London - (Ass Mess): The wreckage of the Mercedes S-280 which fatally crashed under the Pont d'Alma on 31 August 1997 is to be melted down and sculpted into a giant Strelitzia reginae bird of paradise flower.
It will then be installed in the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain in London's Hyde Park.
The Parisian Etoile Limousine car rental company which owns it said today that despite many ludicrously high cash offers for the wreck it would not be flogged off in some shady, cheapskate deal on eBay or any other auction site.
"We like the idea of the metallic sculpture," Felix Grenouille said on behalf of the limo company.
"The genus Strelitzia reginae (syn S parvifolia), Strelitzia/Bird of Paradise, or Crane lily is a South African cultivar named after the duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, birthplace of Queen Charlotte of the United Kingdom.
"Of course that has absolutely nothing to do with the late Princess Diana although the royal connection is useful.
"However, after a long chat with Kew Gardens curators we think the botanic connection is a real winner.
"They describe the Bird of Paradise as a showy sparkler, typically in a constant state of frenetic horizontal pollination - pretty much like the late Princess some would say!"
The sculpture will be installed in 2010.
