Category: British Motor Museum

1. British Motor Museum hosts FREE 'Gaydon Gathering' evening event - 14th September

   Posted on 12:00pm Wednesday 8th Sep 2021

   The British Motor Museum is to host its next FREE 'Gaydon Gathering' evening on Tuesday 14th September from 5pm – 8:30pm. The event, which was re-launched in April this year, is an informal evening aimed at motoring enthusiasts and is completely free to attend. These friendly gatherings take place outdoors on the Museum's arenas on the second Tuesday every month and see hundreds of vehicles of all makes and models on display. Pre-booking is essential.   

   At 6:30pm the Museum will present the 'Gaydon Garage' when the workshop doors open to reveal one of the fantastic vehicles from the collection that is not often seen out of the Museum. The vehicle will be driven out around the site for everyone to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells! Hints as to what the car is are posted each month on the Museum’s social media channels in the run up to the event!

   Tom Caren, Show Manager at the British Motor Museum stated “Come along and enjoy a fantastic gathering. It doesn’t matter if you have a vehicle or not, or if your vehicle is British or not, if it’s a car, commercial, military, bus, motorbike, scooter, tractor or any other interesting vehicle, just bring it along. Be it classic, veteran, vintage or a modern classic – all are welcome. It’s an opportunity for petrol heads to indulge their passion with like-minded people - whilst having a burger and a drink, hopefully in the autumn sunshine!”

   Display vehicles will be parked in front of the Museum whilst there will be separate free parking for those that arrive in modern everyday vehicles. Visitors can also enjoy refreshments including burgers, tea, coffee and soft drinks. Please note that the Museum itself will not be open for the evening gatherings.

   The last outdoor gathering for 2021 will take place on the Tuesday 12 October, then over the winter they will take the gatherings inside as a series of ‘Museum Lates’ - a chance to view elements of the collections in more detail. More information on these will follow shortly, but they will also take place on the second Tuesday evening of the month, in November, January and March and pre-booking will remain essential.

   For more information and to book your FREE tickets for September’s Gaydon Gathering visit www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/whats-on/gaydon-gathering-september

   Pre booking is essential.

2. British Motor Museum to host Electric Vehicles Festival!

   Posted on 12:00pm Tuesday 3rd Aug 2021

   The British Motor Museum is to host the Electric Vehicles Festival on Saturday 7 August. The Show, which began in 2019, will give visitors the opportunity to see hundreds of electric vehicles on display. All Fully Pure Electrics (BEV) are welcome to join the show for a celebration and display their vehicles including Electric Cars, E-Commercials, E-Bikes, E-Buses and E-Coaches.

   Key exhibits will include a Harley Davidson Live Wire Electric MotorCycle and a Citroen AMI which is only making its second UK public appearance. The Ardingly Ifield Solar Challenge Team will be at the Festival as part of their tour from John 'o' Groats to Brighton along with the Cambridge University Solar Challenge Team.  MG Motors UK will be showcasing their facelift MG5 and MG-ZS EV that made its second UK appearance at the Festival in 2019. There will also be an electric boat ‘Silent Adventure’, and Tommy Tesla.  Eco-Classics, an electric vehicle conversion company, will be bringing along something new and Streetbikes will be showcasing their Zero Electric Motorcycles. Finally #EV Twizy Park will be making a comeback celebrating the Renault Twizy!

   For the first time the Festival will incorporate a mini arena with presentations provided by Octopus Electric Vehicles throughout the day.  The festival is also the perfect place for those thinking about going electric. There will be an array of different makes and models on display as well as the opportunity to talk to the owners and find out what convinced them to take the plunge and go electric.

   Jeff Coope, Managing Director at the British Motor Museum said, “The future of Electric Vehicles (EV) and events such as this is very important to the Museum and the evolution of EV technology is an important story for us to tell. We have already invested in 10 electric charging points for visitors and event organisers to use, with the infrastructure to support more. This has attracted public events such as the EV festival but also corporate EV events and product launches for many of the large motoring manufacturers. This is only the start of our EV journey”.

   Exploring the future of the car is particularly important to the Museum. In 2019/2020 the Museum hosted a topical and thought provoking exhibition entitled “The Car. The Future. Me” which sparked much debate amongst its visitors.

   Show tickets cost £14.50 per adult, £9 per child, £12.50 per concession and £40 for a family. All tickets for the show must be pre-booked. For more information, please visit the website www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk  or call 01926 641188. For more information about the Electric Vehicles Festival please visit https://www.electricvehiclesfestival.com/

    

   article supplied

3. Look back to the vehicles of yesteryear at the 'Classic & Vintage Commercial' Show!

   Posted on 12:00pm Friday 30th Jul 2021

   The British Motor Museum is inviting visitors to look back to the vehicles that roamed the roads of yesteryear when it hosts the ‘Classic and Vintage Commercial Show’ on 14 & 15 August. The show offers visitors a rare opportunity to reminisce about days gone by and relive the vintage era of over 450 pre-2001 commercial vehicles including trucks, vans and pick-ups.

   The ‘Classic and Vintage Commercial Show’ is one of the largest shows of its kind in Europe and features a display of vehicles from vans such as Ford Transits, Morris Minors and J Types, to lighter lorries from Austin, Bedford, Dodge and Ford Thames, through to heavier lorries such as AECs, Atkinsons, ERFs, Fodens and Leylands. The popular Show is now in its 14^th year; however, the Museum has been hosting a Classic Commercial Show at Gaydon for the last 20 years.

   Throughout the weekend there will be a large commercial vehicle related autojumble selling vehicle spares, photos, brochures, models, and other items. Inside there will be two large Indoor Model Shows, organised by Ashley Coghill and the National Association of Road Transport Modellers. Over 160 tables will showcase kit and scratch-built models of commercial vehicles and landscapes.

   Tom Caren, Show Manager at the British Motor Museum stated “Whether you’re a fan of commercial vehicles, interested in vintage history or simply want to see the commercial vehicles that were on the roads in your youth, then this show is for you. We are expecting around 450 vehicles from familiar marques to rare finds. The autojumble is also the perfect place to pick up a bargain or find that vital spare part”.

   Kelsey Media will be supporting the show and celebrating its 20 year joint venture of bringing commercial vehicles to the Museum. They will be selling several of their publications including Classic & Vintage Commercials, Classic Van and Pick Up, Heritage Commercials and Vintage Roadscene, along with a special supplement celebrating 20 years of commercial vehicles at Gaydon.

   Those wanting to take part in the show can enter their truck for FREE which includes entry for the driver and one passenger. Camping is also available for those that want to make a weekend of it. Saturday show tickets cost £14.50 per adult, £9 per child, £12.50 per concession and £40 for a family. Sunday is the busiest day of the show and one of the 5 Special Show Days. Tickets cost £18 per adult, £10 per child, £16 per concession and £46 for a family.

   For more information about the Classic and Vintage Commercial Show and the Museum please visit the website www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk  or call 01926 641188.

4. British Motor Museum exhibition "The Car. The Future. Me" goes on tour!

   Posted on 12:00pm Thursday 20th May 2021

   An exciting topical exhibition from the British Motor Museum “The Car. The Future. Me” is to be showcased by the Dundee Museum of Transport at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP-26 to be held in Glasgow later this year.

   The exhibition, which explores the future of the car, was successfully hosted at the British Motor Museum in 2019/2020. Dundee Museum of Transport approached the Museum looking for upcycled and recycled materials for their new exhibition about sustainable transport which is to coincide with the UN Climate Change Conference.

   This exhibition, which also includes plans for creating Europe's first carbon neutral transport museum by retrofitting a Grade B listed tram depot in Maryfield, Dundee, will run at the Dundee Museum of Transport from June until November 2021. With some of the exhibition materials and panels from the British Motor Museum forming part of a display at COP-26, the largest international conference in UK history.

   Catherine Griffin, Curator at the British Motor Museum said “We are delighted that our thought provoking exhibition is going on tour to Scotland and hope it sparks debate amongst their visitors as it did when we hosted the exhibition!”

   Alexander Goodger, Museum Manager at Dundee Museum of Transport said “We are pleased that the British Motor Museum shares our environmental goals, and through our partnership, we are able to host a low-carbon exhibition on the topic of sustainable transport for the public to enjoy nearly 400 miles away from where it was created. We hope this is the start of greater collaboration between our organisations in Scotland and England”.

   To find out more about the Museums please visit www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk and www.dmoft.co.uk

   For more information on Dundee Museum of Transport please visit  https://www.dmoft.co.uk/

5. British Motor Museum eagerly awaits to welcome visitors back on 17 May!

   Posted on 12:00pm Wednesday 21st Apr 2021

   The British Motor Museum is all set to reopen its doors on 17 May in line with Stage 3 of the Government’s roadmap.  Having been awarded the ‘We’re Good to Go’ industry charter mark by VisitEngland, the Museum is confident that everything is in place to ensure a safe and enjoyable visit. 

   The Museum will be open 7 days a week from 10am – 5pm with limited numbers per day and pre-booking is essential for all visitors including those returning with an annual pass. There are 10am, 11am, 12noon and 1pm arrival slots available and once at the Museum visitors can stay as long as they wish until closing.

   New for 2021, the E-type Evolution Exhibition from the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust (JDHT) commemorates the 60th Anniversary of the Jaguar E-type. The Exhibition tells the story of the car from the racing C and D-types of the 1950s, the E2A Prototype, its launch at Geneva on 15 March 1961 and finishes with two very successful Racing V12 E-types from the 1970s. The exhibition runs to the end of June and is included in the standard Museum admission. 

   For the May half-term week from 29 May – 6 June, the Museum will be hosting a full programme of family friendly activities to celebrate the Jaguar E-type’s 60th Birthday. Visitors will have the chance to meet Dotty or Dougie, the car designers from the swinging 60s and explore this amazing car and it's design.  Younger visitors will also have the chance to take home their very own cardboard cut-out Jaguar E-type! There are also online celebratory activities for those not able to visit the Museum.

   The ‘Gaydon Gathering’, a free monthly evening gathering aimed at motoring enthusiasts, will return on Tuesday 11 May. The first gathering took place last October and the Museum plans to fun this friendly event on the second Tuesday of every month until the autumn. Pre-booking is essential. 

   The Museum is also gearing up to run a full schedule of motoring shows and events this summer, all in line with Government advice. Over 14 shows and rallies are being planned to include the return of several popular events such as the Land Rover Show, Retro Truck Show as well as some brand-new events including ‘Autolicious’ on 29 August. This event presented by Audi-licious is a rare opportunity to see an array of stunning cars on display including Audi, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Bentley, Porsche, Mercedes, Lamborghini and VW.

   Jeff Coope, Managing Director at the British Motor Museum said “We are delighted to be able to re-open our doors and welcome back visitors after being closed for such a long period. Thanks to funding from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund and the success of the furlough scheme, the Museum is in a good place and is now keen to get back to business. We’re looking forward to seeing the return of our much valued and loyal visitors as well as the staff, some of whom are already hard at work preparing to re-open the Museum once again”.

   2021 admission prices remain the same as in 2020 and are: Adults £14.50, Concessions £12.50, Children £9 (5-16 years), under 5’s free, and a Family ticket £40 (2 adults & up to 3 children). If you Gift Aid or donate your entrance fee you receive an annual pass at no extra cost. All visitors must pre-book tickets so the Museum can fulfil its NHS Test and Trace commitment.  Visitors must adhere to the ‘Rule of 6’, wear a face covering at all times and observe social distancing.

   For more information on keeping visitors safe please visit www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/news/welcome-back

   Those with annual passes will automatically have their passes extended by the number of days that the Museum was closed. More information about this and to book tickets please visit www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/plan-your-visit/book-tickets. Museum tickets will go on sale on 11 May.