Long-time Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone is selling his once-private 69-car collection, after pleading guilty to committing tax fraud in the UK last year.
The now-94-year-old has called time on his custodianship of the extensive collection, made up exclusively of Formula One cars which have raced in Grands Prix at the pinnacle of motorsport.
This includes cars from as far back as the 1950s – such as a Vanwall – to a 2000s Ferrari raced to championship glory by Michael Schumacher, and everything in between.
Most notable in the collection is the array of Brabham racers in Martini and Parmalat colours, representing the period in which Mr Ecclestone was the team’s owner.
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British high-end vehicle dealer Tom Hartley Jnr Ltd has been appointed by Mr Ecclestone to sell the collection, and prices for the vehicles haven’t been advertised – indicating there aren’t many deals to be had.
“I have been collecting these cars for more than 50 years, and I have only ever bought the best of any example. Whilst many other collectors over the years have opted for sports cars, my passion has always been for Grand Prix and Formula 1 cars,” Mr Ecclestone said in a media statement.
“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.”
Mr Ecclestone’s Formula 1 journey began in 1970 when he took partial ownership of the Brabham team, later becoming its full owner from 1972 to 1987, in which time the squad won two Drivers Championships.
Outside of Brabham however, Mr Ecclestone rose to power within Formula 1’s politicised ranks, becoming the leading figure of the Formula One Constructors Association (FOCA), which largely represented the sport’s British teams which weren’t factory-based.
It was in his role as FOCA chief executive that Mr Ecclestone brokered deals for better treatment of the teams, establishing the 1981 Concorde Agreement to guarantee income not only for the competitors but also the sport’s governing body and his own Formula One Promotions and Administration (FOPA).
Mr Ecclestone oversaw the growth of Formula 1 to become a global sport, though he was criticised for his reluctance to open it to a younger generation of fans, and his over-reliance on the sport racing in oil-rich countries with human rights concerns.
US media giant Liberty Media took control of Formula 1 in 2017, which quickly resulted in Mr Ecclestone being removed from his role.
In October last year, Mr Ecclestone was ordered to pay the UK’s HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) £652.6 million (AU$1.275 billion) – as well as £74,000 (AU$144,500) in prosecution costs – after pleading guilty to not declaring more than £400 million (AU$781 million) held in a Singapore-based trust between 1994 and 2022.
He was handed a 17-month prison sentence, however this was suspended for two years and will only be enforced if he commits another criminal offence before October 2025.
