MR FORMULA ONE'S $400 MIL CAR COLLECTION IS UP FOR SALE - THE MOST IMPORTANT RACECAR COLLECTION IN THE WORLD.
If you’ve even ever so slightly been into cars, you will most certainly have heard of Bernie Ecclestone. Fans of Formula 1 know him because he WAS Mr Formula 1. Ecclestone was born on October 28, 1930, in Ipswich, Suffolk, England and he grew up in a regular working-class family. His father was a fisherman, and the family faced financial challenges during his early years. As he got older, he found that he had a good mind for business, which eventually saw him taking control of Formula 1 and transforming it into the global phenomenon that we know today. Ecclestone’s motorsport interest started with bikes, but his entrepreneurial journey took off when he ventured into selling spare parts. He later moved into car racing, competing in the 500cc Formula 3 series. Although his driving career was short-lived after a serious crash, Ecclestone remained passionate about motorsport, pivoting to management and business roles within the racing world. In the 1950s, he managed drivers like Stuart Lewis-Evans and Jochen Rindt, while honing his skills in negotiation and team dynamics. By the 1970s, Bernie had purchased the Brabham Formula 1 team, and that was the start of a most epic career. Ecclestone rose to the head of the Formula One Constructors Association (FOCA) in the late 1970s, and that’s when he negotiated television rights deals that centralised broadcasting under his control, a move that turned F1 into a lucrative enterprise. He also introduced the concept of modern race sponsorships, expanded the calendar into new markets, and professionalized the sport’s management. His dictator-like control over F1’s commercial rights often drew criticism but undeniably contributed to F1’s immense growth. The sport became a multibillion-dollar spectacle, attracting fans worldwide along with some of the biggest brands in sponsorship deals. Ecclestone stayed on as the F1 big boss up until 2017 when Liberty Media acquired the rights. His initial investment into F1 was $5,000,000 and it sold for $8,000,000,000.
As you can imagine, this all came with an income equal to the GNP of a small country making him one of the wealthiest figures in sporting history, and the man had to spend that money somewhere. A decent chunk of change went into a rather impressive car collection, not that he had much time to drive them, but with Bernie now 94 years old, the collection is up for sale. The collection will be sold via one of the world’s leading exotic car concerns, UK-based Tom Hartley Jnr, under the Ecclestone Grand Prix Collection. The massive collection is not just the most valuable Grand Prix and Formula 1 car collection in the world, it is widely regarded as the most important race car collection, period. The collection includes the Alberto Ascari Italian Grand Prix winning 375 F1, the very first 312 F1, Championship-winning cars from the likes of Michael Schumacher, Niki Lauda and Mike Hawthorn, all the Brabham F1 cars, an ex-Works Maserati 250F, the 16-cylinder Mark II BRM, the Vanwall VW10, and much, much more. “I feel very privileged that Bernie has entrusted the sale of his cars to my Tom Hartley Jnr business. Formula 1 cars are cars that I know particularly well, they are not just cars that I have a great personal interest in, but we at Tom Hartley Jnr actively buy and sell them, too. However, there has never been a collection like this one offered for sale, and no one in the world has a race car collection that comes close to Bernie’s. This a great opportunity for a discerning collector to acquire cars that have never before been offered for sale, and it would be great to see them back on the track again.” says Tom Hartley Jnr.
Take a look at the YouTube video from Tom Hartley Jnr as the amazing Formula One collection is discussed with Bernie Ecclestone himself. You'd never guess the man is 94 years old, but you can almost smell the wealth even through YouTube: The Ferrari Walkaround | We discuss the Ferrari Formula 1 cars within The Ecclestone Collection | Tom Hartley Jnr Ltd
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