Heritage Motor Centre : Motor Museum in Gaydon, Warwickshire
I have a love for museums. Whenever we visit any new city or town, I make it a point to include at least one museum in our to-see list. Museums are brilliant - they not only bring history back to life but also are engaging and interactive; adding to the visitor's experience of visiting the city/town. In the last week of November, we had been to Stratford-upon-Avon. It was a rainy weekend and we were looking for indoor attractions to visit. And we zeroed in on the Heritage Motor Centre in Gaydon, Warwickshire.
The museum was very easy to reach from Stratford-upon-Avon although some roadworks were going on at that time. It was only after we reached there, did we realise that it was the last open day of the museum for 2015. They were closing the next day for refurbishments and would re-open only in February 2016. Lucky us!
The motor museum has over 300 cars in its collection and is the world’s largest collection of British cars. You will find veteran cars (those built before the WWI), vintage cars, classic cars, sports cars and even some special cars which were built specially for movies. It is an impressive collection of cars - well maintained and displayed nicely. The layout is good and you can easily spend a few hours wandering around the museum and reading the information about each vehicle. Some of the cars and brands brought back memories. When I spotted the Leyland logo, I reminisced about conversations I used to have with my grandfather. He used to work for a company who are one of the most well-known dealers of Ashok Leyland trucks and buses in South India. I still have some of those miniature truck models of Leyland that my grandfather gave me.
The mezzanine floor of the museum houses some of the most iconic British cars including the First Mini and Jaguar E-Type. The views from the mezzanine floor are lovely - you get panoramic views of the car collection on the lower level. Of the 300 cars in the museums collection a little more than half are always displayed in the exhibition hall and include cars from companies such as Austin, Land Rover, Mini, Morris, Wolseley, Ford, Riley, Triumph, Bentley, Morgan and Vauxhall.
The car pictured above was one of my favourites. It is a 1953 Sunbeam Alpine Mark 1. It is a two-seater sports car and only about 3,000 were made and many of them were exported to the US. The car could reach speeds of 95 mph and a new car would have cost £1,269 in those days.
The older vintage cars may not have the engineering prowess of the modern day cars but they certainly have the aesthetic appeal and I found myself telling my husband 'I want this', 'I love this' and 'I want to drive this home' every time we passed by a vintage car. All I can say is it is a brilliant collection of cars. Amazing!
You don't have to be an avid car lover to enjoy this museum. It is a great place for everyone including kids. The children's play area is perfect for some outdoor fun. You can ask at the reception about family activity sheets and themed trails. And when you are done looking at all the cars, you can refuel yourself at the café.
I feel the Heritage Motor Centre is an excellent all-weather attraction where you can easily spend a few hours.
Heritage Motor Centre | Banbury Road, Gaydon, Warwickshire, CV35 0BJ
Telephone: 01926 641188
The museum was very easy to reach from Stratford-upon-Avon although some roadworks were going on at that time. It was only after we reached there, did we realise that it was the last open day of the museum for 2015. They were closing the next day for refurbishments and would re-open only in February 2016. Lucky us!
The motor museum has over 300 cars in its collection and is the world’s largest collection of British cars. You will find veteran cars (those built before the WWI), vintage cars, classic cars, sports cars and even some special cars which were built specially for movies. It is an impressive collection of cars - well maintained and displayed nicely. The layout is good and you can easily spend a few hours wandering around the museum and reading the information about each vehicle. Some of the cars and brands brought back memories. When I spotted the Leyland logo, I reminisced about conversations I used to have with my grandfather. He used to work for a company who are one of the most well-known dealers of Ashok Leyland trucks and buses in South India. I still have some of those miniature truck models of Leyland that my grandfather gave me.
The mezzanine floor of the museum houses some of the most iconic British cars including the First Mini and Jaguar E-Type. The views from the mezzanine floor are lovely - you get panoramic views of the car collection on the lower level. Of the 300 cars in the museums collection a little more than half are always displayed in the exhibition hall and include cars from companies such as Austin, Land Rover, Mini, Morris, Wolseley, Ford, Riley, Triumph, Bentley, Morgan and Vauxhall.
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| 2011 McLaren - Top Speed 207 mph |
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| 1970 Austin : Top Speed 86 mph |
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| 1932 MG J2 Midget : Top Speed 75 mph |
The older vintage cars may not have the engineering prowess of the modern day cars but they certainly have the aesthetic appeal and I found myself telling my husband 'I want this', 'I love this' and 'I want to drive this home' every time we passed by a vintage car. All I can say is it is a brilliant collection of cars. Amazing!
You don't have to be an avid car lover to enjoy this museum. It is a great place for everyone including kids. The children's play area is perfect for some outdoor fun. You can ask at the reception about family activity sheets and themed trails. And when you are done looking at all the cars, you can refuel yourself at the café.
I feel the Heritage Motor Centre is an excellent all-weather attraction where you can easily spend a few hours.
Heritage Motor Centre | Banbury Road, Gaydon, Warwickshire, CV35 0BJ
Telephone: 01926 641188
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