Bernie Ecclestone’s Collection For Sale

Tom Hartley Jnr has been given the job of selling Bernie Ecclestone’s collection of Grand Prix and Formula 1 cars.

At 94 years old, Ecclestone, the former commercial rights holder of Formula 1, is the man widely credited with transforming the sport into the global phenomenon it is today. His personal collection of 69 historic Grand Prix and Formula 1 cars covers a huge part of the history of motorsport.

The collection has been hidden from public view for decades, some of the cars for more than 50 years. Many of the cars haven’t been seen since Ecclestone acquired them. Among the highlights are Ferraris driven by World Champions like Mike Hawthorn, Niki Lauda, and Michael Schumacher, alongside Brabhams piloted by legends such as Nelson Piquet, Carlos Pace, and Lauda again. There is also a one-of-a-kind Brabham-Alfa Romeo BT46B ‘fan car,’ which made history with its sole race – a victory at the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix at Anderstorp.

Bernie Ecclestone said:
“I have been collecting these cars for more than 50 years, and I have only ever bought the best of any example. Whilst many other collectors over the years have opted for sports cars, my passion has always been for Grand Prix and Formula 1 cars.

“A Grand Prix and in particular a Formula 1 car is far more important than any road car or other form of race car, as it is the pinnacle of the sport, and all the cars I have bought over the years have fantastic race histories and are rare works of art.

“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.

“Tom [Hartley Jnr] is handling the sale for me because he knows the cars better than anyone else, his business is best placed to sell them, and I am guaranteed transparency which is important to me.

“Having collected what are the best and most original Formula 1 cars dating back to the start of the sport, I have now decided to move them on to new homes that will treat them as I have and look after them as precious works of art.”

Tom Hartley Jnr said:
“This is quite simply the most important race car collection in the world. There has never been and probably never will be a collection like it ever offered for sale again. The collection spans 70 years of Grand Prix and Formula 1 racing, and highlights include Mike Hawthorn, Niki Lauda, and Michael Schumacher World Championship-winning Ferraris, all of Bernie’s [Ecclestone] Brabhams including the famous ‘fan car’, and the Vanwall VW10, the car in which the great Stirling Moss won several Formula 1 Grands Prix on the way to Vanwall clinching the first ever Formula 1 Constructors’ World Championship in 1958, plus so much more.

“But, for me, the highlight of the collection has to be the Ferraris. Bernie has assembled a collection of Ferrari Formula 1 cars that today would be near-impossible to repeat. There is the famous Thin Wall Special, which was the first Ferrari to ever beat Alfa Romeo, the Alberto Ascari Italian Grand Prix-winning 375 F1, the Mike Hawthorn World Championship-winning Dino which Ferrari campaigned over three seasons before it was donated to the Henry Ford Museum, plus historically significant World Championship-winning Niki Lauda and Michael Schumacher cars.

“Because Bernie has retained ownership of the Brabhams since they were new, and many of those cars have not been seen for decades, people can forget quite how special a team Brabham was. Brabham scored 22 Formula 1 Grand Prix wins, 24 Formula 1 Grand Prix pole positions, 25 Formula 1 Grand Prix fastest laps, and two Formula 1 World Championships under Bernie’s tenure. The team was also very innovative, fitting carbon brakes to its cars in the 1970s, and was the first to introduce in-race refuelling. Bernie was also the person who gave a young South African engineer named Gordon Murray a job – and other big names in motorsport such as Charlie Whiting and Herbie Blash were part of the Brabham boys.

“I feel very privileged that Bernie has entrusted the sale of his cars to my Tom Hartley Jnr business. Formula 1 cars are cars that I know particularly well, they are not just cars that I have a great personal interest in, but we at Tom Hartley Jnr actively buy and sell them, too. However, there has never been a collection like this one offered for sale, and no one in the world has a race car collection that comes close to Bernie’s. This a great opportunity for a discerning collector to acquire cars that have never before been offered for sale, and it would be great to see them back on the track again.

“All of the cars on the Formula 1 grid today look the same. If you stripped them of their liveries, you’d struggle to know which one was a Williams and which was a Ferrari. But when you look at some of the Grand Prix cars from the early 1960s to the late 1970s, they’d very much be at home in The Museum of Modern Art.”

“This collection is the history of Formula 1.”

Prince Albert Of Monaco Drives A Hydrogen Car

Prince Albert II of Monaco has recently been test-driving the Pioneer 25, a hydrogen-powered racing car developed by Extreme H. These tests took place ahead of the Monaco Hydrogen Alliance’s annual forum, where the Prince drove the car from the Palace of Monaco through the principality’s streets, as you would have seen in Formula 1 races.

The Pioneer 25 has a 75 kW hydrogen fuel cell, enabling it to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds. That is a great example of the potential of hydrogen technology in achieving high-speed, zero-emission mobility.

Extreme H plans to launch the first hydrogen-powered off-road racing series in 2025, and adds to the growing trend towards sustainable motorsport.

All Races At Goodwood Revival 2025 To Be Run On Sustainable Fuel

It doesn’t seem that long ago that we were talking about this year’s Goodwood Revival, but the early bird tickets for 2025 are already available!

The 2025 event will follow the same format as the 2024 Revival with all 15 of the races only involving cars powered by sustainable fuel! 

All competitors must use fuel composed of at least 70% advanced sustainable components, a standard introduced during the 82nd Members’ Meeting.

Looking ahead to September 2025, Goodwood Revival will feature 15 races across the weekend of Friday 12th – Sunday 14th. These are:

Freddie March Memorial Trophy
A tribute to the Goodwood Nine Hour races of the 1950s, the Freddie March Memorial Trophy has featured on every Revival race list since 1998. The 60-minute two-driver race will include cars such as Jaguar C-Types, Aston Martin DB3S’ and Allard J2Xs.

Sussex Trophy
The Sussex Trophy has been on the schedule for all-but-one of the Revival. This is a race for the World Championship sportscars and production sports-racing cars that raced from 1955-1960 like Lotus 15s, Lister-Jaguar Knobblys and Jaguar D-Types in action.

Madgwick Cup
The Madgwick Cup has taken on several different forms at the Revival. This year, the 25-minute race will feature sports racing cars under 3-litres that raced between 1960 and 1966. With smaller engines than many of the other cars competing over the weekend, the race will feature the likes of Lotus 23Bs, Elva MK7s and Brabham BT5s.

Goodwood Trophy
Recalling the earliest days of the Goodwood Motor Circuit, the Goodwood Trophy typifies post-war motorsport. With a grid of Grand Prix and Voiturette cars that raced between 1930 and 1951, a variety of cars across two decades will take to the historic Circuit with previous grids including ERAs, Maserati 6CMs and the BRM Type 15 V16.

Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy
The Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy pays homage to the original two-wheeled duel at the Goodwood Motor Circuit in 1951. For 500cc Grand Prix motorcycles that raced between 1948 and 1966 including Norton Manx 30Ms and Matchless G50s, each bike will be ridden by a pair of riders and compete in two races across the weekend for a cumulative result.

Stirling Moss Memorial Trophy
Previously known as the Kinrara Trophy before being re-named in 2020, the Stirling Moss Memorial Trophy returns to the Revival race list for 2025. Named in honour of the late Sir Stirling Moss – or “Mr Goodwood” – closed-cockpit GT cars that raced before 1963 will take to the track for a 45-minute two-driver race. The race is known for welcoming some of the most valuable and beautiful cars in the world including Jaguar E-Types, Aston Martin DB4GTs and Ferrari 250SWBs.

Whitsun Trophy
The fastest race of the weekend, the Whitsun Trophy has been part of the Revival since 2001. The Whitsun Trophy spotlights sports-racing prototypes that raced between 1960 and 1966 including Lola T70 Spyders, McLaren M1Bs and Ford GT40s, making for some incredible racing across the weekend.

Fordwater Trophy
In 2023, the Fordwater Trophy became the very first all-sustainable fuel race to take place at Goodwood. In 2025, the Fordwater Trophy will see race-inspired production sports and GT cars from 1964-1966 race on the track, including Lotus 26Rs, Ford Mustang GT350s and Alfa Romeo TZ1s.

St Mary’s Trophy
Alternating between the celebrated decade each year, the 2025 St Mary’s Trophy will welcome a collection of 1950s production-based saloon cars. A two-part race across the weekend, it will feature Austin A40s, Alfa Romeo Giulietta Tis and Jaguar Mk1s and a VIP line-up of drivers on the Saturday.

Chichester Cup
The Chichester Cup brings together a grid of small but nimble front-engined Formula Juniors like Lola Mk2s, Alexis Mk2s and Elva-BMC-100s. The 25-minute time trial brings together the cars once driven by the future F1 stars of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.

Richmond & Gordon Trophies
Celebrating a golden era of Formula 1, the Richmond & Gordon Trophies welcome a fleet of 2.5-litre Grand Prix cars from 1952-1960. What happens in this one is you get massively competitive racing between front and rear-engined cars including Lotus 16s, Maserati 250Fs and Cooper T5s.

Royal Automobile Club TT Celebration
The Revival meeting’s blue riband race features closed-cockpit GT and selected prototype cars and is a clear nod to the history and heritage of the Motor Circuit when the RAC TT was held there from 1960 to 1964. The fastest and most iconic grand touring cars from Goodwood’s golden era go head-to-head in the 60-minute two-driver race.

Glover Trophy
Retaining its name from the early race meetings at Goodwood, the Glover Trophy brings together Grand Prix cars from 1961-1965 – as an insight into the history of Formula 1 racing at the Motor Circuit – raced at Goodwood by the likes of Sir Jackie Stewart, Jim Clark and Graham Hill. Named in honour of the trophy, which was awarded at Goodwood’s Easter Meetings, the race will feature cars such as Lotus 25s, BRM P261s and Lotus 18s.

Ford Escort MK1 Returns On 12th December 2024

Boreham Motorworks has announced the launch date of its all-new Ford Escort Mk1, a modern reimagining of the iconic and extremely well-loved model. On Thursday 12th December 2024, at 9am, the car will finally be revealed for the first time.

The new model will pay tribute to the Escort’s RS lineage and has been designed to combine classic charm with modern performance.

One For The Purists

Boreham Motorworks is determined to keep the spirit of the original Escort so the new MK1 will be powered exclusively by petrol engines paired with a manual gearbox. There will be no hybrid or electric options.

The company said: “Our heritage guides us, and our future insists upon it. We won’t cancel our heritage; we will evolve it.”

The new Escort MK1 has been given the powerful title of the “One True Descendant,” and will no doubt get lots of attention in just over a week’s time.

Collecting Cars – Land Rover Collection

In one of the final auctions of 2024, Collecting Cars is offering a special Land Rover Collection. The online sale will run from December 1st to December 8th and will include some of the most sought-after Land Rovers in the world.

Land Rovers In The Auction

Perhaps the main event of the sale is a 2011 Land Rover Defender SVX ‘Spectre’, seen in the James Bond films Skyfall and Spectre. If that didn’t make this Defender special enough, Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations have turned it into a “Bigfoot” off-roader with 37-inch tyres. It also comes with original documentation, including a signed Spectre plaque.

Continuing the Bond theme, a 2021 Land Rover Defender 90 V8 Bond Edition is also going up for sale. One of only 300 made, it has a 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine and is definitely an attention-grabber.

A 2014 Defender 90 Works V8 70th Edition, a modern take on the classic Defender, was built to celebrate the brand’s 70th anniversary. Another nod to Land Rover’s heritage is a 2015 Defender 110 Heritage Edition. It only has 695 miles on the clock so is pretty much brand new! A bespoke 2016 Defender 110 XS, featuring over £60,000 of custom upgrades is also likely to do very well.

If classics are more your thing, a restored 1980 Land Rover Series III 88” will also be available, as will a 1983 Land Rover 101 Forward Control, a military-inspired model with its Buyer’s Premium being donated to Help for Heroes.

Collecting Cars

Collecting Cars has something of a relationship with the Land Rover brand as, back in 2019, when the business first launched, the first car it sold was a Range Rover Classic. This adds some significance to the upcoming Land Rover Collection.

SEAT Leon – 25 Years

The SEAT Leon is 25 years old this year. Since its release in 1999, the Leon has been extremely popular in the compact car sector. Over the years, SEAT has sold more than 2.5 million units of the Leon worldwide making it one of the most successful SEAT cars to be made.

Four Generations of the SEAT Leon

• First Generation (1999): Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, the original SEAT Leon reintroduced the brand to the compact segment with features such as four-wheel drive and a six-speed gearbox, offering up to 180 horsepower.
• Second Generation (2005): Under the guidance of Walter de Silva, the second iteration adopted a bold, aerodynamic design and featured unique recessed rear door handles for a sporty, two-door appearance. This generation also prioritised efficiency and performance.
• Third Generation: The third generation brought advanced infotainment systems, driver assistance technology, and full LED lighting to the compact car segment. It became the best-selling generation, with over one million units sold.
• Fourth Generation (2020): Introducing advanced connectivity and multiple powertrain options, the latest Leon continues to set benchmarks. Its e-HYBRID variant was SEAT’s first plug-in hybrid.

SEAT Leon Accomplishments

The Leon has earned titles such as the “Car of the Year” in Spain and Portugal and “Import Car of the Year” in Argentina. On the racetrack, it made history with back-to-back World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) titles in 2008 and 2009, becoming the first diesel-powered car to win an FIA world title.

It has also made appearances in films like Men in Black: International and the tv series Dark and Sherlock

Happy 25th birthday to the SEAT Leon!

British Car Production Drops Again

British car production saw a drop of 15.3% in October, with 77,484 vehicles manufactured, marking the eighth consecutive month of decline. This downturn was largely attributed to ongoing factory retooling for next-generation zero-emission vehicles, as reported by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Both domestic and export markets experienced setbacks, with output falling 4.7% and 17.6%, respectively.

The production of electrified vehicles – including battery electric, plug-in hybrid, and hybrid models -made up nearly a third of the total output at 24,719 units. However, this figure also represented a decline of 32.6% compared to the previous year. Since January, UK factories have produced 239,773 electrified vehicles, with 71.8% destined for export.

Exports to the EU, the largest market for UK cars, dropped by 34.6%, while shipments to the US almost doubled, rising by 96.2%, driven by the popularity of luxury and premium models. Despite a 5.3% year-to-date increase in production for the UK market, overall manufacturing output remains 10.8% lower than the previous year, with exports down 14.8%.

The decline continues due to weak demand for electric vehicles and rising operational costs, challenging the industry’s transition to greener technologies. Despite over £20 billion in investment announced last year to support EV production, the outlook for UK manufacturing remains less than ideal. Projections for 2024 and 2025 estimate production levels of 911,000 and 839,000 vehicles, respectively, significantly below pre-pandemic figures.

Industry leaders are calling for urgent government intervention to help aid competitiveness. Proposals include energy cost reductions, supportive market regulations, and trade agreements promoting free and fair commerce. Without these measures, UK car production risks falling below 750,000 units by 2030, threatening jobs and economic stability.