Former racing driver and business titan Bernie Ecclestone has opened up on why he is selling his huge collection of classic performance cars from iconic motorsport events.

Often reffered to as the 'F1 Supremo', the motorsport legend collected 69 vehicles that showcase seven decades of Grand Prix and Formula One history, which will be sold by the premium used car dealer Tom Hartley Jnr.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Mr Ecclestone suggested that he wanted to sell his impressive collection whilst he is still alive to prevent his wife and son from being hassled by collectors.

He explained: "With a bit of luck, I might get two or three more years. And I don’t want to leave all this for Fabiana to sort. All these car dealers would be driving her mad.

"So the best thing to do is to get all the cars together and try to make sure they go to proper homes. Ace might not be interested in handling all this either. He might be more into football. Sooner or later, this had to happen."

Whilst there is little in Bernie Eccleston's collection that will please the average used car buyer looking for a spacious family runabout, it does include a wide variety of historic Grand Prix Ferraris.

One of the most notable of these is the 1949 Ferrari 375 'Thinwall Special' - a particularly aerodynamic car for the time and the first vehicle made by the famous Italian brand to feature a V12 enigne.

The particular example in Bernie's collection was also used by Alberto Ascari to beat Alfa Romeo for the first time at the 1949 Italian Grand Prix.

Another notable Ferrari set to swap hands is the very first 312 F1 to be made - a 3.0-litre V12 Formula One car that was used between 1966 and 1968.

Considered to be the most original surviving Ferrari Formula One car of the 1960s, the 312 F1's first year on the tracks allowed John Surtees to win at the 1966 Belgian Grand Prix, with Ludovico Scarfiotti winning the Italian Grand Prix in it a few months later.

Other Ferraris in the Bernie Ecclestone collection include winning cars that were used by other racing legends, including Michael Schumacher, Mike Hawthorn, and Niki Lauda.

Tom Hartley Jnr, who is selling Mr Ecclestone's vehicles, highlighted that such an impressive collection of vehicles has never been offered before.

He said: "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."