Jaguar’s public car museum to close

Jaguar’s heritage centre will close to public access in September when the next stage in shutting down the Browns Lane site is reached – and there are currently no plans to relocate the classic car museum elsewhere.

The Jaguar heritage centre, which is home to 150 of the world’s rarest and most significant Jaguars through the ages, will close its doors as the site continues to be redeveloped for housing.

Jaguar is not selling off its classic heritage cars, though: they will remain in the company’s possession and maintained by its team of Jaguar Heritage trustee engineers. It is easy public access to them that will cease when the site closes in September.

Speaking to MSN Cars, a spokeswoman said that negotiations are now underway to display some of the heritage collection at other sites in the Coventry and Warwickshire area when staff relocate from Browns Lane.

“For the longer term, the Jaguar Heritage trustees are looking at a number of options for the future location of the Jaguar Heritage museum.” Jaguar will share this news on when it can, she added.

The cars will also still be seen at big events such as the Goodwood Festival of Speed and Goodwood Revival. But if you’re eager to see the collection up close and under one roof, you now have the deadline of September 2012 to do so.

Jaguar car production at Browns Lane ended in 2005, after beginning there in 1951. It was the site of all Jaguar cars production until 1998, but this all now takes place at the Castle Bromwich site in Birmingham.

The Browns Lane assembly buildings were demolished in 2008, following the purchase of the site by an Australian property firm. Taylor Wimpey is currently now building new houses on the site, the first of which have already been completed.

The Jaguar Heritage museum opened to the public in 2009, when it changed its name from the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust. The collection includes a glittering array of XK120, C-, D- and E-Types, plus the infamous 1966 XJ13 and a host of Jaguar production cars through the years.

The collection even includes the unmissable ‘Shaguar’ from the Austin Power films…