Bernie Ecclestone, the former head of Formula 1, has parted with his personal collection of 69 distinctive F1 race cars, valued at around £500 million.
The collection has been acquired by Mark Mateschitz, the 32-year-old Red Bull heir.
Ecckestibe expressed satisfaction with Mateschitz’s purchase, highlighting his close relationship with Mark’s late father, Dietrich, the founder of Red Bull. Mark, Dietrich’s sole heir, possesses a 49% share in the company.
Ecclestone’s collection, amassed over five decades, features Brabham cars from his former team, Ferraris driven by Michael Schumacher and Niki Lauda, Sir Stirling Moss’s Vanwall VW10, and the Ferrari driven by Mike Hawthorn, Britain’s inaugural world champion in 1958.
Ecclestone commented on the sale, saying, “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.” He added, “It means a great deal to me to know that this collection is now in the very best of hands. Mark is the best and most worthy owner we could ever imagine.”
The cars were reportedly stored in a massive hangar at the Biggin Hill airfield, which is located south of London, and the facility was never opened to the public.
Mateschitz hasn’t revealed where the cars will be displayed; he just said that they’ll be shown “at an appropriate location.” He added that he plans to expand the collection in the coming years.