Trip to Gaydon

[Inspector Morose]

I fancied a day out. I hadn't had one of those since, ooh, last week but I fancied somewhere where I could get my motoring fix of the rare and obscure. Gaydon obviously! I hadn't been for a number of years so the display should have changed around by now. Destination sorted, the trusty BX was pointed in the direction of Warwickshire.

 

First problem was encountered when the slip road off the M40 was closed, forcing me into a 20 mile detour to Banbury and back and then a fair amount of works on the roads around and the entrance to the museum, sorry, heritage centre itself. This is to do with the expansion of the JLR site next door but i think there is some other redevelopment is going on as there were lots of protest banners proclaiming to all and sundry about the imminent decimation of the once rural surrounding area and the increased traffic this entails.

 

Anyway enough of that. The museum, sorry again, heritage centre occupies a lot less of the site than it did when opened way back in '93. You now park right outside the museum and enter in through the front of "the spaceship", built in a style faintly reminiscent of a 1930's corporation bus depot and the display area is mostly now contained within the lower part of the building. Gone is the remote parking and Land Rover based land trains of years past; the remote parking seems to now be used by JLR staff and visitors and the upper parts of the museum mostly turned over to conferencing facilities. The price to get in is now £12. A little steep but if you gift aid this, it entitles you to free entry for one year. Sadly this the price that has to be paid as outside funding for museums in general, let alone car based ones such as this, is now practically non existent so they have to finance themselves somehow. Okay, Gaydon does have some backing from ford et al but in these times of financial belt tightening, I would assume this is a drop in the ocean compared to the costs of running such a place and keeping the core collection conserved. Good news seem to be on the horizon for the multitude of cars in the reserve collection in that there is a new building being built to house a large majority of them (around 250 so it says on the promotional blurb) with new workshop facilities so the days of some of the most historical if not display quality vehicles will get a secure roof over their heads. This is to be combined with a rebuild of the original museum, from November 2015 to February 2016 so things could be looking up!

 

I know Gaydon has its detractors, indeed I have been one on occasions but on stepping foot into the museum you cannot be anything but flattened by the sheer wealth of (mainly) British cars, specials, prototypes and historical artefacts on display there. Every era is there and within every era there's at least one from most walks of life from that era. Rileys are nose to nose with Rovers next to Reliants (Princess Anne had one, you know) next to one off Austin seven specials next to, and it goes on right through to the modern era. It is seriously crammed in there making photography tricky yet apart from one section, you can walk right up to them and peer through the windows, even the priceless BRM gas turbine racer that was on display alongside two other gas turbine Rovers, the four wheel drive T3 and the P6 based T4. Although a conservators nightmare, this allows the public to get a true sense of the car; they are not pictures or sculptures to be admired from afar behind ropes and fences. The museum becomes more enjoyable for all ages and allows them to feel a part of the museum; not some stuffy gallery and so, hopefully, will enthuse the next generation to continue with preserving the cars of their own generation.

 

I digress. I think at this time I'll let the pictures talk from now on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More to come...

[Inspector Morose]

 

 

 

 

 

[Inspector Morose]

 

 

 

 

[Junkman]

That Robin Reliant should be painted yellow, though.

[Inspector Morose]

 

 

 

 

 

 

[New POD]

As far as I can see, you go back in time when you go to Gaydon

 

Welcome to the previous millennium when it comes to hourly rates for freelance engineering 

 

 

 

These are today's new vacancies, please contact me on [email protected] for more information on any of the following :-

 

PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL AS YOUR EMAIL WILL NOT GET TO ME

  

29351 CAD Engineer - metal structure, plastic mouldings - Gaydon Warwickshire - £24.61 p/hr Ltd Co

29131 Test Engineer - aerodynamics / water dirt management - Gaydon Warwickshire - £20.34 p/hr Ltd Co

29113 14 15 Test Driver - driver assistance systems - Gaydon Warwickshire - £20.34 p/hr Ltd Co

29111 & 12 Project Engineer - driver assistance systems - Gaydon Warwickshire - £22.34 p/hr Ltd Co

29110 Project Engineer - driver assistance systems - Gaydon Warwickshire - £22.34 p/hr Ltd Co

29109 Project Engineer - driver assistance systems & features - Gaydon Warwickshire - £22.34 p/hr Ltd Co

28950 Software Engineer - ODX / OTX introduction project - Gaydon Warwickshire - £31.43 p/hr Ltd Co

28505 Controls Engineer - cross car line component user - Gaydon Warwickshire - £30.19 p/hr Ltd Co

28485 Senior CAD Designer - powertrain Gaydon Warwickshire - £25.33 p/hr Ltd Co

28076 Project Engineer - hybrid powertrain system - Gaydon Warwickshire - £22.34 p/hr Ltd Co

26053 Program Quality Engineer - Gaydon - £23.93 p/hr

 

 

 

 

 

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO EMAIL ME

[email protected]

 

 

 

  

If you are not interested in applying for this post but you know of some one who could be suitable - please feel free to forward this mail on! 

  

We do pay recommendation fees!! 

 

Amanda Bristlin

Engineering & Production Management Consultants Ltd 

 

       

EPMC Ltd
75 Fairfields Hill
Tamworth, Staffs B78 1HG

[Inspector Morose]

I'm tired now so I'll post some others tomorrow. Meanwhile, I'm off for a fag: 

 

 

[vulgalour]

I bet those Rover P6 fags were horrible.  I've still never been to Gaydon, I  really ought to go one day.

[Noel Tidybeard]

i ought to get my arse over to the museum in coventry now its re-opened- its my favourite price -Free-

[mercrocker]

Never been to Gaydon, either. Must rectify. I do remember seeing a lot of the prototype stuff at Syon House years ago - it was just as difficult to photograph there as well. Those P6 gaspers are brilliant - imagine them handing out stuff like that now!

[jonny69]

 

DSC00673.JPG

 

Any idea what this little fella is?

 

Edit: closer look says it's a Pop front beam and maybe a sidevalve with two SUs, so is it the early 7 prototype you mentioned?

[Inspector Morose]

It's Issigonis' lightweight Austin Severn racer.

 

 

[Inspector Morose]

Let's have some more pictures while I'm waiting for the kettle to boil.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Inspector Morose]

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Inspector Morose]

 

 

 

 

[Inspector Morose]

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Inspector Morose]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Inspector Morose]

 

 

 

 

 

[mercrocker]

Graber Alvis is superb but reminds me of that blue Nash on the ebay thread recently! I remember the Allard Safari when it was on the road. Only complaint I have from looking at these pics is how clinical the museum appears but I suppose that's inevitable. Really didn't realise there was so much other stuff in there, definitely have to go up there now....

[mercrocker]

So, the Lancia Beta Spyder and the Hillman Imp could have been built to BMC standards! There's scary.....

[Inspector Morose]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[panhard65]

I am off to Gaydon on sunday, there is a classic van show or something and I am there with the hearse club. I haven't been for a while I used to like the fact that a lot of the exhibits were left exactly as they were found like the Darien gap range rover

[Inspector Morose]

 

 

 

 

 

[Inspector Morose]

 

 

 

 

The end.

 

 

 

I could go on. Was it worth the trip? Lets put it this way, there is nowhere else that has the sheer volume of the rare and the oddball cars, mostly British built. It's a truly unique collection and are displayed, in the most, in a way that you can walk around them and peer through the windows, imagining what it was like to drive them or be a prototype tester of the day. So yes, it's worth going for a look. Judging by the work being carried out on site with the proposed revamp and new building, things here are looking up for the future as well.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

DSC00673.JPG

 

 

Any idea what this little fella is?

 

Edit: closer look says it's a Pop front beam and maybe a sidevalve with two SUs, so is it the early 7 prototype you mentioned?

The clue is on the number plate. It's a Lotus 6 or MK 6, the 7's predecessor .

[Inspector Morose]

Bollocks, I looked at the wrong picture. It is indeed a six.

[mercrocker]

That Lotus is another car I remember seeing on the rally scene a few years back. Had forgotten that XK120 went there, it used to be at Beaulieu and you could lean right in and smell it. The paint was all cracking and shrinking back, bloody wonderful. I like all the trinkets too, blimey I am going to have to spend bloody hours up there. And wouldn't it be great to live in an age where somebody still lovingly handpainted a khazi sign.....