A new museum dedicated to a motorsport icon will open in Scotland next month. The Jim Clark Motorsport Museum in Duns will replace the existing Jim Clark Memorial Room following a £1.6m revamp, and will feature a wealth of memorabilia dedicated to the legendary Scottish driver.
The project has been five years in the making, and will feature an ‘expanded and dynamic’ exhibition space with two of Clark’s former race cars as the centrepiece. Alongside will be more than 100 trophies won during his career, plus new image galleries, film footage, interactive displays, technology and education zones.
The project has been funded by Scottish Borders Council, The Jim Clark Trust, the Heritage Lottery Fund and Museums Galleries Scotland. The Council has also worked with the charity Live Borders and the Jim Clark Memorial Room Trust to create a brilliant tribute to the legendary driver, who died on track at Hockenheim in 1968.
Shona Sinclair, Curator at charity Live Borders, said: “Jim’s replica Indianapolis 500 trophy will be on display in the new museum alongside new items, film footage and photographs to showcase Jim’s inspirational career.
“A huge amount of work has gone in to researching and preparing the collection for display and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the volunteers who have assisted the Jim Clark Motorsport Museum team with this task. We can’t wait to start welcoming visitors.”
In conjunction with the opening of the new museum, The Jim Clark Trust is working on the development of a tourist trail around the area, taking in locations associated with Jim Clark, such as historic racing venues and his grave at Chirnside Church.
Ben Smith, Secretary of The Jim Clark Trust, which helped raise over £300,000 towards the museum project, said: “All the partners are working to maximise the impact of the interest in Jim and the opening of the new museum, and as part of that the trust is developing a tourist and car club trail that will provide additional interest for visitors, and also bring many car enthusiasts to the museum for many years to come.”
The new museum’s doors will open to the public on Thursday July 11. See www.jimclarktrust.com for more details.
