It claims to have the largest collection of British made vehicles in the world. Not that hard to believe since it's literally next door to Aston-Martin and Jaguar-Land Rover factories. Gaydon is also within 'walking' distance of Coventry, the historical centre of the British automotive industry.
What makes this museum unique is the fact that they display a sizable number of concepts, prototypes and test mules from various makes.
Here are some highlights:
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A Vauxhall, believe it or not. |
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The obligatory E-Type at the entrance. |
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Austin Zanda styling concept. |
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A 'modern' take on the classic Mini. |
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Vauxhall XVR - clearly inspired by a C3 Corvette. |
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Wonderful curves, a real shame it never made it into production. |
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My favorite from the entire collection. |
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Vauxhall SRV. |
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Road Rover - a Land Rover for the roads. |
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Jaguar SS - not a concept but a fabulous motorcar. |
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Large and luxurious Alvis from the 60s. |
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Nissan Leaf cutaway - not a British marque but assembled in Britain. |
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BMW Dixi - the first car built by BMW was a licensed copy of the Austin Seven. |
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A luxurious version of the Seven - the Austin Swallow. |
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It was built by the Swallow Sidecar Company that would later become Jaguar. |
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A yee olde Land Rover and something called a Marauder. |
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XJS Police car. Not a V12, only a lowly 6. |
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The workshop where cars are restored and maintained. |
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XJ Estate concept. A missed opportunity as Volvo flooded the British market soon after. |
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Concepts that would inspire the production S-Type. |
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The XJ220 prototype. |
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A Swallow sidecar - Jaguar's first product. |
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Defender 110 cutaway with the V8, no less. |
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Early Phantom VII. What a machine. |
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And finally a Defender 90 with plastic body panels. They should have kept this one in production. |
In conclusion: an interesting place that's well worth a visit. It provides a sneak-peek into the secretive world of concepts and prototype development, albeit for long gone models and even makes.