THE ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF THE HISTORIC AND CLASSIC MOTOR INDUSTRY IN THE UK

46 9. Direct economic impact of historic and classic vehicle museums 9.1 Introduction This section looks specifically at the economic impact of museums specialising in classic and historic vehicles The impact of museums as modelled only looks at the impact of museums whose primary role is providing information on classic vehicles. We specifically do not cover museums (such as those more generally with a historical or scientific focus, eg the Science Museum in South Kensington) that may have a portion of activity dedicated to classic and historic vehicles, but where this is not the explicit focus. 9.2 The classic museum sector The official data for vehicle museum revenues totalled £62 million in 2019 . There are 68 museums in the UK which specifically focus on historic and classic vehicles, out of a total 2500 museums in the country. These are listed i n Table 18. Therefore, 2.7% of all the UK museums are focussed exclusively on classic and historic vehicles. Museums for which these vehicles only comprise part of the collection have not been included as classic vehicles have not been deemed the core focus of such museums. The Haynes International Motor Museum is the UK’s largest collection of cars from around the world with over 400 cars and motorbikes. The museum currently offers 19 individual exhibitions, from the dawn of motoring in the 1800s to nostalgic classics from the 1950-60s. The British Motor Museum, located in Gaydon, Warwickshire, is home to the largest collection of historic British cars (also around 400). Other notable standout destinations for classic car enthusiasts include the Lakeland Motor Museum in Cumbria, Beaulieu National Motor Museum, and the Brooklands Museum. Lakeland has over 30,000 exhibits and was voted ‘Britain’s Best Classic Car Destination’ by Practical Classics Magazine in May 2018. Brooklands is of course famous for being home to the world’s first -ever purpose-built racing circuit and was a major social centre pre-World War Two. The area is home to Mercedes Benz World and various other specialist institutions. 9.3 The economic impact of museums We estimate that of the £61 million per annum revenue, the direct value added is £16 million. The modest contribution to the GVA of the sector is reflected in the employment numbers, where the total impact in full-time equivalents is 1,910. Table 17: Economic impact of classic car museums, 2019 Revenue (£m) GVA (£m) Employment (FTEs) COE (£m) Museum activities 62 16 1,910 61 Source: Classic Car Curation, British Motor Museums, ONS, Cebr analysis Table 18 List of UK classic vehicle museums