Heritage Motor Centre reveals bold new future

By Greg MacLeman

| 16 Nov 2015

It's all change at the Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon with a new building showcasing the centre's reserve collection, and a change of name for 2016. Ian Seabrook reports.

The Heritage Motor Centre will close its doors on 30 November for a major overhaul. When the centre reopens in February 2016, it will be renamed the British Motor Museum, with visitors able to see almost every car in the collection either in the reworked museum itself, or the new Collections Centre that is nearing completion.

The new Collections Centre will show off the British Motor Museum's entire reserve fleet, and 70 vehicles from the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust

The two-storey building will house both the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust's vehicles – around 70 of them – as well as the reserve collection of the British Motor Museum. With a capacity of around 240 vehicles, there will certainly be plenty to see.

NUB 120 is one of the stars of the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust's collection and was driven by Ian Appleyard on several rallies in the early 1950s

Rarities now on display include the fabulous David Bach-designed Rover P6 Coupé, Gladys, which has not been on display in the museum for many years. There are also various Safety Research Vehicle projects from the 1970s, testing mules and development vehicles that never saw the light of day, such as the Triumph Broadside TR7 replacement, Vanden Plas Princess 'Wedge' and the Metro saloon.

The reserve fleet includes a very large number of Land Rovers, including many 'first of the line' examples, and this Tickford Station Wagon

As well as static displays, the new building houses a workshop where visitors will be able to watch classics being fettled and rebuilt. Hopefully this will include the Rover P8 prototype, which requires a ground-up restoration after coming to the museum in a very poor state. The P8 was the first attempt to replace the P6 and is rather more complex than the eventual SD1.

Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust collection includes several impressive race cars, such as this fearsome Group 44 E-Type raced by Bob Tullius in America, and the Tom Walkinshaw Racing XJ-S

Stephen Laing, curator at the Heritage Motor Centre, told C&SC: “The Collections Centre is a £4m project that has been four years in the planning and one year in the building. It finally allows us to show the entire reserve fleet, apart from vehicles on loan to other museums.”

Guided tours will allow visitors to browse the reserve exhibits in the new Collections Centre

On top of that, a £1.1m project will see a major overhaul of the main museum building as well as the rebranding operation. Julie Tew, Managing Director at the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust said: "The Museum refurbishment and the new Collections Centre will enrich our visitors’ experience and showcase our collections to their full potential. Not only will our prized collection of 300 historic British cars be far more accessible, but our Museum will give people the chance to learn more about the past, present and future of the British motor industry, its technology and its people.”

Triumph Broadside prototype from 1979 was a planned TR7 replacement using the O-Series engine from the Ital/Ambassador or Rover V8

The British Motor Museum will open on 13 February 2016. Click here for more information

Greg MacLeman

Greg MacLeman is a contributor to and former Features Editor of Classic & Sports Car, and drives a restored and uprated 1974 Triumph 2500TC

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