The first 20 or so vehicles will venture into the island’s new transport museum later this month for a small private ceremony to mark the completion of the building.
The museum itself is on schedule to be open to the public in time for the TT in June when it will house around 300 vehicles including 150 cars and a similar number of motorcycles, the latter housed on two mezzanine levels running parallel to one another for almost the length of the building.
Businessman Denis Cunningham and his son Darren are behind the project which Denis says, at 80,000 square feet, is comparable in scale to anything in the UK.
‘I want it to be a visitor attraction in its own right bringing people to the Isle of Man to see it,’ he said.
As well as cars - many of them from his own private collection - and motorbikes, there will be some commercial vehicles such as lorries, fire engines and ambulances and a selection of stationary steam engines. An area adjacent to the main display hall will accommodate a period machine workshop with engineering machinery belt driven by steam engines. At the far end of the main hall will be a workshop area where visitors can view ongoing restoration work on vehicles through large glass panes. Some of the exhibits will be displayed, initially at least, in an unrestored state.
Outside, on the elevation facing the main road through Jurby there will be a recreated 1930s street scene with period shop frontages and a large glass-windowed car salesroom where they hope to display exhibits perhaps provided by different car enthusiasts’ clubs in the island.
Exhibits will also be changed periodically in the museum and there will be special displays reflecting events like the TT races and car rallies.
‘When people visit again there will always be something different to see,’ Darren said.
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