► 69 of the most important F1 cars ever
► Includes championship winners and the Brabham fan car
► Many have never been offered for sale
Former Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone is selling his collection of 69 Formula 1 and Grand Prix racing cars. It’s probably the single biggest private collection of such cars there has ever been, and includes some of the most important cars in racing history. Many of them have never been offered for sale before.
There are so many highlights among the collection that it’s difficult to know where to turn. There are ex-Michael Schumacher championship-winning Ferraris. There’s the Ferrari Dino 246 that Mike Hawthorn won his championship in. And the Vanwall that Stirling Moss drove to three victories in 1958, helping the British marque win the first F1 constructors’ championship.
Then there are the vast number of Brabhams. Ecclestone ran the Brabham F1 team from 1972 to 1988, a period that netted 22 wins and two world championships for Nelson Piquet in 1981 and 1983. Ecclestone has kept hold of the cars since they were built. Arguably the most significant is the infamous Brabham BT46B ‘fan car’ which won its first and only race at the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix before being banned.
The cars cover a 70-year span of Grand Prix racing, going back to before the Formula 1 era. 94 year-old Ecclestone, who’s credited with turning F1 into the multi-billion dollar business it is today, said: “I have been collecting these cars for more than 50 years and I have only ever bought the best of any example. Whilst many other collectors over the years have opted for sports cars, my passion has always been Grand Prix and Formula 1 cars.
“A Grand Prix and in particular a Formula 1 car is far more important than any road car or other form of race cars, as it is the pinnacle of the sport. All the cars I have bought have fantastic race histories and are rare works of art.”
Ecclestone has been selling off chunks of his enormous car collection for over 10 years. His cars have never been available for public viewing, indeed it’s not really known how many he currently owns and has in the past. He was originally a motor trader before moving into F1 team ownership and later taking control of Formula 1’s commercial rights. He proved a competent racing driver in the 1950s, as well, though he failed to qualify for his one attempt at a world championship Grand Prix – Monaco in 1958.
“I love all of my cars but the time has come for me to start thinking about what will happen to them should I no longer be here, and that is why I have decided to sell them,” Ecclestone said, adding that he hopes they’ll find “new homes that will treat them as I have and look after them as precious works of art.”
Dealer Tom Hartly Jnr is handling disposal of the collection. He said: “This is quite simply the most important race car collection in the world. There has never been and probably never will be a collection like it ever offered for sale again.
“I feel very privileged that Bernie has entrusted the sale of his cars to my Tom Hartley Jnr business. This is a great opportunity for a discerning collector to acquire cars that have never before been offered for sale, and it would be great to see them back on track. This collection is the history of Formula 1.”