Start your engines . . .
Classic car museum ready to reopen in bigger space
Plans are under way to reopen Nelson’s classic car museum in Annesbrook, but the future of the WearableArt section of the museum is less clear.
The World of WearableArt and Classic Car Museum was put into hibernation in May, with WOW management blaming a massive loss in revenue due to the pandemic.
Two-thirds of WOW’s staff lost their jobs in the restructuring, with the remainder focused on continuing to run the World of WearableArt show in Wellington.
Chief executive David Tingey said in May it was unlikely the museum would be able to open again before 12 months.
However, a group has been established to revive the classic car wing of the museum, which will expand into the area used by the WOW museum.
The group reopening the car museum to the public comprises owners of the cars and buildings, former employees of WOW, and the contractors that maintain the car collection.
In a Facebook post on June 11, the Nelson Classic Car Museum group stated its intention to ‘‘reopen the car side of the museum, the museum store, and the much loved cafe’’.
Museum spokeswoman Sarah Wilson said it did not make sense to leave the museum closed.
‘‘It’s not as if [the cars] were all going to go somewhere else, they were going to stay here.’’
Wilson said the museum would run as a separate entity to World of WearableArt. While WOW would still use the building for storage and workshops, the entire museum would be devoted to the classic car collection.
‘‘It’s an incredible collection and resource – the most obvious option is to keep the collection open to the public and visitors.’’
She said the aim was to reopen the museum in time for the school holidays in September, although the timeline was still fluid at this stage.
While the initial plan was for a modest refurbishment, there was now scope for a more significant renovation, she said.
‘‘We’re taking advantage of the fact we are closed, it gives us a decent chunk of time to do those things so it looks refreshed and how we want it to look.’’
She said this would include a refurbishment of the cafe, an extension of the space within the museum, and painting and maintenance of the main building.
Museum volunteer and Cartel Works design director Mike Wilson said the 160 cars within the museum would be made more accessible for viewing. This would include opening up former WearableArt exhibit space for the classic car collection.
‘‘The place hasn’t been shut in 20 years, so there hasn’t ever been a real chance to take a proper look at the cars and to rethink things,’’ he said.
Sarah Wilson said along with the eventual return of international visitors, the museum also wanted to build connections with car clubs around Nelson and the rest of New Zealand to establish the museum as a hub for car lovers.
From a WOW perspective, Tingey said nothing had changed with regard to their announcement in May, with the business still in the process of reviewing the viability of its operation.
Tingey said the focus for WOW was on securing the survival of the business.
‘‘We had no pre-determined intention of shutting anything down – this was a plan put on us by Covid.’’
‘‘It’s an incredible collection and resource – the most obvious option is to keep the collection open to the public and visitors.’’
Sarah Wilson Museum spokeswoman