Donington Grand Prix Collection

Tom Wheatcroft was born close to the Donington Park racing circuit and in his youth he attended the Donington Park Grand Prix races in 1937 and 1938 where the German Mercedes Benz and Auto Union cars sparked his love of motor sport which stayed with him the whole of his life. After serving as a tank driver in the Second World War he became involved in the construction industry and launched his own successful building company in 1946. In 1964 he bought his first racing car, a 1949 Ferrari 125 Grand Prix car formerly owned by Peter Whitehead, and this was the start of a collection that he added to over the next few years. In 1971 he bought a large part of the Donington Park estate which included the pre-war racing circuit, and which had been used by the army as a supply depot during the war. He moved his growing car collection to the estate and over the next six years rebuilt the circuit, opening it for racing again in 1977. In the meantime work had started on a building which was to become a museum for his cars, and this opened to the public in 1973. Tom Wheatcroft died in 2009 and his son Kevin inherited the collection, and in 2017 Motor Sport Vision took over the operation of Donington Park but the following year decided the museum should close 'as it did not fit into their business plan'. The museum closed on 5 November 2018.

The last time I visited the museum was in September 2014 and here are some of the photographs I took that day.

Outside the entrance was this tribute to Juan Manuel Fangio listing the Grand Prix victories during his career in which he won five World Drivers' Championships. Alongside him is Ayrton Senna and a list of the 41 Grand Prix victories which brought him three World Drivers' Championships. In what is widely said to be his greatest race he won the 1993 European Grand Prix on a rain-soaked Donington Park circuit, dropping to fifth place at the start before taking the lead before the end of the first lap.

Donington Park had the largest number of exhibits of any motor sport museum, including a large number of Williams Grand Prix  cars.....

…..and an equally impressive display of McLarens.

The Donington Park museum also had a comprehensive display of Vanwall Grand Prix cars.