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A 1985 Ford Escort for $915,000? If it was owned by Princess Diana

What makes a used car worth more than the car itself? If it was owned by John Lennon. Or Muhammad Ali. Michael Schumacher, perhaps, or Stirling Moss. This year’s edition from the Hagerty organization of its “Power List” makes for amusing reading even if youÂ’re not on it. But you can make believe that you are. Essentially, the list, which was launched only last year, tracks the impact of celebrity ownership of a vehicle on its value, as measured by its worth at auction. Nearly 400 sales of celebrity cars and bikes have been analyzed from around the world by Hagerty using market data and “expert” analytics. Hagerty is aware, certainly, that famous folks — from royalty, sports, movies and music — grab gobs of attention from ordinary people. ThatÂ’s why the 2023 Power List comprises these categories: Art Cars, Racing Drivers, Movies and TV, Musicians, Royalty, Screen Stars, Sporting Icons. But you don't have to be a rock star or a F1 pilot to get listed: Princess Diana, besides an Escort Turbo RS that she owned between 1985 and 1988, numbered a convertible 1994 Audi 80 Cabriolet and a Jaguar XJS Cabriolet among her rides. HereÂ’s a look at some of the more notable entries: Racing driver category: In pole position was an unlikely titleholder, a 1976 Ford Bronco. This was the car bought new by legendary Canadian Formula 1 driver Gilles Villeneuve and untouched since his death; it sold at the Aguttes auction in Paris last December for $148,000, a huge 210% increase over the $47,800 that Hagerty would value a regular example in the same condition. Just a note: The list doesnÂ’t include race cars, only vehicles kept privately by the drivers. Musicians: A 1974 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow had been Freddie MercuryÂ’s personal chauffeur-driven transport from 1979 until his death in 1991. Without celebrity ownership, Hagerty would value the Silver Shadow at a lowly $9,500, a car that would take a lot of time, effort and money to restore properly. But add in MercuryÂ’s aura and bids ended at $362,500. “ItÂ’s no surprise that MercuryÂ’s car dominated our Musicians list on the 2023 Hagerty Power List,” the company said. Movies and TV: For those readers now emerging from hibernation since 1968, the news is that the historic Highland Green Mustang from “Bullitt” remains at the top of the Power List for the second year running.

Rolls-Royce Phantom Tempus Collection is inspired by the infinite universe

Rolls-Royce, like NASA, is exploring what's far beyond the stratosphere. It introduced a limited-edition version of the Phantom, its flagship, called the Tempus Collection and inspired by time, astronomical phenomena, and the infinite reaches of the universe. Most of the visual changes are found in the cabin, where interior designers added a mesmerizing headliner that represents a pulsar. If your brain is soaking in Shell Rotella, you're thinking of a Nissan sold on and off since 1978; sorry, but it's not that one, though the British firm's Bespoke department can probably make it happen if your wallet is thick enough. In astronomy, according to Rolls-Royce, a pulsar is a type of white-hot star that lurks about 280 light years away from our planet while emitting electromagnetic radiation in extremely regular pulses, hence the name. Stylists transformed the dashboard into a work of art they call the Frozen Flow of Time. It consists of a single billet of aluminum in which 100 individual columns were milled to represent the 100-million-year period of a pulsar's rotational spin. Rolls-Royce also removed the clock from the dashboard to signal that its customers are free from time and its pesky limitations, though we don't think that's a binding promise the company is making to buyers. If you have a few seconds to spare, you can pop open the glovebox and read a quote from Albert Einstein: "The distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion." Visually, the Tempus wears a relatively subtle look characterized by a new color called Kairos Blue. It was created specifically for the limited-edition model to embody the darkness and the mystery of space, Rolls-Royce explained. It features blue mica flakes that shine like stars in the sky when viewed in the right light. Buyers can customize the Spirit of Ecstasy emblem by engraving a date and location — like their wedding anniversary — on its base. Rolls-Royce will deliver each Tempus with a custom-built champagne chest whose table features a hand-painted pulsar. It's big enough to store and chill champagne, caviar, four flutes, and a mother-of-pearl caviar spoon. The outer-space theme does not continue in the engine bay, so don't expect to find a Rolls-Royce Trent turbofan under the hood. Like the regular-production Phantom, the Tempus is powered by a twin-turbocharged, 6.8-liter V12 engine that effortlessly develops 563 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque.

Rolls-Royce Spectre electric coupe testing moves to sunny southern France

Rolls-Royce's first series-produced electric model is well on its way to production. Called Spectre, the big coupe is undergoing shakedown testing on and off the track in the sunny south of France, and the British firm announced that development work is about 40% complete. Going electric isn't an excuse for Rolls-Royce to stray from the reputation for excellence that it has earned over the past 116 years, so engineers are putting the Spectre through the most rigorous testing program they've ever subjected a new model to. We're told that, when all is said and done, the prototypes will have covered over 1.5 million miles of testing, which represents on average more than 400 years of use for a Rolls-Royce. Some test mules were sent to freeze in Sweden near the Arctic Circle, while others were shipped to the French Riviera. Testing in France will be split into two parts. First, the Spectre will be put through its paces on the track that Rolls-Royce parent company BMW operates in Miramas, a town located about an hour west of Marseilles. Engineers will notably get the opportunity to drive the prototypes on handling courses, on a 3.1-mile oval with steep banks, and in standing water. when they have passed every challenge with flying colors, the prototypes will be sent out to the picturesque roads that zig-zag through the countryside surrounding the test track. Rolls-Royce explained it's putting a tremendous amount of effort into fine-tuning the Spectre because the coupe packs more technology than any model it has previously released. It features "141,200 sender-receiver relations and has more than 1,000 functions and more than 25,000 sub-functions," according to the company, which is around three times more sender-receiver signals than in a typical Rolls-Royce. The Spectre will inaugurate a new suspension system that promises to take the firm's Magic Carpet Ride to the next level. It relies on technology that scopes out the road ahead and on data sent by the navigation system to decouple the anti-roll bars when needed, such as on a straight road, and recouple them as the car approaches a corner. The suspension system also gets firmer ahead of a bend. Rolls-Royce hasn't released powertrain specifications yet, and the Spectre's final design remains hidden by camouflage, but the few official numbers available are impressive.