The Car Sale of the Century Is Announced!

Grand financier of Formula 1 for thirty years, Bernie Ecclestone has built an extraordinary collection from which he is now parting ways.

Now aged 94, Bernie Ecclestone was the holder of the commercial rights of Formula 1 for three decades and turned this sport into a powerful and thriving global business. A true motorsport enthusiast and aware of the value of four-wheeled princesses that he choreographed the dance for each weekend, he has built an exceptional collection consisting of 69 cars, the most impressive ever to go on sale. The time has come for the Briton to part with it and has entrusted the organization of this sale to John Hartley Jnr.

There are so many marvels that it’s hard to know which car among the 69 to highlight. Among the Ferraris, there’s the 375 F1 that helped Alberto Ascari win the Italian Grand Prix, the Ferrari Thin Wall Special, the first Ferrari to beat Alfa Romeo, as well as the very first 312 F1, a car victorious in multiple Grands Prix and considered by Ferrari as the most authentic Formula 1 of that era still existing. Also included are championship-winning cars driven by legends such as Michael Schumacher, Niki Lauda, and Mike Hawthorn. The 246 F1 of Hawthorn, exceptionally used by the official team over three seasons, was driven by all the leading factory drivers of the time and remains the last engine-mounted front car to stand on a podium.

But before leading the F1 Circus, Ecclestone was a key player at the head of the Brabham team. Among these are Brabhams driven by Nelson Piquet, Carlos Pace, and again the inevitable Niki Lauda. Included is the iconic Brabham-Alfa Romeo BT46B “fan car,” designed by Gordon Murray, which raced only once, winning the Swedish Grand Prix at Anderstorp in 1978 with more than 30 seconds ahead of a disheartened competition before being declared illegal.

“I’ve collected these cars for more than 50 years and I’ve only ever acquired the best specimens. While many collectors turn to production cars, my passion has always been Formula 1 single-seaters,” emphasizes Ecclestone. “A Grand Prix car, especially a Formula 1 car, is far more significant than a road car or any other race car because it represents the pinnacle of our sport. All the cars I’ve purchased over the years have exceptional racing histories and are true works of art. I’m attached to all my cars, but it’s time for me to think about their future after I’m gone,” admits the Briton. “That’s why I’ve decided to sell them. After owning them for so long, I want to see them find new homes that will take care of them as I have.”

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