Bernie Ecclestone sells historic F1 car collection worth ‘hundreds of millions’

Former Formula One ring champion Bernie Ecclestone has announced he is putting his racing car collection up for sale – a set said to be worth “hundreds of millions”.

The 69-car collection spans decades of history and includes legendary Ferraris driven by F1 icons such as Michael Schumacher and Niki Lauda, ​​as well as other championship-winning machines dating back to the 1950s.

“I have been collecting these cars for more than 50 years and have only ever bought the best example,” Ecclestone said in a statement. “I love all my cars, but it’s time for me to think about what will happen to them when I’m no longer here, and that’s why I’ve decided to sell them.

“After collecting and owning them for so long, I would like to know where they have gone and not leave them to my wife to take care of in case I am not there.”

Ecclestone will sell the collection through luxury and race car seller Tom Hartley Jr. under a private deal.

“A collection like this has never been offered for sale again and probably never will be again,” Hartley said.

“It consists of the greatest cars of their time, many of which have not been seen for decades and are completely unique.”

Hartley also revealed that the collection includes many “eight-figure cars” with an estimated value of “hundreds of millions.” BBC.

The news follows Ecclestone’s admission of fraud last year when he failed to report a Singapore trust that held around $650 million in 2015 to British tax authorities. The former Brabham boss agreed to pay back almost 653 million pounds (around $830 million) as HMRC wants to avoid a 17-month prison sentence.

Bernie Ecclestone’s collection of historic cars

The set, which Hartley described as “the history of Formula One,” includes some iconic machines, including the British racing green 1949 Ferrari Thin Wall Special and the 312T car that won the Scuderia its first constructors’ championship since 1962.

These also include Ferrari’s 312B3 – a multiple Grand Prix winner, the Dino 246, which Ferrari drove for three seasons and which took Mike Hawthorn to the Drivers’ World Championship in 1958, and the Ferrari F2002, one of the most important cars of the 21st century. in which the Scuderia secured both championships in 2002.

The highlights also include the legendary Vanwall VW10, with which Stirling Moss won several Grand Prix victories in the 1958 season. His efforts alongside teammate Tony Brooks led Vanwall to their first ever constructors’ title.

Alberto Ascari’s 375, which won the 1951 Italian Grand Prix, is one of the most outstanding pieces in the collection. It was also the car with which Ferrari secured its first ever victory, thanks to Jose Froilan Gonzalez’s triumph at Silverstone in 1951, where he finished ahead of Alfa Romeo’s Juan Manuel Fangio.

The collection also includes all of Ecclestone’s Brabhams, including the controversial BT46B “fan car” in which Lauda took victory in the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix, finishing 34 seconds ahead of Riccardo Patrese.

Now the 94-year-old is ready to part with these F1 marvels he has collected over the years.

“Having collected the best and most original Formula 1 cars from the early days of the sport, I have now decided to take them to a new home that will treat them as I do and care for them like valuable works of art. ”

Bernie Ecclestone owned the commercial rights to Formula 1 for three decades until Liberty Media took over the series in 2017.