Taunton town centre packed out for County Classics Motor Museum opening

Published: 21/11/2023

Locals, visitors and VIPs packed into Taunton town centre for the official opening of the County Classics Motor Museum on Monday (20 November).

Alongside civic dignitaries, the museum was opened by TV star and passionate petrolhead Richard Hammond, while invited local enthusiasts added to the occasion by displaying their cars on the street.

Among those were FBHVC News editor Andrew Fawkes whose Aston Martin DB6 also featured in the opening shots of a local TV news broadcast. FBHVC Director of Archiving Andy Bye also attended the event, where he was interviewed for a forthcoming TV programme (pictured below). 

The opening of the Somerset museum – which is a FBHVC member – comes after a Herculean struggle by Pat Hawkins in the face of the impacts of Covid lockdowns and the sheer scale of the project.

He started work on creating the museum four years ago, has now achieved his life's ambition of creating a classic car and motorcycle museum in the heart of Taunton's town centre.

The Museum is a non-profit organisation and relies on donations, sponsorship and volunteers to keep it running.

The beautifully-laid-out museum is located uniquely in the city centre of this fine old county town, in an historic department store building dating from 1836, which used to be called County Stores, hence the museum’s name as a nod to the past.

The  museum is focussed on affordable and accessible cars and motorcycles, mostly from the 1960s to the 1990s, and includes a café and small shop.

Over two floors, it houses around 100 cars, 80 motorcycles – and an aeroplane!

Open seven days a week, the museum is at 52-53 North Street, Taunton TA1 1ND and can be contacted on: 01823 253777 www.countyclassicsmotormuseum.co.uk