In late 2024, top supercar dealer Tom Hartley Jnr announced that he had been entrusted with the sale of Bernie Ecclestone's Grand Prix and Formula 1 car collection. Ecclestone's collection is legendary in F1 circles.
The scale of the responsibility seems hard to grasp. Selling a collection with a reported value of £500 million would be a daunting task for anyone at any time, but it was made even more so by Ecclestone's wish that the collection should be sold intact, rather than auctioned off as separate lots.
Hartley rose to the challenge, duly announcing the successful sale of the entire Ecclestone collection to billionaire and Red Bull heir Mark Mateschitz. Mateschitz has vowed not only to keep the historic collection together, but also to make it available for viewing.
He told the press, "It will be carefully preserved, expanded over the years, and in the near future it will be made accessible to the public at an appropriate location."
In announcing that he would be selling the cars on behalf of Bernie Ecclestone, Tom Hartley Jnr said on his website, "This collection is not just the most valuable Grand Prix and Formula 1 car collection in the world, it is regarded as the most important race car collection."
We don't see anyone challenging either claim. There are very few institutions with the financial resources to acquire such a collection, let alone individual enthusiasts. Ecclestone rendered a service to the sport's history by creating the collection: Mateschitz has rendered another by preserving and displaying it.
The man behind the collection
Bernie Ecclestone's name will forever be associated with Formula 1 and motor racing. As a young man he was a driver, winning several races at Brands Hatch and achieving good placings in others. His driving career was short-lived though, and he subsequently became manager for other drivers, before buying the Brabham racing team in 1971.
He became a key figure in Formula 1 and was involved in the power struggles that blighted the sport during the 1970s and 1980s.
Ecclestone is widely credited with transforming F1 into the huge commercial success and sporting spectacle it is today.
Over a period of many years, Ecclestone amassed an unrivalled collection of single-seater racing cars including many unique examples that were innovative in their day and many cars that were driven to victory by motor racing's greatest icons.
Ecclestone told the Daily Mail that he was letting his collection go so his wife, Fabiana, wouldn't have to deal with it after his death.
“I am 94 and with luck I might have a few years longer, who knows? But I didn’t want to leave Fabi wondering what to do with them if I was no longer around. I love all my cars but maybe I should have done this five years ago, but I never got around to it until now."
The cars
The Ecclestone collection comprises 69 cars. It would be impractical to describe them all here, but we must, at least, present some of the highlights.
Brabham BT46B "Fan Car"
One of the most controversial cars in the collection must be the Brabham BT456B. This was designed and built by the Brabham team that Ecclestone owned from the early 1970s until the late 1980s.
The unique feature of this car was a large fan designed to increase downforce, effectively sucking the car downward to improve roadholding. Brabham claimed it was an engine cooling innovation.
Niki Lauda won the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix in the Brabham BT456B, but rival teams claimed the fan made chips and stones fly up from the road, presenting a hazard for other drivers. The car was subsequently banned from competition.
1937 Mercedes W125
It seems incredible, but this car was the most powerful F1 car ever made for a very long time. In fact, it held that title from the day it was introduced in 1937 until turbochargers appeared in the 1980s.
Ferrari 312
The Ferrari 312 is arguably one of the most famous cars in the collection. A star of the silver screen, it featured prominently in John Frankenheimer's film Grand Prix. But this car didn't need a stunt double to hit high speeds: in real life it carried driver Ludovico Scarfiotti to victory in the Italian Grand Prix. The Grand Prix win and the movie role both happened in the same year, 1966.
1957 Vanwall F1
Stirling Moss drove this one to win in Holland, Portugal and Morocco in 1958. The car also earned Vanwall the 1958 constructors’ title.
Other cars in the collection include:
- 1937 Auto Union C Type
- 1948 Maserati 4CLT
- 1949 Talbot Lago T26C
- 1951 Ferrari 125 "Thinwall Special"
- 1951 Ferrari 375
- 1954 BRM V16 Mk.II
- 1954 Maserati 250F
- 1954 Ferrari 555 Super Squalo
- 1954 Lancia D50
- 1955 Connaught B-Type
- 1956 Lancia-Ferrari D50A
- 1960 Ferrari 246 Dino
- 1964 Ferrari 1512
- 1975 Brabham BT44B
- 1976 McLaren M23
- 1977 Ferrari 312T3
- 1980 Brabham-Ford BT49
- 1982 Brabham-BMW BT50
- 1983 Brabham-BMW BT52
- 1987 Brabham-BMW BT56
- And many more.
The sale of this stunning array of historic vehicles surely elevates Tom Hartley Jnr Ltd to a tier of its own as a company. It must also look pretty good on Tom's personal CV!
Regtransfers sends our congratulations to Tom Hartley Jnr and his team on the remarkable achievement, and to Mark Mateschitz on becoming the collection's new custodian.
Images courtesy of Tom Hartley Jnr
