Bernie Ecclestone is selling his entire collection of Formula 1 cars, which is expected to be worth more than €361 million (£300 million) to the sport's former boss.
Ecclestone, 94, ruled F1 for four decades and his batch of 69 cars – which span 70 years of Grand Prix racing – is considered the greatest set of racing vehicles in the world.
Leading the collection is the Ferrari that drove Michael Schumacher to his third of five consecutive world championships with the team. Also available to buyers is the 1958 Vanwall of British driver Stirling Moss.
Cars driven by several world champions, such as Ayrton Senna, Alberto Ascari, Niki Lauda and Nelson Piquet, are also part of the sale, which is overseen by high-end car dealer Tom Hartley Jr.
Explaining his decision to part with his collection, Ecclestone said: “I love all my cars, but the time has come to start thinking about what will happen to them if I'm no longer here.”
Ecclestone, who left his post after US owners Liberty Media bought out in 2017, added: “I have been collecting these cars for over 50 years, and have only bought the best of each model. »
“A Grand Prix car and especially a Formula 1 car is far more important than any road car or other type of racing car, because it is the pinnacle of the sport, and all the cars I have bought over the years have fantastic racing stories and are rare works of art. »
Bernie Ecclestone now hopes to sell these cars to new owners who will care for them “like precious works of art”.
