Former Formula 1 ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone has sold his entire collection of historic racing cars to Red Bull heir Mark Mateschitz.
The collection, which Ecclestone has amassed over the course of more than 50 years, features legendary Ferraris that were once driven by F1 icons such as Alberto Ascari, Michael Schumacher, and Niki Lauda, along with other championship-winning cars dating back to the 1950s.
Despite attracting interest from several bidders all over the world, including two sovereign wealth funds, the 69-car collection found a new owner in Mark Mateschitz, the only son of the late Austrian billionaire and Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz.
The 32-year-old, who inherited his father’s 49% share in the energy drink manufacturer after his passing in October 2022, told the Daily Mail, “I am very pleased that Bernie has placed his trust in me to take care of this historically significant collection.
“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.”
While the exact price Mateschitz paid for the collection remains undisclosed, historic sports and racing cars dealer Tom Hartley Jnr, who handled the sale, told the Telegraph that it was “by several multiples the biggest sale price ever achieved for a classic car collection.”
Multiple reports suggest the collection’s value stands around £500 million, which is $646 million at the current exchange rate.
Ecclestone, who managed F1 for four decades until Liberty Media took over in 2017, told Reuters, “They’ve gone to a good home, which is the real thing I was interested in making sure.
“They’ll present them somewhere, into a museum so people can have a look at them for a change which has never happened before.
“It’s good. I’m more than happy that’s where they’ve gone. I wouldn’t have sold them to anyone unless I knew where they were going to finish up. They’re going to build something like a museum and that’s where they’ll be.”
The Bernie Ecclestone Car Collection
The $646 million collection features some jewels including the British racing green 1949 Ferrari Thin Wall Special and the 312T, which powered Scuderia Ferrari to its first constructors’ championship since 1962.
The stunning collection also includes the Ferrari 312B3, a multiple Grand Prix winner, alongside the Dino 246, which Ferrari campaigned for three seasons and took Mike Hawthorn to the 1958 world championship.
Another standout is the Ferrari F2002 – one of the most important cars of the 21st century, which brought Ferrari both championships in 2002.
Also among the gems is the legendary Vanwall VW10 which Stirling Moss drove to multiple Grand Prix victories during the 1958 season. Moss and his teammate Tony Brooks led Vanwall to its first-ever constructors’ title that season.
The lineup also features Alberto Ascari’s 1951 Italian Grand Prix-winning 375 – the vehicle in which Ferrari also secured its first victory thanks to Jose Froilan Gonzalez’s triumph at Silverstone in 1951.
All of Ecclestone’s Brabhams are part of the collection, including the controversial BT46B “fan car,” which Lauda drove to victory at the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix, finishing 34 seconds clear of Riccardo Patrese.
After such a long time owning them, the British business magnate announced in December 2024 that he would be putting his beloved car collection up for sale.
This came after he pleaded guilty to fraud in October 2023 for failing to declare a trust in Singapore that held more than £400 million to British tax authorities back in 2015. He agreed to repay around £653 million to HMRC to avoid a 17-month prison sentence.
However, the reason behind the sale seems to be unrelated to his recent legal troubles, as he explained that he took the decision because his wife, Fabiana, would not know how to deal with the car collection upon his passing.
“I have been collecting these cars for more than 50 years, and I have only ever bought the best of any example,” Ecclestone said in a statement.
“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.”
The former Brabham boss chose to sell his collection through Tom Hartley Jnr, who said, “There has never been, and likely never will be, a collection like this offered for sale again.”
Now Bernie Ecclestone’s historic car collection has found a new home with Red Bull heir Mark Mateschitz.
Read the full article here
