Bernie Ecclestone Car Collection: Inside the £500 Million F1 Treasure

Bernie Ecclestone Car Collection: For decades, Bernie Ecclestone’s name was inseparable from Formula 1’s commercial rise. Less visible—almost mythical—was the private car collection he quietly assembled alongside that career. In early 2025, that hidden world stepped into the spotlight when Ecclestone sold his entire fleet of 69 historic Grand Prix and Formula 1 cars to Mark Mateschitz, the Red Bull heir.

Estimated at around £500 million, the deal wasn’t just about money. It marked the transfer of one of motorsport’s most important archives from private custody to a future public life.

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A Collection Built Over Half a Century

Unlike celebrity collections driven by nostalgia or aesthetics, Ecclestone’s cars were chosen with a historian’s eye. Built over more than 50 years, the lineup spans roughly seven decades of racing evolution, from pre-war machinery to dominant modern-era Formula 1 cars. According to brokers involved in the sale, no other collection captures championship success, technical innovation, and historical continuity quite like this one.

Many of the cars were never displayed publicly. They lived in controlled storage, preserved rather than paraded, reflecting Ecclestone’s belief that these machines were documents of history, not decorative objects.

Ferrari Red and Championship Gold

Ferrari forms the emotional core of the collection. Several of the Scuderia’s most significant championship-winning cars sit within it, including Michael Schumacher’s 2002 Ferrari F2002—arguably one of the most dominant Formula 1 cars ever built. That car alone is believed to be worth around £10 million.

Equally important are earlier Ferraris, such as Niki Lauda’s 1975 Ferrari 312T, a car that helped redefine mid-engined balance and usher Ferrari into a new era of success. There’s also Mike Hawthorn’s 1958 Ferrari Dino 246, a reminder of a time when Formula 1 was raw, dangerous, and deeply human. Together, these cars chart Ferrari’s transformation from fragile contender to relentless benchmark.

The Brabham Story, Told in Full

One unique aspect of the collection is its depth of Brabham machinery. Ecclestone owned the Brabham team from 1971 to 1988, and the 28 Brabham cars in the sale effectively tell that entire story in metal and carbon.

The headline act is the Brabham BT46B “fan car,” driven by Niki Lauda in 1978. Designed by Gordon Murray, it used a rear-mounted fan to generate extreme downforce. It raced once, won convincingly, and was promptly banned. In one stroke, it became one of Formula 1’s most controversial and fascinating technical experiments.

Also included is Nelson Piquet’s championship-winning BT52, a car that demonstrated how turbocharged power could be harnessed when others were still struggling. For engineers and fans alike, this Brabham fleet is less a collection and more a rolling textbook.

Icons Beyond Formula 1’s Modern Era

The collection doesn’t stop at familiar F1 names. It reaches back to foundational moments in Grand Prix history. The Vanwall VW10, driven by Sir Stirling Moss, represents Britain’s first constructors’ championship victory. Cars like the Ferrari 375 F1, in which Alberto Ascari won the 1951 Italian Grand Prix, underline how early innovation laid the groundwork for everything that followed.

Even pre-war and immediate post-war legends are present, including a 1931 Bugatti Type 54 and a 1937 Mercedes-Benz W125—machines from an era when racing was as much bravery as science.

Why Ecclestone Finally Let Go

At 94, Ecclestone has been candid about his decision. Speaking about the sale, he explained that it was less about downsizing and more about responsibility. He didn’t want his wife, Fabiana, to be left managing a complex and historically significant estate without clear direction.

“I love all my cars,” he admitted, adding that perhaps he should have done this years earlier. The priority was ensuring the cars ended up with someone who understood their significance, not just their value.

A New Home, and a Public Future

That’s where Mark Mateschitz enters the story. As the son of Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz, and a lifelong motorsport supporter, he wasn’t simply buying trophies. He has publicly committed to preserving the collection, expanding it, and—crucially—making it accessible to the public.

The cars are expected to form the core of a dedicated museum, likely in Austria. For fans, historians, and younger generations raised on hybrid-era Formula 1, this is the most important outcome of the sale. Machines that shaped the sport will finally be seen, studied, and appreciated outside closed doors.

Why This Sale Matters

This wasn’t just the most valuable Bernie Ecclestone Car Collection ever sold. It was a passing of custodianship. Ecclestone gathered these cars during a lifetime spent shaping Formula 1 behind the scenes. Mateschitz now has the task of turning that private legacy into a shared one.

If the plans materialise as promised, Bernie Ecclestone’s collection won’t simply represent history—it will actively teach it. And for a sport that often races ahead without looking back, that might be its most valuable contribution yet.

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