Collection: British Motor Museum

Collection-level records:

• Collection history (Collection development policy)

  The British Motor Industry Heritage Trust is based on a company, Leyland Historic Vehicles, which was formed in 1975 as an integral part of British Leyland which, in turn, evolved into Rover Group. BMIHT was incorporated in 1983 as an independent charity. It was proposed to expand the activities to cover all aspects of vehicle manufacture within Great Britain and Northern Ireland and all the major vehicle and component manufacturers were invited to become involved.

  BMIHT’s collections are largely founded on the vehicle and archive collections of the founding companies of the former British Leyland organisation.

  For a period from the late 1980s until 2000, over 70% of all income was derived either directly or indirectly from Rover Group and all the staff had been employed by Rover Group or its predecessor companies since the foundation of the organisation in 1975. For that reason, collecting at that time focused on the British motor company marques owned by Rover Group.

  Following the division of Rover Group in 2000, BMIHT and the British Motor Museum the remit of BMIHT has reverted to encompass all motor manufacturers in Britain, reflecting its name and the history of the industry.

  From the late 1970s until 2000, BMIHT collected first or last production vehicles (as appropriate) from models manufactured by the Rover Group companies. From 2000, this policy has been confined to Land Rover products.

  Through deliberate policy, since 2000 BMIHT has added vehicles from other (non-Rover Group / British Leyland) British motor manufacturers to its Collection and these now form a more significant part of the Collection. Similarly, archive material from other motor manufacturers, such as Aston Martin, has also been added in past decade. In addition, the Trust manages and displays Vauxhall’s collection of historic vehicles although the ownership remains with Vauxhall Motors.

  In recognition of the national (and international) significance of the entirety of BMIHT’s collections, they were awarded Designation status by Arts Council England in 2014.

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: 2024

  Licence: CC BY-NC

• Collection overview (Collection development policy)

  BMIHT’s collections comprise a unique collection of historic vehicles and the finest archive of British motor-industry related material in the World, covering a span of more than 120 years, as old as the industry itself. The entire collections have Arts Council England Designation status.

  1. The Vehicle Collection numbers around 330 vehicles, which describe the British motor industry from the earliest products to the latest models. These include some of the most famous and significant motor cars produced in Britain, racing cars, unique prototypes which influenced the direction of the industry, together with those more ordinary models which graced the roads of the World.It is strong in the marques Austin, Morris, Land Rover, MG and Rover and in the years 1950 onwards. The Collection, however, does stretch back to the late 19th century and includes some of the most important early British motor cars. There is also a handful of cycles and pedal cars in the Collection.
  2. BMIHT’s Archive Collection contains workshop manuals, handbooks, sales brochures and motoring magazines which document not just important technical information but also a wealth of social history in their style and illustration. The comprehensive accumulation of production records details the history of millions of individual vehicles. There are business records which contain the raw material for the history for many of Britain’s motor manufacturers and suppliers. There are also more personal records, including those of the life and work of three of the industry’s most important figures – Herbert Austin, William Morris and Alec Issigonis.The centrepiece of the Archive Collection is one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of photographic images and moving film anywhere, illustrating the social and industrial development of the twentieth century. More than one million images record the production of the motor car from its outset, life and work in the factories, war time activities, the people that shaped the industry, famous personalities and the ever-changing landscape of Britain as it was shaped by the motor industry.

     The Archive Collection also includes material from associated industries, significantly the archives of the Lucas company. In 2005 the extraordinary Nick Baldwin archive of photographs, brochures, press releases and related documents was acquired, increasing the scope of the BMIHT’s Archive Collection.

  3. Relative to the quantity of vehicles and archive material, BMIHT has fewer smaller objects. These smaller objects include company trophies, models (including design models), manufacturing items (hand tools etc.), some paintings and framed photographs and other company motoring ephemera. Nevertheless, some of the objects are unique or of high historical significance in themselves.

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: 2024

  Licence: CC BY-NC