British Motor Museum boss tells CCW what’s in store – and how many more classics that you’ll be able to see
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
The boss of the British Motor Museum has said he wants a multi-million pound expansion of the site to inspire the next generation of motoring geniuses.
The Warwickshire-based attraction is working on ten projects to overhaul its classic displays and strengthen how it showcases the past, present and future of the nation’s car industry, including a second collections centre to extend the existing one that opened in 2016, and a new display area, dubbed The Wrap, that will envelop the existing building with a new glass-fronted display venue for British classics. Managing director Jeff Coope told CCW: ‘I want the museum to look to the future and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers who are going to learn about future technology in the context of past technology and geniuses who have gone before.
‘Britain’s car industry never retained its heritage in the way other countries did so we haven’t got a legacy of brand museums in the way the Porsche Museum and Mercedes-Benz Museum do in Germany. So, we try and represent the whole of Britain’s motor industry, which is pretty unique, and we’re working towards it covering more and more marques. We’ve now got the message out there to manufacturers that if you want to preserve your heritage, this is the place to do it. We did that with Vauxhall’s heritage collection, and they’ve now got a lot of people looking at their history and are seeing it in an amazing light.’
The first projects underway at the museum in Gaydon, Warwickshire are a new learning hub, more accessible toilets and a relocation of the existing cafe to the welcome area to encourage more enthusiasts to visit the site, plus a new attraction – Lord Austin’s office, which will be situated next to Lord Nuffield’s office and is due to open in March.
However, the museum is also working on major new projects to broaden its appeal and to support it inspiring future generations. These include a new 142-room hotel, operated by Marriot, planned to open next year. And there’ll be an electrification hub with 22-kilowatt rapid charging stations, aimed at attracting EV owners using the nearby M40 to visit the site while charging up. Both the hotel and electrification hub will be operated by third parties, helping the museum to bring in revenue to support future development.
The classic displays will also be expanded with a second stage to the Collections Centre, which will connect to the existing two-floor building and create an additional 4200 square metres of exhibition space, and accommodate a further 200 classics. Collection Centre 2 will also include a new workshop, which will be used to provide opportunities for apprentices to learn how to work on classics.
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