Haynes International Motor Museum is 'revved up and ready to re-open'

The team at Haynes International Motor Museum are working on the final touches in time for reopening on October 24 - just in time for half-term, subject to Government Guidance.

The museum closed, along with all other leisure attractions, in March as the UK entered lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Now, staff say the reopening of the museum will be worth the wait, as the lockdown led the museum to take the decision to bring forward some major planned improvements, from a new roof to new exhibitions.

Chris Scudds, CEO of the museum, said: “With many of our team on Furlough for much of the period, this has been a real challenge for the remaining staff.

"Where possible we have also been supported by our cohort of volunteers and I am very proud of all that they have achieved together.

"Like all museums and visitor attractions, we are very much in the hands of Government guidelines, but I am super confident we are able to offer a Covid-safe environment in all areas.

"With so much that is new and exciting within the Museum we hope that people will support the charity and come and see us as soon as we reopen."

New exhibitions set to open with the venue, in Sparkford, include a display entitled John Haynes OBE – The Man, the Manuals and the Museum.

"Just 135 years ago the first ‘car’ road trip occurred and since that moment there has always been a special place in our hearts for the motorcar," a museum spokesperson said.

"John H Haynes OBE was one such car enthusiast, whose love for motoring was the driving force behind the hugely successful Haynes Manuals, which became the global go-to guide for car and motorbike owners.

This exhibition explores: ‘The Man’, John’s life, his energy, the support of his wife Annette and his love of people and life; ‘The Manuals’, the petrol-head entrepreneur feeding a new culture of hands-on enthusiasm for repairing your own vehicle and of course ‘The Museum’, his legacy, the cars and the stories behind them."

HISTORY: The story of Williams F1 will be told at the museum

Also new is the Williams F1 – The Drivers and the Driven exhibition.

The exclusive exhibition from Williams F1 explores the fast paced world of F1 racing from all angles.

Williams has an extraordinary legacy, making them currently second only to Ferrari in terms of team statistics in the history of Formula 1.

Whether you are a fan or a bystander, adult or child, you will get a sense of the excitement, achievement, lifestyle and the need for speed as you uncover the story of Williams.

Finally is the Enzo Ferrari – The Man and the Machine display.

Ferrari is one of the world’s most recognized brands and conjures images of luxury sports cars designed to win on both the track and on the road.

This fresh interpretation of the Museum’s Ferrari display unveils the human side of the story, exploring the origins of the brand with the tale of the ambitious, young Enzo Ferrari in both words and film.

Understand what lies beneath the shiny metal, where the name Ferrari ‘Dino’ originated and the legend of the prancing horse in a newly installed display space in which you can get up close to the cars and the story of the man behind the name.

Many further improvements and updates have been added to the other exhibitions and galleries, including the Vintage and Veteran exhibition, where visitors can understand a little more about the history of motoring with a new layout and a unique ‘slice’ of our road history from cart track to Roman to Tarmacadam; the famous Red Room now delves further into the history of the colour Red.

Find out why red is so popular in motoring, what it means across the globe and why it is such an emotive colour; Further history of the Roaring Twenties has been added into the American Dream exhibition to provide context to the beautiful cars on display, which were on the road in a period so influential to our economic, social and celebrity history.

For more details, visit the museum website at himm.co.uk