Richard Mille’s Race Car Collection: Holy Horsepower

Iconic watchmaker Richard Mille’s extensive race car collection pays homage to motor racing’s “Golden Era”

This article was written by Bill Springer. Photography courtesy of Richard Mille.

After spending some time with renowned watchmaker Richard Mille driving in an official car during a stage of the Tour de France, I learned firsthand that the trim, smiling, bespectacled Frenchman in his sixties doesn’t just make wildly expensive, highly sought-after watches—he’s a star who loves to have fun.

But after speaking with Mille recently about his passion for collecting Formula One cars from motor racing’s “Golden Era”, I learned what really drives him and how his love of race cars inspired him to create one of the most innovative and exclusive watch brands of all time. In fact, he owns one of the largest classic race car collections in the world.

Mille started collecting F1 cars after he saw his first Grand Prix in Monaco in 1967. Since then, his collection has grown to over 160 cars that he proudly points out are “always kept in running condition.” In fact, he still drives cars in his collection today at numerous classic race car events he sponsors.

“My love of race cars might have started even before my birth, if that’s possible,” says the legendary watchmaker. “I’ve always loved everything about race cars. The precision and technique of the engineering as well as the shape of the body. Race cars were my inspiration for the watches because they are very similar. Both are designed by hand for extreme high performance.”

Richard Mille

“I have many friends who prefer to collect other types of cars. But I’m dedicated to Formula One. I have a good collection of the Porsches, and I have also a few Ferrari prototypes. I have also a V12 Maserati 250F. Fantastic car, beautiful car. But the biggest part of the collection is the Formula One cars that raced from 1965 to 1980.”

“Why is collecting cars from that era so special?” I ask. “Is it the growl of the engines? Or is it more of a ‘feeling’ you get knowing you own so many historic race cars?”

“Ahh…Bill,” he says with a smile, in his wonderfully accented English. “Race cars from that era were pure. The designers were always taking big risks. They didn’t have computers to finalize the aerodynamic data. So, every new car they designed was risky. And at the same time, they wanted the cars to have the personality of the brand.

“… I really love that many of the cars in my collection were driven by the greats.”

Richard Mille

“For example, Lotuses really looked like Lotuses. Like the Lotus 72–its shape was totally original. Same with the Ferrari 312T4, for example. That was a World Champion driven by Jody Scheckter. The shape is totally original. I don’t say it is beautiful, but it’s totally original. If you take the 1961 Ferrari Sharknose, it was called the Sharknose because it looked like a shark! Every car was one of a kind. Every car was a piece of art.

“And I really love that many of the cars in my collection were driven by the greats. I have cars that were driven by Ayrton Senna, Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart, Bruce McLaren, and others.

“For example, I have Bruce McLaren’s very first car—the car he raced in the 1966 Monaco Grand Prix. And I also have his N14. That was the last car he raced at Monaco the week before he was killed in Goodwood.

“I love the mechanical details as well. the precision. the engineering.”

Richard Mille

“This is why I love this legendary era. The divers were incredibly passionate. But they had to be incredibly courageous, too, because it was so dangerous. A driver was killed in a crash roughly every other weekend.

“I have some friends that were journalists back then. They say it was like a family. The drivers were like family because they knew they could die at any race at any time.

“I have some cars that were built in the early 1950s as well. I have the Ferrari 500 chassis number five that was driven by Alberto Askari. That might have been the most successful Ferrari chassis ever. Ascari won 16 Grand Prix and was World Champion in 1952 and 1953 with that car.

“But, in the end, Ascari died on the racetrack. So did Jim Clark. Jochen Rindt, Bruce McLaren, Ayrton Senna. They were so courageous. And that’s why I love owning the cars they drove during that era. The cars and their stories move me.

“Jackie Stewart, who was one of the few with Stirling Moss and Fangio that survived, said it best when he famously described racing in the 1970s: ‘It was a time when sex was safe and motor racing was dangerous.’

“But, of course, I love the mechanical details as well. The precision. The engineering. For example, I have a BRM H16 engine. The engine is not very big, but it fits together like a fine watch to produce incredible power. This is why I also love watchmaking. A race car’s engine is like a complex watch. It’s beautiful, powerful, precise, and built for ultimate performance.

“I love when I see my cars on the track,” he says. “I can imagine all the work engineers, developers, and mechanics dedicated to creating the ultimate performance car. And every time, they were creating something new. The cars during that era—from 1965 to 1980—were revolutionary. It was a fantastic creative period.”

“I also have quite a few trucks from that era, too!” he adds with his intoxicating brand knowledge and enthusiasm that shows just how meaningful and rewarding collecting something you truly love can be. “I have quite a few of the trucks with the team livery that brought the cars to the races from the 70s. They are beauties, honestly. I don’t just say that because they’re mine. But the trucks were very demanding in terms of shape. And they represent the era beautifully.”

It’s obvious Mille’s collection is priceless. And he never mentions how much any of the cars cost to buy or maintain. But I had to ask if he had a favorite or one special car that he was especially proud of.

“They are all my babies,” he says. “I love them all.” Of course he does!

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