Museum to showcase Lake District motoring breaks at UK’s biggest classic car show

A selection of photos from the NEC Classic Motoring Show

With 8.2m people in Britain showing an interest in historic vehicles, the Lakeland Motor Museum is driving a new campaign to help Cumbria’s tourism industry capitalise on the ever-increasing interest in motoring heritage.

A survey from the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs recently revealed that the historic vehicle industry generates revenues of more than £5.5billion every year – up almost 28% in the last 5 years – while classic car use has quadrupled in the same period. Well over one million historic vehicles are registered, with more than half currently on the road.

The Lakeland Motor Museum is already one of the North West’s top 20 most popular attractions, bringing in 80,000+ visitors each year, and works with an array of classic and vintage car clubs across the UK. Now it is teaming up with a selection of Cumbrian hoteliers to promote the pleasures of motoring breaks to enthusiasts who want to recreate popular routes from the early days of motoring.

Director of the Lakeland Motor Museum, Edwin Maher will be showcasing Lake District motoring breaks at this weekend’s Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show at Birmingham’s NEC, Friday 11 – Sunday 13 November – the biggest event of its kind in the UK.

Edwin says, “In the early 1900s, the Lake District was being heavily promoted as an idyllic destination for touring holidays and many motor car manufacturers used the steep mountain passes to trial their latest models. Motoring is an important part of Cumbria’s heritage and we are aiming not only to entice car clubs who want to recreate iconic routes over the likes of Wrynose and Hardknott passes, but also those classic car owners who may prefer a gentler introduction to our world-famous region. Beauty spots such as the winding Borrowdale valley or the rolling green countryside of the Eden Valley are perfect for a scenic drive in a vehicle which celebrates a golden age of motoring.”

The Lakeland Motor Museum will be represented at stand TV156 at the Classic Motor Show. A newly restored pair of the attraction’s two-wheeled exhibits – a 1928 Sunbeam motorcycle and an 1870s Penny Farthing - will also be on show as part of the Masonic Classic Vehicle Club’s stand.