- Included in the collection are no less than 30 cars from the Brabham team Ecclestone owned between 1972 and 1988.
- One of the most prized cars in the collection is a 2002 Ferrari F2002 driven by Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello.
- Many of the cars in Ecclestone’s collection have not been seen for decades.
Ex-Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone is selling his remarkable collection of 69 historic Grand Prix and Formula 1 cars worth well over $100 million.
The British business magnate has kept his collection hidden away from prying eyes for decades but has just appointed Tom Hartley Jnr to sell each and every racing car he owns. This is thought to be the finest collection of Grand Prix and F1 cars in the world, and some of the cars have been owned by Ecclestone for over half a decade. Many have also not been seen since he purchased them.
Read: A Legendary 1954 Mercedes-Benz Could Shatter F1 Records, Selling For Over $52M
Of the 69 cars included in the collection, 30 are Brabhams, as Ecclestone owned the Brabham F1 team from 1972 to 1988 and has at least one example of every car they built. These include the 1981 car driven by Nelson Piquet and the Brabham BT46B Fan Car driven by Niki Lauda at the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix.
Ecclestone’s collection also includes 17 iconic Ferraris. One of these is the Dino 246, which was raced by Phil Hill, Richie Ginther, Tony Brooks, and Wolfgang von Trips, before being driven by Mike Hawthorn to victory in the 1958 championship. The 94-year-old is also selling the Ferrari 375 F1 Alberto Ascari drove at the Italian and German Grands Prix. The car is particularly special as it is the first Ferrari ever to claim an F1 race victory and recently underwent a two-year restoration. A 2002 Ferrari F2002 driven by Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello and achieved three race wins is also part of the collection.
“I have been collecting these cars for more than 50 years, and I have only ever bought the best of any example,” Ecclestone described. “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.”
“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. After collecting and owning them for so long, I would like to know where they have gone and not leave them for my wife to deal with should I not be around.”
