Coventry is to the United Kingdom almost what Detroit is to the USA. The city was an industrial powerhouse featuring brands as diverse as Jaguar and Chrysler, Peugeot, Hillman, Riley and Triumph. Jaguar is still there today, but the town’s motoring history goes back a century.
The Coventry Transport Museum opened in 1980 after its transport collection outgrew its space at a place called Herbert Art Gallery & Museum. The first exhibits were acquired in 1937 when a man named Samuel Bartlett gave the city his entire collection of cycles. Cars were added in 1952, and the collection has continued to grow since then.
The first major public shows began in 1960 with the official opening of the Herbert. The collection includes cars, commercial vehicles, bikes and motorcycles going back to the early 1900s. Like most museums, it’s closed for the time being, but you can take a virtual tour via YouTube. It’s less of a walkthrough and more of a slideshow, but still full of information and many cars you’ve probably never heard about.
This museum is mostly owned by the public so when it does reopen, stop in if you’re near the city of Coventry, U.K., which is about a two-hour drive from London. Tickets are only 14 pounds, about 16 bucks at today’s exchange rates.
Check out more below from the Coventry Transport Museum:
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