Diana's sporty car fetches $866,000 in 'fierce' auction

A car driven by Princess Diana in the 1980s has been sold for $866,000 at auction, just days before the 25th anniversary of her death.

Silverstone Auctions said on Saturday there was "fierce bidding" for the black Ford Escort RS Turbo before the sale closed.

The website describes the car, which she drove the from 1985 to 1988, as the Princess of Wales' last Ford Escort, with 40,170 kilometres on the clock.

The UK buyer, whose name was not disclosed, paid a 12.5 percent buyer's premium on top of the selling price, according to the classic car auction house.

She was photographed with it outside boutique shops in Chelsea and restaurants in Kensington.

She preferred to drive her own car, with a member of her security team in the passenger seat.

Quarter century since her death

The RS Turbo Series 1 was typically manufactured in white, but she got it in black to be more discreet.

Ford also added features for her security, such as a second rear-view mirror for the protection officer.

Britain and Diana's admirers worldwide are preparing to mark a quarter century since her death.

Next week marks 25 years since Diana died, aged 36, when a limousine in which she was a passenger crashed in a Paris tunnel as it sped away from paparazzi giving chase on motorbikes.

Last year, another Ford Escort that Diana used sold at auction for $61,100.