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Donington’s world-renowned grand prix museum to close
| 10 Oct 2018
Classic & Sports Car – Donington's museum announces closure
The world’s largest grand prix racing car museum is closing its doors.
The Donington Collection of Single-Seater Racing Cars – to give the
museum its full name – will close on 5 November 2018, having provided 45
years of entertainment to motorsport enthusiasts from around the world.
Located in the East Midlands, it opened on 16 March 1973 thanks to the
endeavours of Frederick Bernard ‘Tom’ Wheatcroft.
Classic & Sports Car – Donington's museum announces closure
Tom Wheatcroft (right), with Raymond Mays (centre) and Roger Williamson
(left), at the museum’s opening in 1973
Businessman Wheatcroft’s first taste of the Donington Park circuit was
in 1935 for a motor-cycle racing meeting.
“From then on I was a confirmed enthusiast. I saw most of the bike and
car meetings that followed, and in 1937 and 1938 I was hanging on the
fence with the best of them, watching those giant German cars running in
the Donington Grand Prix,” he later recalled.
The collection began with the purchase of a then-13-year-old Formula One
Ferrari single-seater racing car in 1964, after which he admits to
getting “the collecting bug”.
Classic & Sports Car – Donington's museum announces closure
Jim Clark’s Lotus Climax 21 at Donington’s museum
At first, Wheatcroft’s acquisitions were accommodated in a garage at his
Leicestershire home.
The move to Donington began in 1971, when he bought the circuit section
of Donington Park from the Gillies Shields family.
His plan was to bring the circuit, unused since 1939, back to life, but
first he constructed a museum to house his growing collection.
When first established, the exhibition centred on three groups of racing
car: BRMs, Vanwalls and special, historic cars such as the first F1 car
built and raced by Jack Brabham, as well as the Lotus 18 driven to
victory by Stirling Moss in the 1961 Monaco and German grands prix.
Classic & Sports Car – Donington's museum announces closure
This 1954 Belanger Special Indycar showcases the variety of the collection
This core collection was then added to, with many famous racing teams
such as Williams, McLaren and Mercedes-Benz loaning cars.
Tom Wheatcroft died on 31 October 2009 and, since then, the museum has
been run by his son, Kevin, who has said: “Closing the museum after 45
years has been a really difficult decision, but family responsibilities
simply make it the right thing to do.”
If you’d like to visit before the museum closes in a few weeks, please
click here for details.
Photos: Motorsport Images
READ MORE
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Nine decades' worth of racers set for Donington Historic
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Report: Autumn Classic 2018
https://www.classicandsportscar.com/news/doningtons-world-renowned-grand-prix-museum-close
Donington’s world-renowned grand prix museum to close
| 10 Oct 2018
Classic & Sports Car – Donington's museum announces closure
The world’s largest grand prix racing car museum is closing its doors.
The Donington Collection of Single-Seater Racing Cars – to give the
museum its full name – will close on 5 November 2018, having provided 45
years of entertainment to motorsport enthusiasts from around the world.
Located in the East Midlands, it opened on 16 March 1973 thanks to the
endeavours of Frederick Bernard ‘Tom’ Wheatcroft.
Classic & Sports Car – Donington's museum announces closure
Tom Wheatcroft (right), with Raymond Mays (centre) and Roger Williamson
(left), at the museum’s opening in 1973
Businessman Wheatcroft’s first taste of the Donington Park circuit was
in 1935 for a motor-cycle racing meeting.
“From then on I was a confirmed enthusiast. I saw most of the bike and
car meetings that followed, and in 1937 and 1938 I was hanging on the
fence with the best of them, watching those giant German cars running in
the Donington Grand Prix,” he later recalled.
The collection began with the purchase of a then-13-year-old Formula One
Ferrari single-seater racing car in 1964, after which he admits to
getting “the collecting bug”.
Classic & Sports Car – Donington's museum announces closure
Jim Clark’s Lotus Climax 21 at Donington’s museum
At first, Wheatcroft’s acquisitions were accommodated in a garage at his
Leicestershire home.
The move to Donington began in 1971, when he bought the circuit section
of Donington Park from the Gillies Shields family.
His plan was to bring the circuit, unused since 1939, back to life, but
first he constructed a museum to house his growing collection.
When first established, the exhibition centred on three groups of racing
car: BRMs, Vanwalls and special, historic cars such as the first F1 car
built and raced by Jack Brabham, as well as the Lotus 18 driven to
victory by Stirling Moss in the 1961 Monaco and German grands prix.
Classic & Sports Car – Donington's museum announces closure
This 1954 Belanger Special Indycar showcases the variety of the collection
This core collection was then added to, with many famous racing teams
such as Williams, McLaren and Mercedes-Benz loaning cars.
Tom Wheatcroft died on 31 October 2009 and, since then, the museum has
been run by his son, Kevin, who has said: “Closing the museum after 45
years has been a really difficult decision, but family responsibilities
simply make it the right thing to do.”
If you’d like to visit before the museum closes in a few weeks, please
click here for details.
Photos: Motorsport Images
READ MORE
50 museums every classic car fan should visit
Remembering Le Mans 1989 at Donington 2012
Donington to remember legendary 1993 European GP
8 touring car icons of the ‘80s you can catch at the Donington Historic
Festival
Nine decades' worth of racers set for Donington Historic
Motorsport memories: why Prost deserves more credit
Report: Autumn Classic 2018