Imagine living through the early years of the now global sporting event that is Formula 1 and getting the chance to own some of the greatest race cars that graced the pinnacle of motorsport. That’s Bernie Ecclestone for you, and he’s now ready to let go of his prized and carefully stored and maintained Formula 1 car collection – the finest ever brought together and presented for sale.
Ferrari
Ferrari is an Italian manufacturer of sports cars, supercars, and luxury grand tourers founded by and named after Enzo Ferrari in 1939 – originally as Auto Avio Costruzioni due to legal complications with Alfa Romeo. Ferrari famously only produced roadgoing sports cars as a means of funding its racing exploits, which include multiple F1 World Championships and wins at Le Mans and various other prestigious races. Today, Ferrari is one of the most valuable brand names in the world, limiting production of its highly-sought-after models to maintain desirability, which is in no short supply when they’re powered by some of the world’s most advanced V6, V8, and V12 engines.
- Founded
- 1939 (as Auto Avio Costruzioni)
- Founder
- Enzo Ferrari
- Headquarters
- Maranello, Italy
- Owned By
- Publically Traded
- Current CEO
- Benedetto Vigna
Also known for his other exquisite cars, like the super rare Jaguar D-Type race car, Bernie Ecclestone is often referred to as the “Godfather of Formula 1.” He started with the Connaught team in the 1950s, but his influence grew when he purchased and led the Brabham team, achieving victories with drivers such as Carlos Reutemann, Carlos Pace, and Niki Lauda, and securing F1 titles with Nelson Piquet. Ecclestone was also the one who promoted Gordon Murray to Chief Designer of the Brabham F1 team, leading to the iconic and utterly dominant ‘fan car’ that inspired one of Murray’s most recent creations, the GMA T.50.
“Having collected what are the best and most original Formula 1 cars dating back to the start of the sport, I have now decided to move them on to new homes that will treat them as I have and look after them as precious works of art.”
– Bernie Ecclestone, Godfather of Formula 1
Championship-Winning Formula 1 Cars Up For Grabs
As head of the Formula One Constructors’ Association, Ecclestone played a pivotal role in transforming F1 into a global phenomenon, working with figures like Enzo Ferrari and Colin Chapman. In 1987, he founded the Formula One Group and managed F1’s commercial rights until 2017. Now 94, he remains engaged with the sport, leaving a lasting legacy that helped shape modern Formula 1 into the international powerhouse it is today, even if not everyone has agreed with how he managed the sport at times.
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Ecclestone’s 69-strong Formula 1 car collection includes race cars driven by legendary champions like Mike Hawthorn, Niki Lauda, and Michael Schumacher. There are Brabham F1 race cars, as well, including a one-off Brabham-Alfa Romeo BT46B “fan car” that raced and won the Swedish Grand Prix at Anderstorp in 1978. Many of these cars have never seen the light of day since Ecclestone purchased them.
Other Historic Cars In The Collection
Ecclestone’s collection also includes some of the rarest Ferrari race cars to ever hit the track, including the famous Thin Wall Special, which was the first Ferrari to ever beat Alfa Romeo. There’s also the Alberto Ascari Italian Grand Prix-winning 375 F1 and the Mike Hawthorn World Championship-winning Dino race car – the latter was campaigned by Ferrari over three seasons before it was donated to the Henry Ford Museum.
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Exact details of Ecclestone’s car collection are still under wraps at this point, including the date when Tom Hartley Jnr will start selling them. Even the pricing wasn’t included, but given the exclusivity and historical significance of these cars, they do belong in the category where buyers don’t need to ask for a price.
Source:
Tom Hartley Junior
