As part of the celebrations for the relaunch of Coventry Transport Museum following an impressive £9m transformation project, the museum and Footman James are planning to simultaneously break the Guinness World Records for the Largest Parade of Classic Cars and the Largest Parade of Jaguar Cars. 

Footman James and Coventry Transport Museum aim to bring together over 2000 classic cars, including 1000 classic Jaguars, in their attempt to smash both Guinness World Records in the same parade.  The current record for the Largest Parade of Classic Cars was set in Mexico City in 2014, and stands at 1,674 vehicles, whilst the Largest Parade of Jaguar Cars is currently held by organisers of the Silverstone Classic, who organised a parade of 767 E-types in 2011. 

The record attempts are planned for Sunday 14th June 2015, the week before the museum’s official relaunch, and organisers are encouraging classic car owners to get involved by registering to bring their vehicles to the streets of Coventry on the day.  The route of the parade, which must measure at least two miles in order to meet Guinness World Record rules, will start at the Ricoh Arena and will include part of the city’s famous inner ring road.  To qualify for the parade, each car taking part must be at least 30 years old and be presented with its original registration documents on the day of the event.

Gary Hall, Chief Executive of Culture Coventry, the trust that runs Coventry Transport Museum, said of the attempt:

“We are thrilled to be teaming up with Footman James and the Ricoh Arena, to bring these two World Records home to Coventry, the spiritual home of the British motor industry.  There couldn’t be a more fitting way to celebrate the re-launch of Coventry Transport Museum than to bring classic cars from all over the country, to the city which designed, built and inspired so many gorgeous and pioneering machines.

“We expect demand to take part in this event to be high, so we are asking people to register their interest as soon as possible.”

David Bond, Footman James’ Director said:

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for classic enthusiasts to take part in a truly memorable event, and we are really excited to be partnering with the Coventry Transport Museum as part of their celebrations.  It’ll be great for people to see so many classics in one place, out on the British roads being used and enjoyed as intended – and in the process if we can beat the world records then it will be an added bonus!  Please sign up and be part of this historic occasion!”

Andy Gibb, MD from the Ricoh Arena said:

“This is an exciting event for the city and clearly we are very pleased to support the Coventry Transport Museum and be part of this amazing spectacle. It won’t be the first time that the Ricoh Arena has hosted an impressive array of vehicles. In 2013 we worked with Jaguar when they brought 59 brand new F-Types on site, placing them in the shape of an F on our car park before handing over the keys to dealers across the UK to drive them in formation across the City. It was an amazing occasion so we can’t wait to see numerous classic cars parked alongside the Ricoh. We wish the Transport Museum and Footman James teams lots of luck in smashing the Guinness World Records!”

Classic car owners who would like to take part in the Guinness World Record attempts on Sunday 14th June are asked to register their interest by no later than 30th April, by visiting www.footmanjames.co.uk and completing the online Expression of Interest form.  Further details and confirmation of entry will be sent out after this date.

Coventry Transport Museum proudly tells the story of the city’s unique transport heritage to almost half a million visitors per year.  The museum’s redevelopment is funded by the European Regional Development Fund, Heritage Lottery Fund, Garfield Weston Foundation, Biffa Award, Arts Council England and WREN.  The project is due to be completed in June 2015.

For more details see the Transport Museum