Shortly after the conclusion of last weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix, in which four-time Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen claimed his ninth victory of the season, it was revealed that Bernie Ecclestone had selected Tom Hartley Jnr to handle the sale of his magnificent collection of 69 Formula 1 and Grand Prix cars.
Ecclestone, 94, is widely regarded as the godfather of modern Formula 1. Having first become involved with the pinnacle of single-seater motorsport in the 1950s, running the Connaught team as well as managing Vanwall driver Stuart Lewis-Evans, he headed the Formula One Constructors’ Association in the 1970s, founded the Formula One Group in the 1980s, and continued to control and develop Formula 1’s commercial rights for the next 30 years until 2017 – shortly after US media company Liberty Media purchased Formula 1 and its commercial rights. The former Formula 1 supremo’s collection of historic Formula 1 and Grand Prix cars, which he has spent more than half a century assembling, consists of a series of stunning Grand Prix-winning and World Championship-winning machines.
Ecclestone was the owner of the Brabham Formula 1 team prior to embracing fully his administrative role in Formula 1 in 1987, and his collection contains many iconic cars from that team during the period in which he ran it (1971-1987). Highlights include the famous dart-shaped 1983 Brabham BT52B in which Nelson Piquet claimed his second Formula 1 Drivers’ World Championship; the only surviving example of the beautiful 1975 Brabham BT44B, the very chassis that Carlos Pace drove to victory in the 1975 Brazilian Grand Prix on the majestic Interlagos circuit that now bears his name (Autódromo José Carlos Pace); and the iconic Brabham BT46B ‘fan car’ that won the only Formula 1 Grand Prix in which it was entered, at Anderstorp (Sweden) in 1978, in the hands of the inimitable Niki Lauda.
Ecclestone’s collection is also populated by a variety of Ferraris that span 70 years of Formula 1 and Grand Prix racing history. A stunning example of the legendary World Championship-winning F2002 – this particular chassis driven by both Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello in 2002; the 1978 Ferrari 312 T3 chassis that Carlos Reutemann drove to pole position at Monaco and in which he later won the United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen; and a 1951 Ferrari 375 F1, the chassis in which the great Alberto Ascari won the 1951 Italian Grand Prix. There are more Ferraris than we have space to mention here, but those three cars illustrate the depth and prestige of Ecclestone’s collection, which is for sale via Tom Hartley Jnr – one of the world’s most respected and exclusive high-end dealers in classic and historic sports cars and racing cars.
As specialists in motorsport and automotive comms/PR – and with knowledge of Formula 1 history being a particular strength of our managing director, Matt Bishop (check out his weekly MotorSport column and regular And Colossally That’s History podcast on the subject!) – Diagonal Comms’ role included press release generation and distribution, media outreach, and media liaison around the announcement.
Our Diagonal Comms team worked closely with Tom Hartley Jnr and his staff to create a comms/PR strategy that effectively promoted his company’s services, its outstanding global reach, and its internationally recognised reputation, underlining why Ecclestone had decided to entrust Tom Hartley Jnr with the sale of his unique collection.
Drawing on our extensive blackbook of motorsport, automotive, sport, lifestyle, and business media from across the world, we distributed a press release containing extended quotes from both Bernie Ecclestone and Tom Hartley Jnr. Our effort and expertise resulted in the announcement gaining widespread coverage across leading online, print, and broadcast media outlets, from specialist motorsport/automotive publications – such as Autosport, CAR, Motor Sport, Octane, and Top Gear – to mainstream global media outlets – such as the BBC, CNN, GQ, Reuters, The Daily Mail, The Daily Telegraph, and The Times – and international titles – such as Car and Driver, Road & Track, Autoweek, Marca, Welt, and De Telegraaf.
After distributing the press release and amplifying the story on our own social media channels, our focus shifted to proactive liaison with key journalists so as to stimulate the story’s ongoing momentum in the world’s media. Owing to the success of our initial distribution strategy and the significant interest that the sale thereby attracted, our inboxes were (and remain) full of journalists’ enquiries.
Our team continues to work at pace to ensure that the appointment of Tom Hartley Jnr for the sale of the Ecclestone Collection generates as much media coverage as possible.