NEW BID FOR CLASSIC MUSEUM
Enthusiast snaps up Blackpool industrial site to transform it into a brand-new British-themed classic motor museum – here’s what to expect
Abusinessman is looking to put his personal collection of more than 100 cars and 200 motorbikes into a brand-new museum of motoring based in Blackpool, Lancashire.
Anthony Meakin’s collection has now outgrown its multiple storage sites and is at the point where it makes more sense to bring it all together in one location, while also allowing the public to appreciate the mostly British-made classics.
All of the vehicles were selected for their interesting histories and importance to motoring heritage and each has been restored, many at considerable expense.
Highlights include a 1938 Triumph Dolomite, 1948 Triumph Roadster, 1957 Leyland Comet, 1959 ‘Frogeye’ Sprite track car, 1960 Rover 80, 1965 Ford Zephyr, 1969 Bedford CA Van, 1973 Jensen Interceptor, 1989 Jaguar XJ-S, 1997 Range Rover 4.6 and a 2009 Aston Martin DB9.
Plans are currently still in the early stages but the museum, set to be located on Welbeck Avenue, will comprise a converted former accident repair warehouse with a mezzanine floor; the upper-level will house the motorcycles while the ground floor will display the cars and larger vehicles. There are also plans for an American diner-style restaurant and café on site.
Mr Meakin told CCW: ‘I’ve had a huge passion for cars for as long as I can remember. A lot of the vehicles have great stories behind them, like our Austin Princess that was once owned by the ambassador to Monaco, or the Bentley Mulsanne that was the possession of a former chairman of football club Tottenham Hotspur.
‘We have yet to receive final planning permission but we think we’re around 12 to 18 months away from being able to open the museum once this is in place.’
Seventy per cent of the circa 1300 classic car owners that specialist vehicle insurer, Footman James, recently polled expressed a desire for classics converted to electric power to be more easily re-classified as Electric Vehicles (EVS) by the DVLA.
Currently, a vehicle that has had its original drivetrain replaced with batteries and electric motors still carries its original internal combustion engine designation on the V5C, but many want the DVLA to move with the times and allow EV status to be added to the V5C for converted vehicles. This would allow zero-emission VED, assuming that the car converted isn’t already in the ‘Historic’ tax bracket, and the fitment of new green licence plates.
The law as it stands states that the DVLA must be informed of any significantly altered vehicle, which obviously includes converting a classic car from internal combustion to electric power and the vehicle inspected. This confusing process may even involve a new registration and proving that the car is Evpowered and therefore no longer liable for Vehicle Exercise Duty. Without official EV classification from the DVLA, the new vehicle also doesn’t qualify for those new number plates that tell the rest of the general public that the vehicle doesn’t emit any greenhouse gasses.
The latter seems to be more important to some, which is confusing since clean air and congestion zones in the capital (for example) currently operate using Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) anyway. Whatever the reason, a petition for the government to change the rules to allow converted classics to gain official EV status has been launched. It had attracted 1264 signatures at the time of writing so the required 10,000 for an official reply or the 100,000 needed for a parliamentary debate seems a long way off.
Footman James’ managing director, David Bond said: ‘EV conversions are dividing the classic and collector industry and our clients. With modern EVS accounting for 64,000 registrations this year alone, electric power is a small but growing sector. This is spilling out to classic owners who are also choosing to swap petrol power for battery power.
‘From the results of this poll, it looks like our audience wants there to be a move to recognise Ev-converted classic cars by the DVLA on the V5 and look at the green marking on the registration plates to show that they are powered by electricity.’
Converting any classic car to an EV is a controversial topic, so we want to know what you think. And if you’ve had a classic converted, please get in touch and tell us your first-hand experience of the process.