9:27 am, December 10, 2024
Tom Hartley Jnr says two nation states have expressed an interest in purchasing Bernie Ecclestone’s collection of Grand Prix and Formula 1 cars.
Car Dealer reported last week that the leading supercar dealer had been selected by the former F1 supremo to sell his staggering 69-strong collection of prestige racers.
Regarded as the probably the greatest collection of Formula 1 history, Hartley says he has already been fielding calls about the line-up
Speaking to the Sunday Times, the 41-year old said: ‘We have two different individuals at the moment who have shown a serious interest in buying the collection as a whole. Two very qualified entities.’
When asked to clarify what he meant by ‘entities’ Hartley confirmed that the interested parties were ‘countries’.
‘We’ve had interest from all over the world: Hong Kong, Australia, Argentina, lots of North American interest,’ he added.
Despite the significant interest, Hartley says that Ecclestone does not want to see his collection sold to just anybody.
‘He wants the cars to go to the right home,’ said Hartley. ‘We’re here to sell the cars for him for the right value and all the cars will be sold today, or tomorrow, or they could be sold in a few years’ time. There’s no time limit.
‘Bernie doesn’t want the cars to go to any type of speculator, somebody who is buying the cars with a view of trying to flip them anytime in the near future for some type of profit.
‘Bernie is a real dealer, he gets stimulated by deals, he’s a gambler. Bernie’s probably taught me a few lessons at backgammon. Cost me a few quid over the years.
‘I should have found out the running total on backgammon and added that on top as agreed commission!’
The collection consists of Ferraris driven by the likes of Hawthorn, Lauda and Schumacher, a pair of pre-war Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union cars, a Vanwall VW10 driven by Sir Stirling Moss, and a string of Brabhams – including the one-off 1978 Brabham-Alfa Romeo BT46B ‘fan car’ – from the time when Ecclestone owned the team.
The 69 cars have been stored away from the public for decades, with many of them never having been seen since Ecclestone purchased them.
Ecclestone, 94, said he chose Hartley Jnr as he trusted his knowledge of the cars, and was guaranteed ‘transparency’ with the sales, which ‘is important’.
‘I have been collecting these cars for more than 50 years, and I have only ever bought the best of any example,’ the former F1 tycoon said.
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.’
Earlier this year Car Dealer visited Tom Hartley Jnr’s business – you can watch the full interview and walk-around tour above.
