps a little more special than most as it belonged to one of the most beloved figures of the late 20th century – Diana, Princess of Wales.

This Escort was ordered and specified personally for Diana, it was her third Ford Escort, and it has accumulated just 24,961 miles from the time it was delivered to her new to the present day.

Fast Facts – The Ford Escort RS Turbo S1

• The Ford Escort RS Turbo S1 was released in 1985 as the new top of the line Escort model, it featured a slew of upgrades over the standard car including a body kit, uprated suspension, an upgraded interior, and of course, that turbocharged engine.
• The Ford Escort Mark 3 had been released in 1980 as an all-new car for an all-new decade. The earlier Mark 1 and Mark 2 Escorts were among the most popular cars ever made by Ford in Europe, so the Mark 3 had its work cut out for it.
• Princess Diana, later known as Lady Diana, was a big fan of Ford Escorts. She owned three over the course of her life and she typically much preferred driving herself around rather than being chauffeured in the Royal Family’s fleet of opulent Bentleys and Rolls-Royces.
• Given the security risks she faced, Diana ordered this car specially from Ford. It would be the only RS Turbo S1 to leave the factory painted black, and when driving it around town she would be accompanied by a detective in the passenger seat, a member of The Royalty Protection Command (SO14).

The Ford Escort Mark 3

There are few (if any) British cars of the 1980s that could match the wild success of the third generation Ford Escort. It was released in 1980 and by 1982 it was the best-selling car in the UK, it was voted European Car of the Year in 1981, and by 1989 it was the most common car on British roads, with almost 1.5 million examples registered.

Princess Diana was regularly seen and photographed in her jet black Escort RS Turbo out and about in London.

The project to develop the Mark 3 Escort began in the late 1970s, it was a plan fraught with danger for Ford as the earlier Mark 1 and Mark 2 Escorts had become wildly successful both in sales figures and motorsport successes.

It was clear that the live axle on leaf spring suspension used in the rear end of both the Mark 1 and Mark 2 Escort needed to go. The steel unibody shell also needed to be completely redesigned to meet ever more stringent crash safety legislation.

The solution was to build an entirely new car from a blank slate. Ford’s European engineers developed a steel unibody shell that was both stiffer and stronger than the outgoing model and perhaps controversially, they opted for a front-wheel drive layout rather than the rear-wheel drive system used on the earlier Escorts.

The decision to go with front-wheel drive was almost certainly influenced by best-selling cars in the Escort’s market segment, vehicles like the Volkswagen Golf GTI and the Honda Civic.

With 132 bhp at 6,000 rpm and 133 lb ft or torque at 3,000 rpm the Ford Escort RS Turbo S1 was capable of 128 mph with a 0 to 62 mph time of 7.8 seconds.

Ultimately the Mark 3 would go on to become a resounding success for Ford, it never quite achieved the legendary status of the earlier Mark 1 and Mark 2 cars but this largely down to the Mark 3’s lack of major motorsport successes.

The Ford Escort RS Turbo S1

In 1985 the Ford Escort RS Turbo was released, it was to be the fastest road-legal Mark 3 Escort ever made and for many it was the car they had been crying out for since the new model family had been released five years earlier in 1980.

The Bosch KE Jetronic fuel-injected 1.6 liter engine benefitted from turbocharging which lifted power to 132 bhp at 6,000 rpm and 133 lb ft or torque at 3,000 rpm. This engine also had a new aluminium alloy head with a high-performance cam and sodium-filled exhaust valves to better handle the additional heat.

The no-frills interior of the Escort must have been quite a contrast from the opulence of the Royal Family’s many Bentleys and Rolls-Royces.

The RS Turbo was given a bodykit, some of which was new and some of which had been sourced from the earlier XR3i, and alloy wheels were borrowed from the RS1600i.

The Mark 3 Escort had independent front and rear suspension, consisting of MacPherson struts up front with transverse arms, longitudinal tie bars, and coil springs in the rear. The Turbo RS was fitted with anti-roll bars front and back with Koni adjustable dampers at all four corners.

A total of 8,604 were built despite the fact that just 5,000 needed to be sold for homologation purposes, and they remain among the most popular European Fords of the era.

Princess Diana’s 1985 Ford Escort RS Turbo

The car you see here is arguably the most special of all the S1 Escort RS Turbos that were built. It’s the only one that ever left the factory painted black – almost all the others were painted white with very few exceptions.

In the mid-1980s Princess Diana had a Ford Escort 1.6i Cabriolet that was bright red. It wasn’t a car that offered much in the way of security due to the fabric top, it had little in the way of speed, and it wasn’t discreet at all.

After listening to the safety concerns that had doubtless been laid before her she opted for a new car, and it would be the fastest production Escort in the world at the time – the Escort RS Turbo.

The Special Vehicle Engineering department painted the car in a stealthy all-black finish, it was also given a second rear view mirror for the protection officer to monitor traffic behind, and it had a radio in the glove box (the cable for which is still visible today.)

Princess Diana used the car extensively and was often photographed out and about in it, as well as arriving east various favorite stores and restaurants in Chelsea and Kensington, sometimes with a young Prince William in the backseat.

The car is now due to cross the auction block with Silverstone Auctions on the 27th of August with no reserve and no price guide. If you’d like to read more about its fascinating history you can visit the listing here.

Editor’s Note: Princess Diana was later known as Lady Diana, however at the time she bought and owned this car she carried the earlier title and so we’ve used it here in this article. If you happen to be well-versed in the use of royal titles and believe we’ve made a mistake, please let us know via our contact page.

Images courtesy of Silverstone Auctions

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The Hispano-Suiza H6C “Tulipwood” Torpedo – An $8+ Million Dollar Car With A Wooden Body

The Hispano-Suiza H6C “Tulipwood” Torpedo from 1924 is almost certainly the most famous vehicle ever made by the storied European automaker, largely due to its revolutionary and lightweight wooden body.

The powered rolling chassis was built by Hispano-Suiza at their French factory, it was then sent to French aircraft manufacturer Nieuport-Astra where engineer Henri Chasseriaux developed a rigid, lightweight body from 1/8th of an inch-thick strips of mahogany over 3/4 inch ribs.

Fast Facts – The “Tulipwood” Hispano-Suiza H6C

• The name Hispano-Suiza means “Spanish-Swiss,” a reference to the fact that the company was founded in 1902 by Spaniard José María Castro Fernández and Swiss engineer Marc Birkigt who designed the engines. The company had started out as “La Cuadra,” but was renamed after an acquisition.
• Hispano-Suiza became well-known for their powerful and large displacement automobile and later aircraft engines, and for their luxurious automobiles – a major competitor for Rolls-Royce at the time.
• During WWI the advanced aero engines designed by Marc Birkigt powered over half the aircraft in the French and British air forces, after the war some of the company’s automobile engines would be based on them.
• The Hispano-Suiza H6C “Tulipwood” is powered by a 7,982 cc (487 cubic inch) ~195 bhp straight-six, an all aluminum engine with a single overhead cam that started out as half of the company’s V12 aircraft engine.

The Hispano-Suiza H6

The Hispano-Suiza H6 was introduced in 1919, just a year after the First World War. It was powered by an advanced new all-alloy inline-six cylinder engine that was closely based on Marc Birkigt’s V12 aero engine.

The elegant body is actually made from mahogany rather than tulipwood, it consists of 1/8th of an inch thick strips over 3/4 inch ribs and the body itself is said to weigh just 160 lbs.

Unusually for the era the H6 engine had a single overhead camshaft, rather than the more common flathead or overhead valve/pushrod design. The engine’s aluminum construction helped ensure it was far lighter than its iron counterparts, and its seven-bearing crankshaft was milled from steel billet to ensure strength.

Apart from the engine, one of the other major notable features of the Hispano-Suiza H6 was its advanced power-assisted braking system – a world first. The car was fitted with light-alloy drums on all four corners with a brake servo that provided additional braking power.

This technology was so revolutionary that the patent was licensed by a number of other manufacturers, most significantly by their arch rivals over at Rolls-Royce in England.

The H6 was built in three major variants between 1919 and 1933. The first was simply known as the H6, this was succeeded by the H6B in 1922, which in turn was replaced with the H6C in 1924.

The original H6 and H6B were powered by a 6,597cc displacement version of the company’s straight-six, which was followed by an enlarged 7,983cc version in the H6C. All engine variants used a 3-speed manual transmission sending power back to a live axle rear end.

The car has seating for four in total, two up front and two in the rear passenger compartment. Due to the high sides of the car the rear passengers get in and out using folding steps in the rear fender.

The Hispano-Suiza H6 series remains one of the most desirable automobiles of its age – from either side of the Atlantic.

The Hispano-Suiza H6C “Tulipwood” Torpedo

The H6C you see here is an unusual vehicle both for its construction and for its period racing successes – with entries in both the Targa Florio and Coppa Florio in 1924 with 6th and 5th placed finishes respectively.

The car started life as a powered rolling H6C chassis built by Hispano-Suiza at their French factory and delivered to Dubonnet aperitif heir André Dubonnet – a talented racing driver, WWI fighter pilot, and an Olympic bobsledder.

This car is one of the lower surbaissé Type Sport variants with a lowered radiator and a 52 imperial gallon (236 liter) fuel tank designed for long rallies.

Perhaps due to his own experience as a pilot, Dubonnet commissioned aircraft manufacturer Nieuport-Astra of Argenteuil to body his car. Engineer Henri Chasseriaux developed an ultra-lightweight body consisting of 1/8th inch thick strips of mahogany laid over inner 3/4-inch ribs, all secured in place by thousands of aluminum rivets.

This is the 7,983cc version of the SOHC, all-alloy Hispano-Suiza H6 engine. It’s an advanced design said to essentially be half of one of the company’s V12 aero engines.

It’s not exactly where the “Tulipwood” name originated given that the car is bodied in mahogany, however the name has followed the car its entire life.

Once completed the body was weighed, tipping the scales at just 160 pounds (72.5 kgs) – extremely light compared to similarly sized steel bodies. Once the car was completed Dubonnet drove it in both the Targa Florio and Coppa Florio as mentioned above, finishing well inside the most elite group of drivers.

The car has a long and fascinating history, it was later owned by a perfume heir followed by a marmalade heir. It suffered some minor bodywork damage during WWII when bomb shrapnel struck the rear of the car, however this was all professionally repaired many years ago.

The H6C “Tulipwood” Torpedo is now due to cross the auction block with RM Sotheby’s on the 18th of August with a price guide of $8,000,000 – $12,000,000 USD. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.

Images courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The post The Hispano-Suiza H6C “Tulipwood” Torpedo – An $8+ Million Dollar Car With A Wooden Body appeared first on Silodrome.

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Full Film: The 1986 International Swedish Rally

Though no one knew it at the time, the 1986 International Swedish Rally would be the last opportunity for Swedish rally fans to see the legendary Group B rally cars in action in their own country, before the cars were banned on safety grounds at the end of the season.

Scandinavian rallies are always a major highlight of the annual World Rally Championship calendar, they typically take place on snow and ice which results in spectacular footage of cars being driven sideways as plumes of snow and ice are kicked up by the tires.

The 1986 International Swedish Rally took place on gravel, snow, and on the ice of a frozen lake which necessitated studded tires to ensure at least some grip on the slippery surface. The unusually narrow width of the studded tires looks unusual at first, as we typically associate racing cars with wide rubber.

Reliability was a major factor in the days of Group B, some of the cars were producing over 600 bhp and they typically featured complex AWD drivetrains.

The sight and sound of Group B rally cars being driven in anger must have been a sight to behold for those who attended. These were among the fastest, most powerful, and most technically sophisticated rally cars ever made.

Unfortunately this speed and power resulted in a number of lethal accidents involving both drivers and spectators. The 1986 season would be the straw that broke the camel’s back in this regard, the Rally de Portugal would see two major accidents resulting in the deaths of three spectators with over 30 others injured.

For years the drivers had been complaining about uncontrolled crowds gathering along the side of the roads in the hundreds, sometimes in the thousands. Drivers would be flying through a stage at over 120 mph within inches of people on either side of the vehicle. It was a recipe for disaster and in 1986 in Portugal the disaster finally struck.

The International Swedish Rally was unusual in that it included states on mud and gravel, as well as snow and ice.

Driver Miguel Oliveira had to avoid a spectator who was too far into the road, in so doing he lost control of the car and due to the rightly packed crowds on either side of the road it caused carnage on a scale not seen since the 1955 Le Mans Disaster.

Later in 1986 at the Tour de Corse, Henri Toivonen and his co-driver Sergio Cresto died in a horrific fireball accident in their Lancia Delta S4. They had won the Monte Carlo Rally earlier that year, and had been considered serious title contenders.

After this accident the FIA finally acted, banning Group B specification cars after the 1986 season and drawing the curtain on one of the fastest and most dangerous periods in rally history.

The 1986 International Swedish Rally shown above takes place early in the season, before the impending disasters in Portugal and Corsica later that year.

If you’d like to read more about the 1986 Rally de Portugal disaster you can visit the article on the subject here on Dirt Fish.

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An Upgraded 1959 International Harvester Travelall 4×4

This 1959 International Harvester Travelall is a great example of one of the world’s first four-wheel drive sport utility vehicles, a vehicle type that would explode in popularity in later decades.

Two of the early pioneers of the modern 4×4 SUV were the International Harvester Travelall 4×4 and the Chevrolet Suburban 4×4, which were released in 1956 and 1957 respectively. However both of them were pipped to the post by the smaller Willys Jeep Station Wagon that was released in 1946.

Fast Facts – International Harvester Travelall

• The International Harvester Travelall was released in 1953 as a truck-based station wagon initially on the rear-wheel drive International light truck platform.
• The Travelall is a clear early example of the SUV or sport utility vehicle, four-wheel drive was introduced as an option in 1956.
• With its sedan-like body that offered many of the conveniences of a road car combined with its 4×4 chassis and off-road ability, the Travelall became a popular alternative to regular road-going sedans for many Americans.
• The 1959 Travelall you see here has been restored and modified, it has lifted suspension, upgraded wheels and tires, locking front hubs, a two-tone respray, and a reupholstered interior. Power is provided by the simple but tough 240 cubic inch (3.9 liter) Silver Diamond inline-six.

The International Harvester Travelall 4×4

The International Harvester Travelall was first offered for sale in 1953, it was essentially a large station wagon body on a rear-wheel drive International Harvester truck chassis.

The International Harvester Travelall has seating for six, ample cargo space in the rear, and it’s just as comfortable to ride in as many of the sedans from the same era.

Inside, the Travelall had many of the amenities of the road-going sedans of the era, so it offered a larger, more spacious option for those who perhaps wanted to sit a little higher or carry a few more people.

The Travelall was joined by the Travelette in 1957 and both were sold side by side, the Travelette was closely based on the Travelall though it had a four-door body style with a pickup truck back versus the station wagon body style of the Travelall.

International Harvester sold the Travelall over four generations, initially it was powered by the 220 cubic inch (3.6 liter) Silver Diamond inline-six, however the engine options expanded a little with the second generation in 1957 when the larger and more powerful 240 cubic inch (3.9 liter) version of the Silver Diamond inline-six became an option.

The second and third generation examples of the Travelall had a vastly increase selection of engines to choose from, including larger capacity V8s that became popular choices.

This is the 240 cubic inch (3.9 liter) Silver Diamond inline-six, it was the larger of the two engine options in 1959.

The first three generations were only offered with manual gearboxes from the factory, this all changed in 1969 when the fourth generation model was offered with a 3-speed automatic – an increasingly popular option.

As with many classics from the era, rust, neglect, and scrapyards have claimed the overwhelming majority of Travelalls that were built. Surviving examples are now enjoying a healthy increase in their value as more and more people became interested in classic vehicles – the four-wheel drive versions tend to be the most expensive.

The Restored 1959 Travelall Shown Here

This 1959 International Harvester Travelall is one of the desirable four-wheel drive versions, it’s been repainted with a gleaming two-tone blue and white color scheme, and it has B-120 and Travelall badging, as well as chrome trim.

Inside the vehicle you’ll note that the seats and roof lining have been reupholstered in colors to match the exterior, along with the matching carpet.

The rear seats can be folded forward to increase cargo space, there’s ample room in the back for luggage, groceries, labradors, for whatever else you might need to haul.

It now rides on Eagle Alloys 16″ wheels fitted with 305/70 Mastercraft Courser C/T tires, and it has a suspension lift for more ground clearance.

Power is provided by a 240 cubic inch (3.9 liter) Silver Diamond inline-six, this was the top of the line engine option in 1959.

Power is sent either to the rear wheels only or all four wheels through a 4-speed manual gearbox and a divorced 2-speed transfer case.

This Travelall is now being offered for sale on Bring A Trailer out of Lansdale, Pennsylvania. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.

Images courtesy of Bring A Trailer

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