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1994 Audi 80 Cabriolet driven by Princess Diana returns for sale

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February 20, 2020
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Classic car collectors with a penchant for the Crown will note that a striking Audi 80 Cabriolet driven by Princess Diana to ferry around her sons, the future king Prince William and Prince Harry, is going under the hammer in March.

The 1994 Audi is tipped to make between £35,000 and £40,000, having been driven by the former Princess of Wales before her death on August 31, 1997.

Audi 80 Cabriolet

All pictures courtesy of The Practical Classics Classic Car and Restoration Show

Diana clocked 4,000 miles in this Audi 80 Cabriolet

The Audi 80 Cabriolet was loaned to the princess for her personal use by Dovercourt Audi of St John’s Wood in London in 1994.

Diana used the car, registered L541 GJD, from March until July that year and then returned it with 4,000 majestic miles on the clock.

Painted in a lustrous dark green, a shade called Gomera Pearl, it has a five cylinder 2.3L engine, an automatic gearbox and a cream leather interior.

It has still only covered 22,000 miles and remains in pristine condition. It is being sold alongside a history file which contains a number of handbooks and manuals.

Audi 80 Cabriolet

Columnist made a statement with Audi 80 Cabriolet

The car changed hands several times with political commentator Iain Campbell Dale among those to take ownership. 

Dale has been an occasional political columnist for The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, The Independent, GQ, The Spectator and the New Statesman, and has filled regular slots on Radio 5 Live and LBC.

The Audi 80 Cabriolet was in storage for many years until it was put up for auction in 2017 and then again in 2018, but on each occasion it remained unsold and went back under wraps. 

With interest in the royals reaching fever pitch with Harry and Meghan Markle’s decision to ditch the UK for the quiet life in Canada, auctioneers are optimistic it will sell this time around.

Few cars are owned by the Royal Mews, apart from limousines used on state occasions, and most vehicles made available for “junior” royalty are provided by manufacturers hopeful of some beneficial exposure. This fine looking Audi 80 Cabriolet was no exception.

Audi 80 Cabriolet

Insurance doesn’t have to cost a king’s ransom

If you think organising insurance on a classic car with such outstanding provenance as the Audi 80 Cabriolet would cost a king’s ransom, think again. 

On average people quoted more than £2,000 for their motor insurance could have saved up to 35% if they had gone to an insurance broker such as Adrian Flux. That’s a very handy £700 on a £2,000 policy. 

What’s more, the phone call to arrange your insurance should take just 20 minutes – now doesn’t that sound like a good deal?

 Call 0800 369 8590 to organise a no obligation insurance quote or go to the website and request a call back at a time that suits you (during office hours).

Diana’s former Audi 80 Cabriolet goes up for auction at The Practical Classics Classic Car and Restoration Show 2020, at the NEC, Birmingham, on the weekend of March 27-29.

 




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