Over the past 100 years, motoring has transformed people’s lives by giving them the freedom to travel – relatively cheaply and in comfort – to wherever they want, whenever they want.  Yet motoring has also impacted on our lives in many other ways that are less obvious and much more complex.  What’s more, its influence extends far beyond the users of vehicles, as motoring affects everybody as well as whole ecosystems and even the Earth itself.

In response, the Cotswold Motoring Museum has developed a new series of displays about the impact of motoring; they explore the various ways in which motoring has affected the environment, influenced us as the users of vehicles, and stimulated the development of technology.  Questions that the displays address include:

• How much has car usage grown over the last few decades?
• How has the growth in motoring affected air pollution?
• Have we passed the point of peak oil production?
• How much oil do we consume today?
• How can I reduce my own impact?
• How has engine technology developed and what developments are being made now?
• What trends have arisen from car ownership?
• What sort of responsibilities come with motoring?

To accompany the introductory displays, the museum has produced five documents that can be downloaded from the links below.  These concise summaries provide more in-depth information and a broader perspective than can be conveyed through the displays, outlining some of the challenges we face and the solutions currently being developed and practiced. The summaries have been informed by the latest research and data obtainable from a wide range of official sources; they also contain many hyper-links to these sources so that you can access them directly in order to pursue an area of interest even further.

Delve deeper into these hot topics by downloading the five summaries here...

Air Pollution	Download PDF
Oil Consumption	Download PDF
Route to Lower Usage	Download PDF
Engine Technology	Download PDF
Responsibility of Ownership	Download PDF

The James Hunt exhibition is back again for 2011.

With the roar of the current Formula 1 engines still ringing in our ears and the likes of Button, Hamilton and Schumacher filling the sports pages, the Cotswold Motoring Museum invites you to look back to 1979 and the British racing legend James Hunt.

The Museum is exhibiting the impressive Wolf WR7 Formula 1 Car (1979-1982), the last car ever driven by James Hunt at the Monaco Grand Prix.

 As well as the Wolf WR7, the exhibition will also contain information about the car’s background and comments from the current owner: CSMA Club member, Andrew Smith.

Michael Tambini, the Museum Curator says: “The Museum is owned by CSMA Club, so I was delighted when out of the blue, one of our members, Andrew Smith, phoned to ask if we would like to display James Hunt’s last Formula 1 car. I have to say I jumped at the chance. Hunt is a British sporting hero and we are thrilled to be able to show this historic vehicle.”

This is a wonderful chance to view a Formula 1 car up close and find out the history behind the turbulent life of the infamous racing driver. There is even a life size image of James Hunt himself!

20th Anniversary of Brum!

As home to TV’s Brum, we are delighted to celebrate the anniversary of the super hero car's TV show. His adventures start and end at the Museum and he can be found here every day.

Just watch this space for details!