Vintage Racecar journalists and photographers were among the invited throng that gathered at the new look British Motor Museum, formerly the Heritage Motor Centre, in early February. The Rt. Hon. Gavin Williamson, MP, unveiled the new look museum at this private preview event. It was then officially opened to the public at 10am on Saturday February 13, by Managing Director, Julie Tew and Josh Harden, aged 8, the face of the museum’s marketing collateral. 
The new look British Motor Museum has re-opened its doors following a £1.1m refurbishment and is now a modern and immersive display of British motoring history. Visitors to the museum are now welcomed via a new entrance to an introductory gallery which sets the scene and flows into distinctive new themed zones, including ones for Design & Concepts, Jaguar, Land Rover, Royal Cars, Motor Sport, and Film & TV cars. The popular ethos of allowing visitors to get up close to the exhibits has not changed but there are now different ways to view the cars. Many are on raised plinths including a series of Land Rovers on an all-terrain “mountain” and some life-size matchbox style cars. The visitor experience is now more interactive and immersive, with touch screens providing interactive interpretation telling the cars’ stories in more detail.
The new Collections Centre also opened the same day, allowing public access for the first time to an additional 250 cars from the reserve collections of the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust and the Jaguar Heritage Trust. For further details, visit www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk.
