Bernie Ecclestone sells all his racing cars worth millions - because of his wife

Gstaad (Switzerland) - After more than 50 years of collecting, Formula 1 legend Bernie Ecclestone (94) has come to an end! The Englishman has decided to sell every single one of his 69 collector's cars.

To save his wife Dabiana Flosi (left, 47) the work, Bernie Ecclestone (right, 94) is already selling his racing car collection.
To save his wife Dabiana Flosi (left, 47) the work, Bernie Ecclestone (right, 94) is already selling his racing car collection.  © Beata Zawrzel/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

As reported bythe Daily Mail, the 94-year-old wants to take the burden of selling his collection off the shoulders of his wife Fabiana Flosi (47), as she would inherit the racing cars after his death and would therefore also have to manage and maintain them.

"I'm 94 and with any luck I'll have a few more years in this world - who knows? But I don't want to leave Fabi clueless with this collection when I'm gone," said Ecclestone in an interview.

However, the racing cars from his collection will not be sold at auction, but will be given to private buyers.

The sale will be handled by "Tom Hartley Jnr Ltd", one of the world's leading dealers in historic racing cars.

Formula 1 cars of Schumacher and Lauda are part of the collection

A dream for all motorsport fans: the legendary Ferrari of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher (55).
A dream for all motorsport fans: the legendary Ferrari of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher (55).  © Daniel Dal Zennaro/epa/ansa/dpa

Ecclestone described his garage with the words: "I have been collecting these cars for over 50 years and I have always bought only the best. Other collectors are into sports cars, but my real passion has always been racing cars."

Particular highlights of the collection include two cars driven by German Formula 1 drivers Michael Schumacher (55) in 2002 and Niki Lauda (†70). Both cars are, of course, in the Scuderia's traditional Ferrari red.

Another gem is Mike Hawthron's (†29) car from 1958, in which he became the first Briton in history to win the Formula 1 World Championship.

Of course, he also drove for Ferrari back then.