Princess Diana might've gotten the Royal treatment for most of her life, but sometimes ... she wanted to drive like a normal person ... and the car she did that in has fetched a fortune.
The late Princess of Wales was top of mind Saturday over in the UK, where an everyman vehicle that used to belong and be driven by her in the '80s hit the auction block at the Silverstone race circuit -- a ways outside of London -- and sold for a whopping $763,555!
The ride in question was a Ford Escort RS Turbo Series 1 -- and it's in great shape ... no different than when PD herself was cruising around in it between '85 and '88.
Apparently, there was a huge bidding war over this thing -- with high rollers from all over the world participating -- but in the end ... a British person walked away as the victor. Reports say this played out like a sports game, with a massive crowd cheering on the bidders.
The winner's identity is being kept anonymous. Whoever it is, they had at least an extra mil lying around ... because there was no sign they were going to slow down on the price if someone else insisted on going the distance. Silverstone officials had expected it to rake in at least $117,000 ... but no one seems to have expected to go for what it ultimately did.
Word is ... Diana used to drive this thing by herself -- often with security in tow, of course -- when she wanted to run errands and head into town ... specifically, the Chelsea and Kensington neighborhoods. Now, it's in the possession of someone else ... pink slip and all.