6 Classic Car Mart Spring 2016
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REVAMPED BMM REOPENS
Following four months of intensive refurbishment,
the British Motor Museum (BMM, formerly the
Heritage Motor Centre) reopened to the public on
Saturday, February 13.
The previous day, invited guests had watched
Bob Dover, chairman of the British Motor
Industry Heritage Trust (BMIHT) and the Rt.
Hon. Gavin Williamson MP as they unveiled the
newly refi tted fl oor space during a private ribbon
cutting ceremony.
A £1.1 million investment has brought the
BMM up to date, billing itself as ‘a modern and
immersive display of British motoring history’.
In dedicating the new fl oor space, classic car
enthusiast Gavin Williamson said: “The British
Motor Museum is instrumental in enabling
visitors to learn more about the past, the
present and future of the British motor industry,
its technology and its people. With the exciting
improvements and enhancements now made, the
Museum can now be counted as being amongst
the best motor museums in the world.”
The layout of the BMM is now rather different
from the Heritage Motor Centre which preceded it.
A new entrance on the far side takes visitors into a
gallery of iconic British vehicles, including the fi rst
Series 1 Land Rover, HUE 166. Plinths, ramps and
raised areas now dominate the six themed zones
used to classify the BMM’s eclectic collection of
vehicles: ‘Design & Concepts’, ‘Jaguar’, ‘Land
Rover’, ‘Royal Cars’, ‘Motorsport’ and ‘Film & TV
Cars’ show off exhibits in a manner not seen
before at Gaydon. The mezzanine located near
the centre of the building is dedicated to the cars
of the James Hull collection, purchased by Jaguar
Heritage back in 2014.
Visitors were also invited inside the BMM’s
new Collections Centre adjacent to the main
building; comprising the reserve caches from
the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust
(BMIHT) and Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust
(JDHT), the Collection Centre will eventually
house 250 cars between two fl oors. We last
visited in November during a press preview and
according to BMM’s head of collections Tim
Bryan, the Centre is currently 20 cars shy of full
capacity – although the workshop ramps were
a hive of activity, occupied by an ex-Royal Land
Rover, an early Rolls-Royce Phantom and the
earliest surviving Morris Mini Minor (621 AOK).
Commenting on future plans, Tim added that
there would be special, longer tours of the Museum
and Collections Centre made available for car
clubs, together with an extensive engine exhibition
(still wrapped in cellophane when CCM visited).
Smartphone users will also be able to enjoy an
interactive tour of the Centre when ‘app’ enabled
signage is added later in the year. “There are so
many cars inside the Centre that there simply isn’t
enough room for traditional displays,” explained
Tim. “At the moment, we have A4 sheets identifying
each vehicle; eventually, QR-codes will tell the wider
story of each car, using the Centre’s wi-fi network
to access our archives.”
Following a Lego-themed half term programme
(run between Saturday, February 13 and Sunday,
February 21) the rejuvenated BMM has a full
roster of family activities and car shows planned
for 2016.
To fi nd out more about the Museum’s events
and refi t, visit its website at
http://www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk.
WELCOME
A
brief spell of late winter
sunshine tempted me to tease
open the tatty Weathershield
folding roof on our MGB GT while out
and about the other day. This was a
brave move as I've never dared open
the roof before due to the worn out
vinyl cover leaking like a sieve when
it rains. So after releasing the lever
securing the cover to the front rail
and gently pulling it back, I prayed it
would close as easily as it appeared
to be sliding open.
Going for broke with the cover half
open, I got out and eased the top all
the way back. It was then I noticed
why the covering leaks so badly.
Several of the oblong nylon blocks on
the ends of the cross rods keeping
the vinyl covering under tension
were missing and the remaining ones
had jumped out of the runners. This
meant that when the roof was in the
closed position, it was only secured
fore and aft; leaving both sides
slightly open to the elements.
As a temporary fix, I repositioned
the remaining nylon blocks in the
runners and although the roof now
sits a bit flatter when closed, the top
on our MG is well past its sell-by date
and needs replacing ASAP. So if you
have a decent used Weathershield
roof to fit an MBG GT going spare
or are able to offer a repair service,
or even supply a new one, give me a
call please or fire off an email to the
usual address.
Iain Wakefi eld
Managing Editor
WELCOME