The venue won’t really be a museum, but it figures to feel like one in November when Gordon Murray celebrates 50 years of vehicle engineering and design with a special exhibition featuring 40 race and road cars he’s helped to create.
It is believed that this will be the only time these vehicles — including Brabham and McLaren F1 racers, McLaren supercars, lightweight concepts, one-off specials and city cars — will be showcased together in one place. That place is the new Gordon Murray Design studio in Dunsfold, Surrey, England, where Murray’s newest vehicle also will be unveiled.
While the exhibition is open by invitation only, a virtual online tour will be available at Murray’s website.
“There will also be a host of displays that provide an insight into how these iconic cars have shaped the modern automotive world, as well as the many cultural inspirations for Murray’s work over the decades,” the news release noted.
The exhibition coincides with the 25th anniversary of the McLaren F1 and the 10th anniversary of Gordon Murray Design. Among the vehicles on display will be the 1967 IGM Ford Special, 1978 Brabham BT46B “fan car,” 1981 Brabham BT49C and 1983 Brabham-BMW BT52 world-championship winners, the Le Mans-winning 1995 McLaren F1 GTR, a 1996 McLaren F1 LM, a 2013 Yamaha City Car and a 2016 GTV OX truck-in-a box.
“It will be a very proud and emotional day to see all these cars brought together, as they chart my professional life, as well as my perspective over the decades on complex challenges in vehicle design and engineering,” Murray said.
“Making this event happen presents a huge logistical challenge, as many of the vehicles are in private collections and distributed all around the world. Added to that is the fact almost all the cars are one-offs, and their value is greatly enhanced both by their rarity and, in many cases, by their race-winning pedigree. I am hugely appreciative of the generosity of those owners in granting us temporary custodianship of their cars for this unique event.”
Roof repairs at California museum
As repairs are made to the roof above the California Automobile Museum in Sacramento, the facility has altered its operating hours. It will be open Labor Day from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., closed Tuesday, September 5, and then open by appointment only through Friday, September 8.
But then comes Classic Car Appreciation Weekend with visitors encouraged to drive to the museum in their vintage vehicles and with a “hoods-up” display of selected museum cars. As part of the weekend celebration, visitors pay only what they want for admission.
The museum is closed except by appointment the following week (September 11-15), then plans to resume normal hours on Saturday, September 16.
Corvette museum offers detailing service
You don’t have to have a vintage Corvette to take advantage of a new service being offered by the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The museum’s delivery department and its pre-inspection team, which preps brand new Corvettes for delivery to their owners, will do a professional detailing of any vehicle.
The basic package — exterior wash, dry, spray wax, windows cleaned inside and out, interior vacuumed and tire finish — is $50 for cars and $75 for trucks, vans and SUVs. A premium package with hand wax and interior trim dressing, is $75 and $100, respectively. Carpet and upholstery shampooing also is available.
For details of how to schedule an appointment, see the museum’s website.
REVS Institute opens an Amazon book store
The REVS Institute at the Collier Collection in Fort Myers, Florida, has a huge automotive library that includes many duplicate copies. To make space for new works and to relieve the duplication, the Institute has opened an online Amazon book “storefront.”
To start shopping, so far more than 800 books are offered for sale, visit the special storefront website.
Mark your calendars
Racer Scott Pruett will be the featured guest November 10 when the California Automobile Museum in Sacramento presents “An Evening With” program.
Some 350 trucks — classics and currents — are expected to be displayed September 9-10 at the British Motor Museum’s seventh annual Retro Truck Show.
“It is hard to believe some of these are over 40 years old as it only seems like yesterday that these trucks were all working for a living on our roads,” Tom Caren, show manager, said in a news release. “We would encourage even those that don’t own a truck to come along and enjoy the nostalgia. Seeing so many magnificent trucks from different decades is a fantastic spectacle.”
Special events this weekend
The Owls Head Transportation Museum in Maine stages its annual Vintage Motorcycle Festival and Antique Aeroplane Show this Saturday and Sunday. A special parking area for vintage motorcycles will be set up for pre-1997 bikes. Those riding in on such vehicles will be admitted to the festival without charge. The museum also will showcase its own collection of motorcycles, including an 1868 Roper Steam Velocipede, 1901 Steffey Motorbike and others. There also will be demonstration flights by vintage aircraft. For details, visit the museum’s website.
This is your last weekend to view the 9th annual Classic Motorcycle Show at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia. The special exhibit closes at the end of the day Friday, September 8.
Because of rain last weekend, the monthly auto flea market and car corral at Muscle Car City in Punta Gorda, Florida, will be held Sunday from 7 a.m. until 1 p.m.
Another High Performance Drivers Education Program takes place today at the NCM Motorsports Park, just across the highway from the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, where Midwest Track Days for motorcycle riders will be held Saturday and Sunday. This also is the museum’s 23rd anniversary celebration weekend featuring lectures and the hall of fame induction.
The monthly cars & coffee cruise-in is scheduled for Sunday at the Blackhawk Museum in Danville, California, where participants will be reminded of event guidelines regarding behavior. “When the behavior of a small minority of car owners who act in a disrespectful and potentially dangerous manner,” the museum noted, “it is clear that something has to change.” The museum has invited Danville and Contra County police and sheriff staff to attend its shows, where the new guidelines are “Keep it quite. Keep it slow.”
Britain’s National Motor Museum will be the site of the annual Beaulieu International Autojumble (swap meet) Saturday and Sunday, with a Bonhams collector car auction on Saturday, when one of the featured lots will be an aero-engined 1921 Napier Blue Bird homage to Malcolm Campbell’s land speed-record breaker. The new version is built around a 24-liter W12 Napier Lion aero engine, Delage front axle, Bentley rear, Minerva brakes and has a hand-formed aluminum body. The pre-sale estimated value is in the neighborhood of $350,000.
