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THIS is Bernie Ecclestone’s huge, multi-million pound car collection, including some iconic F1 motors.
The former racing boss, 92, is renowned for his love of classic cars and has built up a stunning collection over the years.
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Bernie, who was fined £652 million in October as the result of a fraud case, is believed to have over 100 motors in his stable – here are some of the highlights, as compiled by Autoweek.
Brabham ‘fan car’
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Produced by the team that Bernie himself owned between 1971 and 1987, the Brabham BT456B is one of the most controversial F1 cars ever.
It featured a device similar to a high-powered vacuum cleaner that used a large fan to increase downforce, taking advantage of a loophole in the sport’s rules.
Brabham argued that the fan was there to cool the engine, but race bosses banned it after it carried Niki Lauda to victory in the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix as rival teams claimed the fan spat out stones from the road surface onto the drivers behind.
READ MORE ON CAR COLLECTIONS
A brace from Benz
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Bernie is one of the lucky few in possession of a pair of Mercedes racers, in the form of the W125 and Auto Union C.
Both from 1937, the priceless models are one of the crown jewels of his collection.
The W125, amazingly, remained the most powerful F1 car ever made until the introduction of turbochargers in the ’80s and is still undefeated in terms of straight-line speed.
The Auto Union meanwhile was last seen at the 1937 Tripoli Grand Prix after being designed by Ferdinand Porsche.
Ferrari 312
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Little-known fact: the gorgeous, red and white Ferrari is actually a film star in its own right.
The model made its silver-screen bow in 1966 drama Grand Prix, when it was driven by world-weary Frenchman Jean-Pierre Sarti, played by Yves Montand.
And it fared just as well on the real-life racetrack, carrying Ludovico Scarifiotti and Mike Parkes to a Ferrari one-two at that year’s Italian Grand Prix.
Connaught B-Type
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Continuing Bernie’s love for victorious cars from F1 history, the B-type has a rich racing pedigree.
Made in Kent, it was one-half of the first all-British car/driver combo to win a Grand Prix in over 30 years when it took the chequered flag at Syracuse in 1955 with Tony Brooks at the wheel.
However, it’s easy to understand why Connaught holds a special place in Bernie’s heart, as he himself entered qualifying for the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix in a motor from the brand.
1956 Vanwall
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The Vanwall is another car that is special to Bernie as it is the sister car to the one driven by his close friend Stewart Lewis-Evans.
Tragically Lewis-Evans suffered fatal burns in a crash at the 1958 Monaco race that Bernie himself had attempted to enter.
However, the Vanwall’s legacy is also one of success, with British racing legend Sir Stirling Moss winning two races in it that same year.
McLaren MP4
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As an avid F1 collector, how could Bernie go without a car closely associated with a man widely regarded as the greatest of all time in the sport?
In 2018 he paid a whopping £3.5 million to claim the McLaren that drove Ayrton Senna to victory in the 1993 Monaco Grand Prix.
Senna is universally beloved by F1 fans and sits alongside legends like Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel in the estimation of many.
Other rare cars in Bernie’s collection
1. 1948 Maserati 4CLT – 25 Grand Prix wins
2. 1949 Talbot Lago T26C – 15 Grand Prix wins
3. 1954 Lancia D50 – 13 Grand Prix starts
4. 1951 Ferrari 375 – 3 Grand Prix wins
5. 1976 McLaren M23 – 16 Grand Prix wins
6. 1980 Brabham-Ford BT49 – 7 Grand prix wins
7. 1954 Maserati 250F – 8 Grand Prix wins
8. 1983 Brabham-BMW BT52 – 4 Grand Prix wins, driven by Nelson Piquet
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