The Donington Grand Prix Collection is, quite simply, the largest collection of Grand Prix racing cars in the world. Five halls, with over 130 exhibits, illustrate the history of motor sport from the turn of the 20th Century. Cars include examples driven by such famous names as Nuvolari, Mansell, Prost, Moss, Senna, Fangio, Clark and Stewart.
The Donington Grand Prix Collection houses the largest collection of McLaren racing cars in the world, and the only complete collection of Vanwalls. Notable exhibits include the 1936 twin engined 500 bhp Alfa Romeo Bimotore which has a top speed of 200mph, Jim Clark's World Championship winning Lotus 25, the 'howling' flat 12 Ferrari 312B, and Stirling Moss's Lotus, in which he defeated the might of the Ferrari works team in the 1961 Monaco Grand Prix.
The Collection also features the World's largest collection of Driver's Helmets.
A Collection as special and impressive as the Donington Grand Prix Collection needs a very special person behind it. That person is Tom Wheatcroft.
As a schoolboy enthusiast, Tom Wheatcroft was present at the Donington Grands Prix of 1937 and 1938, which were won by Bernd Rosemeyer and Tazio Nuvolari respectively, both in works Auto Unions. It was from these early days that his passion for motor sport was born.
In the early 1970's Donington was still in a dilapidated and neglected state following its use as a military vehicle depot during the war. Tom, by now a successful builder, was in a position to buy the land upon which the circuit stood.
With amazing enterprise, he upgraded and re-routed the circuit, to accommodate the required safety legislation, and a large number of hospitality suites were incorporated, to enhance the circuit's facilities for an ever growing leisure market. Racing eventually returned to Donington Park in 1977.
Tom also placed on display a number of racing cars which he had acquired over the years. This was the beginning of the Donington Grand Prix Collection, which first opened to the public in March 1973. Since that time, Tom continues his world-wide search for cars to display in the ever expanding Collection, and many of the comments in the Collection's visitors' book are testimony to his efforts.
For information on just a small selection of cars in the Donington Grand Prix Collection, go to 'Take a lap'.
The story of Tom Wheatcroft and Donington Park by Tom Wheatcroft with Mike Cable and Foreword by Murray Walker OBE.
All copies will be signed by Tom Wheatcroft, and numbered.
For more than half a century Tom Wheatcroft has been one of the most colourful...
