I’LL PUT £10M DIANA DEATH CAR ON DISPLAY
Outrage as ex-limo firm boss says he wants to send wreckage to a US museum
THE owner of the car in which Princess Diana died has sparked fury by declaring he wants the wreckage to go to a US museum.
Jean-Francois Musa claims it would be a “mark of respect” if the £10million Mercedes went on display. But one expert said: “It’s downright disgusting.”
PRINCESS Diana’s former bodyguard fears that putting Princess Diana’s death car in a museum will act as a magnet for ghouls.
Ken Wharfe spoke out after experts claimed the mangled wreck of the Mercedes could fetch up to £10million at auction.
Owner Jean-Francois Musa wants the car to return to Paris so he can give it to a US museum as a “mark of respect” to the tragic royal, who was killed alongside lover Dodi Fayed when drunk driver Henri Paul crashed in a tunnel.
But Mr Wharfe branded the move “distasteful”. He said: “There seems to be no thought for her family who would find this incredibly upsetting that sick ghouls would be visiting this disturbing piece of history.”
And one auctioneer said the idea of putting it in a museum was “downright disgusting”. John Markey of H&H Classics added: “I condemn it in the strongest terms.
ABHORRENT
“I suppose there is a market for anything but no respecting auctioneer would go near an item like this, it’s a sick sideshow.
“I don’t personally believe it should be given a value, but it could be worth one, two, even 10 million or maybe more depending on who bought it. It’s worth what anyone is willing to pay for it and there’s a market for everything.
“But I couldn’t see any British or French museum taking it. I think it is just abhorrent.”
Mr Musa ran the Etoile Limousines firm that provided the Paris Ritz, owned by Dodi’s dad Mohamed al-Fayed, with cars. It is where Diana left from on the night of her death.
The Mercedes S280 has been in a police pound in London since 2005 for tests by forensic experts. Mr Musa, 58, said: “The car is still legally mine, but I haven’t seen it for almost 20 years.
“It was shipped to Britain for the police and judges to inspect it. It should have been sent back to me when all the inspections were completed, but it never was. It could be given to a museum. People in places like America are very keen on these type of cars. The
Mercedes is piece of history which could be used to recall a terrible tragedy. The British should just hand the car back.” Mr Musa insists he does not want to profit from the car.
An 18-month French judicial investigation found that the crash was caused by Mr Paul, who lost control of the car at high speed while boozed up and on anti-depressants.
And a 2008 inquest in London ruled Diana and Dodi were “unlawful killed” by Mr Paul’s “grossly negligent behaviour”. Diana’s bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones survived.
Mr al-Fayed believes the couple were killed by secret services to stop a Muslim marrying the mum of the heir to the throne. And Mr Paul’s 85-year-old dad Jean is also convinced the couple were murdered.
But Mr Musa insisted: “There was no plot. Sadly this was a routine road traffic accident, the kind that all of us dread. People had all kinds of theories about what happened, but it really was very mundane. It is all very sad.
“It’s easy to look back at a terrible accident and work out all kinds of reasons why it might have happened, but in the end accidents happened.
“Trying to find blame all the time will not bring the poor victims back. It’s a tragedy what happened to Diana and the others who died, but there was no foul play, I am certain of that. The car belongs to me and now it is time I had it back to put an end to this dark chapter once and for all.”
Diana’s sons William and Harry want the car disposed of “discreetly”, a source said.
But legally they have to return it to Mr Musa. The Met has previously indicated it would be sent back to France. The Mirror revealed last week how the Mercedes had been involved in a major accident before Mr Musa bought it. A year later it was stolen and had all major components ripped out including the power steering before being repaired. There were reports of drivers complaining about the safety of the car when driven over 60mph. But Mr Musa insisted: “There was nothing seriously wrong with it .”