Category: British Motor Museum

1. British Motor Museum launches new ‘Adopt a Car’ scheme!

   Posted on 12:00pm Friday 8th Dec 2023

   The British Motor Museum has launched a brand-new scheme which allows members of the public to ‘adopt’ one of the cars in their collections. From the Albion A1 8hp dog cart to the Wolseley 2200 (last of line), cars that form part of the Museum’s permanent collections will be available to adopt. 

   Anyone interested in adopting a car just needs to look at the Museum’s Online Collections and choose the ‘adoptable’ filter. Adoptions cost between £25 & £100 and adopters get a digital adoption certificate and their name added to the car’s listing in the Online Collections.

   Cat Boxall, Curator at the British Motor Museum, said, “By sponsoring one of the iconic vehicles in the collection, people can play a vital role in preserving this important collection for the next generation to discover and enjoy. These adoptions make the perfect gift for anyone who worked in the British motor industry or has always loved a particular British classic”.

   This new scheme helps to support the overall work of the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust. It could help with the restoration costs of recent additions to the collection, support the preservation of historic documents in the Archive, or fund outreach community work. Most importantly, it will help the British Motor Museum to continue to tell the story of the Britain’s motor industry, the people's industry, now and in the future.

   For more information, please visit the website at https://www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/support-us/adopt-a-car

   To explore the Online Collections please visit https://www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/online-collections

2. The British Motor Museum has Christmas all wrapped up!

   Posted on 12:00pm Tuesday 5th Dec 2023

   The British Motor Museum has Christmas wrapped up with a host of festive lunches in the roof-top Sky Suite, a selection box of family-friendly Christmas activities, and a wide choice of Christmas gift ideas.

   Christmas lunches are available from 12pm – 2pm on 8, 11, 12, 13 and 14 December. Visitors can enjoy a seasonal two-course or three-course lunch with all the trimmings, glass of wine or soft drink and crackers for £29.95 for 2 courses or £34.95 for 3 courses. (Member discounts apply). Entry to the Museum is included for all diners on that day, and lunches must be pre-booked.

   Christmas activities take place from 8-23 and 28-30 December when the Museum is open from 10am – 5pm each day. Children can take part in the Great Elf Hunt to search for the elves hiding amongst the cars! Younger visitors can also enjoy Christmas Crafts, including making a motoring-themed Christmas Tree decoration, designing a personalised Christmas card/thank you card and colouring in festive-themed sheets. There’s also the opportunity to make a Princess Mary box. In 1941, during WW1, Princess Mary wanted to ensure all soldiers on the front line would have a gift for Christmas and these boxes were filled with treats including chocolate, a card and pictures of the Royal Family. All activities are suitable for 5 plus years and included within the Museum entry fee.

   ‘New Year Family Fun with LEGO’ runs from the 2 – 8 January. Children can tackle the ultimate LEGO car-building challenge, and search for car parts in the family trail - the perfect way to get 2024 off to a flying start! Activities are suitable for children aged 4 plus. 

   Looking for inspiration for that perfect Christmas gift? Home to over 400 iconic classic and vintage cars, the Museum offers a great day out for petrolheads, culture seekers and lovers of all things British, so why not give a Gift Voucher, which is available to purchase online, and every purchase supports the charity. Museum Membership gives Members free entry to the Museum, including all special weekend show days. Members are also offered exclusive opportunities to preview great new exhibitions, take a private tour and attend Members only events. Membership is available from just £42 per year.

   Heritage Certificates are an ideal gift for anyone who owns a cherished classic car and are available for just £48 plus P&P. The Certificate is an official ‘Certified Copy of a Factory Record’ showing the car’s specification as it left the production line. Details are taken from the original production records created by many of the leading British motor manufacturers. Deadline for UK orders is 15 December.

   Other fantastic items available from the online shop include a Replica Tax Disc priced at £26, Mini and Land Rover 32GB USB sticks priced at £14 and £16, respectively, a reversible Land Rover Scarf priced at £14, an archive image tea towel at £7.99, a fine bone China mug at £9, and a bespoke 1000 piece British Cars of the 60’s Jigsaw priced at £18.70.

   Brand new for this Christmas is the chance to gift your child an unforgettable creative experience at the “Let’s Animate Saturday Club”! Run by professional animator Gemma Foy, this 5 week animation club offers budding animators a place to develop and sharpen their skills, inspired by the Museum’s stunning collection of cars. Tickets are now on sale for the 5 weekly sessions, from 24 February to 23 March 2024, at £100 per child. There are only 16 places available, so act quickly to avoid disappointment!

   To find out more about the festive lunches visit https://www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/whats-on/festive-lunches

   For more information about Christmas activities visit https://www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/whats-on/driving-home-for-christmas

   To see the full range of gift ideas, please visit https://shop.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/

   All shop purchases and visits help support the Museum as a registered educational charity No 286575.

3. British Motor Museum to host an exclusive evening with McLaren!

   Posted on 12:00pm Wednesday 15th Nov 2023

   The British Motor Museum is to host an exciting evening event on Monday 4 December, ‘An Evening With McLaren’. Visitors can join two of McLaren’s Chief Engineers, Geoff Grose and Sandy Holford, to gain an insight into the evolution of the McLaren supercar through the years and get up close to three of their iconic cars – the Artura, the 750S and the 12C. The evening will be hosted by Steve Cropley, Editor in Chief from Autocar and Trustee of the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust, within a relaxed environment with the chance for audience participation and questions.

   From 6pm, visitors will be served hot drinks in the Welcome Gallery and at 7pm, they can enjoy a delicious buffet-style supper before joining the conversation in the Lecture Suite.

   Cat Boxall, Curator at the British Motor Museum, said, “With 2023 being McLaren’s 60^th Anniversary year, there is no better time to discover how this iconic British marque’s relentless competitive drive has revolutionised the supercar world”.

   Tickets are on sale to the public through the Museum website and cost £27 per head with a discounted price of £22 available to Premium Members.  All proceeds of the event go towards the vital work of the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust.

   To find out more information about the event, please call 01926 895300 or visit the website at https://www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/whats-on/an-evening-with-mclaren

4. The fastest car on earth visits the British Motor Museum!

   Posted on 12:00pm Monday 13th Nov 2023

   The fastest car on earth, the ‘Bloodhound Land Speed Record’ car, visited the British Motor Museum on Wednesday, 8 November, as part of a national roadshow to find a new driver. The roadshow, which is taking place at various locations from 8 – 14 November, is offering this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attract passionate and skilled individuals who are ready to push the boundaries of speed and aspire to become part of history.

   The Bloodhound LSR Project is an iconic British programme which aims not only to break the FIA Outright World Land Speed Record, reaching speeds beyond 800mph, but also to showcase world-class science and engineering. It aims to be the first Net Zero Land Speed Record car of the modern era. The project has proved itself to be one of the most inspiring STEM projects of the last decade. A separate education charity promotes STEM in schools and has reached up to 2 million school-age children.

   The roadshow started at the British Motor Museum in Gaydon, allowing the press and members of the public to see Bloodhound LSR and meet the team. The roadshow will be  travelling south to London and then onto Surrey and Hampshire.

   Stuart Edmondson, Bloodhound CEO, said, “As we enter a new chapter of the Bloodhound LSR Project, I am excited about the opportunity and challenges that lie ahead and confident that this will enable us to return to South Africa and set a new record. With a new driver, along with my aim of not using fossil fuels to set a new FIA Outright World Land Speed Record, the project promises to be exciting, engaging, and relevant at so many levels”.

   Stephen Laing, Head of Collections & Engagement at the British Motor Museum, said: “We are delighted that the Bloodhound LSR Project chose the British Motor Museum as the first venue for its roadshow. The collection already holds a range of land speed record cars from MG, dating from 1938 to 1998, a connection with the pursuit of speed and advancing technology. As a British-designed and built car, it’s even more fitting for the Museum to host this groundbreaking car that aims to surpass 800mph”.

    

   For more information about the Bloodhound LSR, please visit https://www.bloodhoundlsr.com/

   To find out more about the British Motor Museum, please visit www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk

5. British Motor Museum Late events return by popular demand!

   Posted on 12:00pm Thursday 2nd Nov 2023

   Back by popular demand is the first of the season’s British Motor Museum Late events for Autumn 2023. The Museum will host an exclusive opportunity for visitors to look around the Collections Centre at a special evening on Tuesday 14 November from 5:30pm. 

   Visitors will have 3 hours to explore the 4,500m2 building which holds over 200 cars from the British Motor Museum and Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust’s collections. The building houses some of the oldest British cars,  sports cars and one-off prototypes, some of which won’t be found anywhere else in the world.    

   A selection of these stunning vehicles will have bonnets, boots and doors opened so visitors can see more of the cars than they would during normal opening hours. The doors to the Workshop will also be open allowing visitors to see a side of the Museum not normally accessible to the public. Visitors can also meet the Curator of the British Motor Museum and the Vehicle Collection Manager of the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust who will be hosting “What’s in the Workshop” talks outlining the cars currently being repaired or restored. Staff and volunteers will also be on hand to share their invaluable knowledge on the range of cars.

   Dinner is included on the Museum Gallery on arrival with a choice of Beef & Ale Pie or Sweet Potato, Chestnut Mushroom and Spinach Wellington followed by Treacle Sponge Pudding or Apple Crumble.

   Jeff Coope, Managing Director at the British Motor Museum said “We’re delighted to be hosting our first Late evening this Autumn to give visitors a rare opportunity to see the Collections Centre and a ‘behind the scenes’ insight into how we store and preserve our stunning collection of vehicles.”

   Tickets cost £18 each or £13 for Members. Premium Members can attend the event for just £7. As this event is outside normal Museum opening hours Annual Passes are not valid. Limited places are available so early booking is advised. To find out more information please visit the website at  https://www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/whats-on/museum-late-collections-centre or call 01926 895300.