Beaulieu National Motor Museum unveils new exhibition as it marks 50th anniversary
A SPECIAL event to mark Beaulieu National Motor Museum's 50th anniversary saw a collection of hundreds of vehicles from the 1970s as well as an unveiling of the final part of a new exhibition.
The 1970s Classic Car event yesterday (Sunday) was attended by enthusiasts who brought along their Escorts, Cortinas and Minis, with some even dressed for the occasion in retro clothing.
The final part of a new exhibition, the Story of Motoring in 50 Objects, was also unveiled.
The show features 50 objects that have been carefully selected by curators of the National Motor Museum Trust, hand-picked from a wealth of more than 1.7 million items from the internationally-acclaimed collection it cares for.
Curators whittled down the selection to a shortlist of 150, then made the final choice to include the most historically important vehicles, motoring artefacts, film footage, images, documents and books from its archives.
Speaking about the exhibition Lord Montagu said: "It’s been quite a trip back in time. When HRH The Duke of Kent came to open the museum in July 1972 it was the proudest moment of my father’s life, and what we have in the museum is his greatest legacy.
"In 1972, our exhibits spanned a period of about 80 years; they now account for over 130 years and so it is no surprise that our collections have expanded considerably, especially in the libraries and archives. It has been with these collections in mind that we’ve created The Story of Motoring in 50 Objects."
Lord and Lady Montagu marked the occasion by cutting a celebratory cake and a golden paddock recreated the Beaulieu car park of 1972.
It also displayed some of the vehicles which took part in the original celebratory cavalcade at the museum opening half a century ago.
Lord Montagu asked young ambassadors of Starter Motor – a charity which aims to get the next generation driving, maintaining and enjoying classic cars – to choose the best car of the show on his behalf.
They chose the Lotus Elan Series 4 SE owned by Beaulieu volunteer Kevin Kinsella, who was awarded a trophy.
The People’s Choice award, chosen by visitors on the day, was awarded to Wayne Rose for his 1972 Toyota Crown Deluxe.
