Image via Tom Hartley Jnr Ltd/YouTube
Controversial during his tenure as boss of Formula One racing, Bernie Ecclestone had access to buy some amazing racecars. Now the man is selling the entire impressive collection as he nears the sunset of his life, with many collectors watering at the mouth for a chance at one or more of the storied vehicles.
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In total, there are 69 exquisite examples of Grand Prix cars in Ecclestone’s collection. Each is being offered for sale through specialist UK dealer Tom Hartley Jnr. Unsurprisingly, some of the cars in the collection belonged to the Brabham team back in the 70s and 80s, and since Ecclestone was the team’s owner he got first dibs.
Perhaps the most famous, or rather infamous, of the bunch is the BT46. Dubbed the “fan car” it was designed by Gordon Murray to really hug the road. That was done cleverly using a giant fan directed down. Other teams complained about the competitive edge and so the racecar was retired, but never fully forgotten.
There are many other historic rides in the collection, like the Vanwall VW10 piloted by Sir Stirling Moss in 1958 for several wins or the Dino 346 Mike Hawthorn used to snatch the 1958 championship. Ecclestone even has Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari F2002 he used in the 2002 season.
It’s estimated the total value of Ecclestone’s racecar collection is close to $400 million, but that’s honestly just a ballpark figure. Considering the vehicles are all unique and some haven’t been seen in public for decades, plus about half have never been sold in a public or private transaction, the value isn’t established. Who knows how much some well-heeled collectors might be willing to dish out for a chance to garage some of these cars.
Image via Tom Hartley Jnr Ltd/YouTube
