► 69 of the most important F1 cars ever now sold
► Includes championship winners and the Brabham fan car
► Many have never been offered for sale before
Former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has sold his collection of 69 Formula 1 and Grand Prix racing cars… to Red Bull heir, Mark Mateschitz. Described as probably the single biggest private collection of such cars there has ever been, including some of the most important cars in racing history, remarkably it seems they will all be staying together. And yes, plenty of them have wings.
Many of these cars have never been offered for sale before, and the total value had been estimated at around £500 million. While the amount paid is undisclosed, Mateschitz is said to be a ‘family friend’ – so perhaps he got a bit of a discount. The only son of Red Bull founder, Dietrich Mateschitz, the collection’s new owner plans to make it accessible to the public in the future while also adding other important racing cars as they become available.
What’s so special about the Ecclestone F1 collection?
There are so many highlights among the present 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. When the collection was put up for sale before Christmas, 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.’
How did the sale take place?
Unusually for this kind of thing, the cars were not sold at auction. Instead, specialist dealer Tom Hartly Jnr handled the transaction. ‘This is quite simply the most important race car collection in the world,’ he said when the sale was originally announced. ‘There has never been and probably never will be a collection like it ever offered for sale again.’
Further describing it as ‘the history of F1’, Hartley has been quoted in The Telegraph following the change of ownership, saying: ‘There has never been a transaction in the collectors’ car world that even comes close to this. By several multiples it is the biggest sale price ever achieved.
‘Being involved in the sale was a real privilege. Although it came together quickly in the end, the process took years – researching every chassis, the race history of each car, going over to Ferrari and digging into their archives and so on.’
Ecclestone is apparently ‘delighted’ that the cars are going to Mateschitz: ‘It means a great deal to me to know that this collection is now in the very best of hands. Mark is the best and most worthy owner we could ever imagine.’
Mateschitz himself is ‘very pleased that Bernie has placed his trust in me to take care of this historically significant collection. It will be carefully preserved, expanded over the years, and in the near future it will be made accessible to the public at an appropriate location.’
No-one is saying where this might be yet, but given Red Bull’s home is in Austria – and among its assets there is the Red Bull Ring racing circuit – we won’t be making any wild bets.