Donnington Park' fun for the famtil
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Report and pictures by Brian Weatherlev
WHEN IT comes to entertainment, The Donington Collection must surely count as a museum with something for everyone. Its main collection of single seat racing cars, for example, opened in 1973, is without doubt the largest and finest collection of racing vehicles open to the public anywhere in the world, with over sixty. cars ranging from a 1921 Grand Prix Sunbeam to Jackie Stewart's World Championship-winning Tyrrell-Ford.
Three miles from Junction 24 on the Ml, the collection is, near Castle Donington and next to Donington Park, the recently re-opened historic road racing circuit of the Thirties.
The growth of the museum over the past five years was boosted in 1976, when the Leyland historic vehicles section was opened. More than eighty exhibits are featured, spanning over a hundred years of transport history created by the multitude of marques known today as British Leyland.
Here surely stands the pride of British motoring, with vehicles like the 1 913 Morris "BullnoseOxford right up to the first production Land-Rover of 1948.
Both vintage and veter commercial vehicles are IA represented in this section, vv examples ranging from a 19 Leyland X-type 3-ton lorry tc 1935 CR K Trojan ve' beautifully restored in its iginal Brooke Bond Tea Co pany livery.
For the real old-time E thusiast there are also seve steam vehicles from the "o est" road roller in Britain to 1896 steam lawnmower, Ix by the Lanchashire Steam Mo Company who were one of t direct antecedents of Leyland
The success of the Doningt Collection surely lies not only its excellent layout and desic but in the variety of exhibits ft will satisfy even the most c mending visitor. There is ever display of military vehicles in t car park.
For the not-so-technical minded there is a display racing photography taken I some of the best photograph€ in the business.
In all Donington has ov 170 exhibits in the model purpose-built museum, as wi as its own cafeteria and gi shop, and with an admissic price of El for adults and 5( for children and OAPs, it's great entertainment bargain.