Category: British Motor Museum

1. World's Fastest Diesel vehicle joins Motoring Record Breakers exhibition!

   Posted on 12:01am Monday 5th Mar 2012

   The fastest Diesel vehicle in the world, JCB Diesel Max, can now be seen as part of the “Motoring Record Breakers” exhibition at the Heritage Motor Centre.

   The exciting new exhibition, which runs until the 2 September, presents the best of motoring record breakers including some of the fastest British cars, together with more wacky record breakers such as the cheapest and the smallest.

   JCB Diesel Max is a 'streamliner' car designed for the purpose of breaking the land speed record for a diesel-engined vehicle.  It holds the world record, having been driven to over 350 miles per hour (560 km/h) by Wing Commander Andy Green in 2006.

   Other exciting cars on display include the Sunbeam 1000hp (the first car ever to set a land speed record of over 200mph), the steam car 'Inspiration' (which holds the land speed record for a steam car), the 2009 Jaguar XF-R Bonneville (the fastest Jaguar at 225mph), a 1964 Peel P50 (the world’s smallest production car), a 2011 Tata Nano (the world’s cheapest car), a 1922 Ford Model T (for many years the world’s best-selling car) and MG record cars EX135, EX179 and EX181 (EX181 is the fastest MG ever).

   Tim Bryan, Head of Collections at the Heritage Motor Centre stated “We’re delighted that the JCB Diesel Max has joined our exciting collection of amazing vehicles which we are thrilled to be exhibiting. This exhibition really is a must for everyone and not just car fans!”

   The HMC is continuing with its record breaking theme at Easter from 31 March – 15 April, with a family quiz and some record breaking egg-citing fun activities. There are special Craft days on Thursday 5 & 12 April where children can make and race their own egg car. Normal museum admission prices apply and children can take home what they make.

   There is no extra charge to see the Motoring Record Breakers Exhibition as it is included in the standard Museum entry fees. Museum prices are: Adults £11, Child £8 (5-16 years) under 5 free, Concessions £9 & Family £34 (2 adults & up to 3 children).  Motoring Record Breakers is just one of many exciting and unique events to take place at the Heritage Motor Centre in 2012.

   www.heritage-motor-centre.co.uk

2. JAY KAY BRINGS 914-6 PORSCHE TO RACE RETRO FOR RALLY REUNION WITH LEGEND BJORN

   Posted on 12:01am Thursday 26th Jan 2012

   Jamiroquai front man and self-confessed petrolhead Jay Kay is bringing his Porsche 914-6 to this year’s Race Retro for a reunion with one of its original drivers, rally legend Bjorn Waldegard.

   Bjorn will be seeing if the car stands the test of time on the high octane Live Rally Stage on Saturday 25th and Sunday 25th February, before Jay Kay himself gets behind the wheel.

   Bjorn drove the 914-6 in the Monte Carlo Rally, an event in which the Porsche was expected to excel. Three works-prepared cars were entered, driven by Bjorn, Ake Andersson and Gerard Larrousse, all highly skilled drivers who knew the Monte course like the backs of their hands. But the weather was to deal the Porsche team a cruel blow.

   The 1971 Monte Carlo Rally was the snowiest on record. Andersson and Larrousse were forced to retire with gearbox problems, but Bjorn soldiered on to finish a worthy third overall. Sadly this marked the end of Porsche's support for the 914-6 in competitiondespite the fact that a 914-6 GT had won its class at Le Mans in 1970.

   The 914-6 is just one of the amazing vehicles in singer Jay Kay’s collection of over 37 rare classics and luxurious supercars. Jay is a keen competitor when it comes to cars, having topped the leaderboard on Top Gear’s Star in a Reasonably Priced Car challenge so he’s bound to push the car to the limits on the specially designed course at Stoneleigh Park.

   Adult tickets for Race Retro, sponsored by Peter James Insurance, start at £20 in advance with children’s tickets at £5 for Friday and Saturday and free on Sunday. Car parking is free and has been moved to a hard surface area nearer to the halls. The show is open from 9.30am each day and closes at 5.30pm on Friday and Saturday and 4.30pm on Sunday. To book tickets and for the latest updates, visit www.raceretro.com

3. Historic Rally Car Register celebrates two exciting anniversaries in 2012!

   Posted on 12:01am Friday 13th Jan 2012

   The Historic Rally Car Register is celebrating two exciting anniversaries when it runs its much loved Open Day at the Heritage Motor Centre on Saturday 14th January 2012. 

   The Open Day is one of the most exciting gatherings for all those interested in historic rallying, one of the fastest growing motorsports in the UK. The 2012 event will welcome the 1978 RAC Rally winning Escort of Hannu Mikkola and Arne Hertz as the star of the show. 

   2012 marks 80 years since the first RAC Rally held in 1932 as a reliability trial with all types of tests including a slow driving test. In 1960 the Rally moved onto the private forest roads and grew into one of the World’s best rallies and the biggest spectator event in Britain. Hundreds of thousands of fans stood in the forests to watch rallying household names of the 70's/80's including Roger Clark, Hannu Mikkola, Tony Pond, Colin McRae and Richard Burns battle for the World Rally crown.

   The second of the anniversaries marks 30 years since the event that launched Historic Rallying in this country. The Lombard Golden Fifty took place in 1982 to celebrate 50 years of the RAC Rally and launched a whole new area of motorsport.

   Visitors will be able to see a number of cars on display outdoors on the Western Arena plus have the opportunity of meeting organisers, club shop & specialist suppliers and organising clubs. Stands in the Main HRCR Hall will highlight many of today's historic rallies.

   John Bishop, Car Clubs & Groups Co-ordinator at the Heritage Motor Centre stated “We’re delighted to be hosting the HRCR Open Day which looks set to be another exciting and nostalgic event for rally enthusiasts. If you are interested in historic rallying then Gaydon is the place to be on Saturday 14 January!”

   Entry to the HRCR Open Day is free of charge and attendees can visit the Museum on the day for the discounted rate of £6 per person.  The Open Day is open from 09:30 - 16:00 with the Museum open from 10:00 - 17:00. To find out more information please visit the website at www.heritage-motor-centre.co.uk  or the HRCR website at www.hrcr.co.uk

4. BMIHT wins support from Heritage Lottery Fund for £2.5 million project

   Posted on 12:01am Monday 31st Oct 2011

   The British Motor Industry Heritage Trust, based at the Heritage Motor Centre at Gaydon in Warwickshire has received initial support from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for the Multi-Story: Museum’s Collections Centre project. The £2.5 million project aims to create a new building to store and display the Trust's reserve collection of historic British cars.

   Following the award of a first round pass* by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), development funding of £51,100 has been awarded to help the Trust progress their plans to apply for a full grant in 2012. If second round funding is awarded and match funding is also obtained, building work on the new project could begin in 2013.

   The Trust has a collection of almost 300 cars, telling the story of the motor industry in Britain from the 1890's to the present and although more than 160 of these vehicles can be seen on display at the Heritage Motor Centre, the rest of the collection remains hidden in store. This project will enable people to see the whole collection for the first time in a purpose-built facility that will also include a vehicle restoration and conservation workshop. In addition the Trust will launch a new volunteer programme allowing people to get more involved with the collection by helping with its conservation and interpretation and will also run a series of events and other activities as part of the project.

   Tim Bryan, Head of Collections & Interpretation at the Heritage Motor Centre said: "We are delighted that the Heritage Lottery Fund has pledged their support for our project which will help us make our collection far more accessible than before and enable people to learn more about the motor industry which has played such an important role in the West Midlands".

   Anne Jenkins, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund for the West Midlands said: “We’re extremely pleased to give initial support to the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust for their project to develop a new and improved display venue for this wonderful collection of historic cars. We look forward to receiving their application for a full grant in the future."

5. HMC wins prestigious national award!

   Posted on 1:01pm Monday 24th Oct 2011

   The Heritage Motor Centre, in conjunction with local design agency Box Clever Marketing, has won a prestigious national award for its conference marketing at the Meetings Industry Marketing Awards.

   The awards, which celebrate the industry’s best marketing initiatives of the year, were announced at the Park Plaza Riverbank London on Monday 17 October. The Centre was amongst the final four for Best Brochure – Venues/Destinations and beat off strong competition from the Hong Kong Tourism Board, Jersey Conference Bureau and Victory Services Club in London.

   The HMC and Box Clever Marketing successfully developed an integrated campaign with the tagline ‘an ideal blank canvas for conferences, meetings and events’. The campaign focused on the HMC’s unique selling points and was so successful it expanded into the reception area to improve communication, increase bookings and occupancy and maintain the conference rate during  the economic downturn. The campaign’s success was reflected by occupancy rising by 7%, confirmed bookings from new customers increasing by 25% and the e-version of the brochure receiving 100's of views per month.  8% of confirmed bookings so far this year have come via online sources compared to 5% for the entire 2010.

   Julie Tew, Managing Director at the Heritage Motor Centre stated “We are thrilled and honoured to have won the gold award at the MIMA 2011. Winning this award is testament to the quality of work and creative talent that has gone into creating our conference marketing”.

   The HMC is a dedicated conference and exhibition centre conveniently located off junction 12 of the M40 in Warwickshire. The Centre offers over 20 stylish meeting rooms for 6 - 600 delegates with internal and external exhibition space and outdoor event space licensed for 5000 people. Set in 65 acres, the Centre also boasts a meadow for team building, two 4x4 off-road tracks, 2000 free car parking spaces, and external hard standing (9700sqm), ideal for marquees and outdoor events.

   www.heritage-motor-centre.co.uk