A £150m ($207m) classic car museum and automotive park has been proposed for a West Oxfordshire site in the UK.
The museum would feature approximately 200 cars from the 1920s to present and would include 28 luxury holiday homes on the site. The proposed location is a 65-hectare plot of land next to Soho Farmhouse in Great Tew.
The project is the brainchild of Peter Mullin, a classic car collector from California, who built the Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, CA.
Already dubbed The Mullin, the museum would use virtual reality to create immersive exhibits and experiences through partnerships with companies such as Pixar, Disney and Microsoft. The facility would also include a test track so that visitors could see the cars in action.
It is expected that the project would create 100 jobs, including mechanics and tour guides.
Mullin told the Oxford Mail: “This project is something I have been considering for many years.
“All my collection is European and this has become a once in a lifetime opportunity to bring them home. And where better than the epicentre of motorsport and car manufacturing in Britain.”
He added: “This is not a business venture for me, it is a legacy project and it is my most sincere desire to share cars from my collection with the general public and to create a centre of learning to inspire future generations.”
The holiday lodges would be sold to wealthy individuals to help fund the project. Those who purchase the lodges would be expected to store their cars in the museum’s basement storage vault for public display.
The sale of the lodges is expected to make £20m with £12.7m going towards the restoration of Tew Park House.
The project faces local opposition from residents and the Campaign to Protect Rural England who believe it to be elitist and catering to billionaires. West Oxfordshire District Council is considering the plan will rule on whether it can be taken forward.
https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/16052707.American_businessman_plans___150m_classic_car_museum___luxury_homes_on_160_acre_site/
