Ex-Formula 1 Tsar Bernie Ecclestone is Selling His Entire Car Collection
A few days ago, we told you about an incredible 1954 Mercedes-Benz F1 car that will be auctioned by RM Sotheby’s early next year and is estimated at over 50 million euros ($74 million CAD). Well, it’s nothing compared to the personal collection of former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, which has largely remained secret for decades and will soon be up for sale.
Each of the 69 Grand Prix and F1 cars that make up the collection is a jewel in itself and a piece of motorsport history, so we’re looking at well over $100 million here.
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Among them are 30 Brabham cars (Ecclestone owned the Brabham F1 Team from 1972 to 1988) including at least one example of every car that was built. The most famous is arguably the BT46B Fan Car that Niki Lauda drove to a victory at the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix.
Naturally, several Ferraris are also part of the collection—17 to be exact. One of them is a 375 driven by Alberto Ascari and recently restored over a two-year period. Just so you know, it was the first Ferrari ever to win an F1 race. World champion Michael Schumacher’s F2002 is another.
“I have been collecting these cars for more than 50 years, and I have only ever bought the best of any example,” says Ecclestone, now 94. “Whilst many other collectors over the years have opted for sports cars, my passion has always been for 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 car, as it is the pinnacle of the sport, and all the cars I have bought over the years have fantastic race histories and are rare works of art.”
The controversial ex-tsar confesses he would like to know where his cars have gone and “not leave them for my wife to deal with should I not be around.”
Details of the sale, including the date and the estimated value of each car, have yet to be specified at this point. British luxury car specialist Tom Hartley Jnr is handling the sale.
