Automotive Museums

siffert_fan

Too old to watch the Asian races live.
Contributor
We are planning our fall vacation to Europe and I was wondering if anyone has visited an automotive museum that they would recommend that we visit. We have been to the Porsche museum and enjoyed it hugely (it's great being married to a woman that loves cars and racing as much as I do!).
 
If you are coming to Scotland.
Glasgows new transport museum 'riverside museum' is worth a look. The Kelvingrove museum and art gallery is a short walk from the riverside museum as well. 3.4 million visitors last year. Not bad for a country with 5 million people.
http://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums/our-museums/riverside-museum/Pages/default.aspx

If you are near York in England and If you like steam trains then the 'National railway museum' in York is world class. highly recommended.
http://www.nrm.org.uk/
 
If you do end up going to the NRM in York there's another exhibition nearby which I have had a large role in designing.

There's a new exhibition at Silverstone but it won't start construction until next year. That will be worth a look once it is open.
 
The Haynes Motor museum near Yeovil in Somerset is also worth a visit. I wouldn't bother with the 007 museum in Kendal though - it's pathetically small (we got round it in under 15mins).
 
Some guy my dad does business with has a Corvette "museum" and by museum I mean him and his friend are really rich and together have a Corvette from almost every single year so they store them together in a warehouse and call it a museum to get a tax deduction but never advertise it ever so nobody ever comes which is good because it probably isnt staffed.
 
Brooklands is good, it has mostly racing cars from as far back as the thirties, a few F1 models too. It has a large bunch of planes including a concorde and I think a Wellington (It was a skeleton soo I'm not sure). When I was the there some sportscar owners were giving people lifts and flooring it over the century old banking. Mercedes World is next door but I've never been.
 
I'm with Greenlantern101 & F1Yorkshire, the Railway Museum in York is well worth a visit and a day out in York is fantastic. Don't forget a visit to Betty's Team Rooms either. Elvington aircraft museum is just down the road and they have a collection of V bombers. They also have Super Car drives up and down the runway if you want some speed whilst your here.
 
Thanks for all the recommendations. I LOVE steam engines (my wife is less enthralled, however).

Any suggestions concerning WW2 museums would be most welcome, as well
 
The one I've always wanted to go to, and found myself driving past on my way to and from my holiday is Duxford - not been, but heard great things...
 
Duxford is great, especially the US hangar. They have a B52, a Blackbird (which still drips oil and fuel) and a whole variety of other very tasty aircraft.
 
siffert_fan, BBMF in lincolnshire, its not much more than a hangar but has about 10-15 working WW2 fighters, along with a lancaster and a dakota. I think one of the spitfires is the only working plane that flew in the war in the whole world. It only takes up a small amount of time, so possibly only worth visting if you are already in the area.
 
'The museum of flight' in East Fortune is about 20 miles east of Edinburgh and has many aircraft including WW2 fighters and bombers, Concorde and a Vulcan bomber. Fantastic day out. They also have an airshow in July every year (27th july this year) which is mostly older aircraft.
http://www.nms.ac.uk/our_museums/museum_of_flight.aspx

Edinburgh castle houses the national war museum. Been a whistle since I was there however and I don't remember much about it.
 
Beaulie and Haynes are great. I've been to them both and they are worth visiting.

The RAF Museam at Cosford in the Midlands is superb and also free to visit apart from a couple of pounds to park your car.

I can also recommend the Heritage Motor Museam at Gaydon in the midlands. It's directly opposite the Jag factory and contains some great and lots of not so great British cars from the likes of MG, Triumph, Rover, Austin plus lots of motorsports stuff
 
But will they have any actual cars? Better to have given the grant to Donington if you ask me, although I might just be grumpy.

"The museum will offer circuit tours, while the latest technology will chart the stories of drivers and people who have had ties to the site back to medieval times."

The Bernie Ecclestone Experience!!??
 
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