Only three companies still build cars in Coventry-Jaguar, Peugeot and London Taxis International (makers of the black cab)-but Littlewood reckons that over the last 100 years, the city has been home to 136 car and commercial vehicle builders. The sheer scale of the museum is certainly impressive-it is twice the size of the UK's next largest transport museum, and the 240 cars, commercial vehicles and buses are insured for 25M.
Visitors are led through a chronological history of the city's transport industry, and during peak times live performers recreate life in a bygone age. Anna Lewis plays Annie Johnston, a metalworker in the Shadow factory, the forerunner of Jaguar Cars. "In 1942 Shadow was supporting the war effort, and I work at a lathe machining aeroplane parts," Lewis explained. "I had to research the part, and visitors can ask me questions about my life in the factory." Lewis will "stay in character whenever possible," but there are limits to her role. "If someone asks where the toilets are, you're not allowed to say there aren't any," she said with a laugh.
The historical set pieces are entertaining, but some of the best stories are told through the exhibits. "Some of the cars have had incredible lives," said Littlewood, who has worked at the museum for more than 20 years. "We have a 1907 Standard that was found in a tobacco farm in Australia in 1957. It was being used as a chicken coup, but the Standard factory recovered it, brought it back to England and restored it."
A 1931 Singer Van was found in a derelict barn. "It had a tree growing up through it," recalled Littlewood, "and we had to cut the tree down before we could rescue the car."
Steve Bagley has been the museum's curator for the past 5 years, and he's spent the last 18 months enlarging and enhancing the vehicle collection. He reckons there are four ways in which a museum acquires new artifacts: "Some people just dump them and run; some people loan them and want to be acknowledged; some people sell them to us; and some people donate them as bereavements."
What does he mean by "dumping and running?"
"Sometimes people just turn up at the back door and leave old bicycles," he said. "We also get lots of spares. Cardboard boxes arrive full of radiator hoses, hubcaps and lamps. We don't always know what to do with them."
Even some of the museum's more valuable exhibits have arrived under strange circumstances. "My favorite car is a 1962 Triumph Italia," continued Bagley. "I got a call in my office one day telling me that there was a guy downstairs who wanted to loan us his car.
"He'd shipped the Triumph over from Canada, and after driving it around Britain, he'd decided that he wanted to leave it on display. The Customs officers couldn't understand why he didn't want to take it back to Canada, and it took me 6 months of negotiations to sort it out." The car has been faithfully preserved, and even his teddy bears still live on the back seat, exactly where he left them.
Some cars are so historically important that the museum is prepared to buy them. Its purchases include a red Austin Mini Metro. This is the so-called "courting car" that belonged to Lady Diana Spencer when she first went out with Prince Charles. "Somebody rang up one day and asked if we'd like to buy it," recalled Littlewood. "We already had one of Queen Mary's cars and George VI's state car, so we thought it would make a nice contrast. That was before they divorced." The Metro is incredibly spartan-it doesn't even have a radio.
The museum's most prized assets were also purchased. "In 1985 we won a competition to display Thrust 2, Richard Noble's Land Speed Record car," explained Littlewood. "Then in 1992, when he decided to sell it to finance the Thrust SSC project, we managed to raise the 200,000 ($359,000) needed to buy it." A few years later, the museum paid almost 700,000 ($1.25M) for Thrust SSC, which remains the only car ever to break the sound barrier.
The presentation of both Thrust models is accompanied by a video depicting the record-breaking runs. In the case of the SSC, there is also a simulator ride that seeks to recreate the sensations of travelling at Mach 1. A computer-generated image of the run is accompanied by in-car footage of the driver, Flight Lieutenant Andy Green, applying corrective steering at 700 mph. "Andy Green helped us develop it," said Littlewood. "He reckons it's 98% accurate-the other 2% is adrenaline, and you can't simulate that."
The museum is free to enter (although visitors are pointed towards a large shop), and Littlewood is hoping to attract 250,000 visitors each year from across the world. Coventry is close to Oxford and Stratford-both of which are popular tourist destinations for American visitors-and the city also boasts a magnificent modern cathedral, which was built after German bombs destroyed the original. Any car nut planning a British tour this summer could do worse than schedule a trip to the museum-if only to sniff the artificial horse dung.
European First Look: Smart forfourRemarkably and disappointingly conventionalAfter a desperately troubled conception, smart has become DaimlerChrysler's prodigal son. The range, which 2 years ago compromised no more than a tiny city car, has expanded to include a funky new roadster and a sensible five-door hatchback. The latter, called the forfour, has just gone on sale across Europe and aims to pinch sales from both conventional hatchbacks, such as the VW Polo, and "lifestyle" alternatives, such as the ever-popular MINI. Significantly for U.S. buyers, it will also form the basis of the upcoming smart formore SUV, which will be sold in North America.
The arrival of the forfour presented smart's marketers with something of a problem. Until now, the brand has been built around novelty and innovation-the city coupe (newly re-christened the fortwo) is a tiny two-seater that can be parked lengthways to the sidewalk, while the roadster offers low-budget sporting thrills. But the forfour is different-this is a front-engined, front-wheel-drive hatchback from a conventional mold. It will not seduce with its innovation.
Instead, smart's boffins reckon that buyers will fall for its premium image and distinctive design. smart has become Mercedes' answer to MINI and is now described as the funky, youthful arm of the DaimlerChrysler empire. This "image" is reflected in the design. The forfour builds on smart's trademark use of a visible "Tridion" safety cell, on to which contrasting plastic panels are hung. The styling is bold and contemporary, and it neatly avoids the trap of looking too feminine. smart claims 30 different exterior color combinations, which should keep the fashion set happy.
The interior is, to these eyes at least, even more of a success. Decent quality plastics, clever use of fabric and a charming design combine to create a fascia that's good to look at and ergonomically efficient. It feels a cut above other European superminis and rivals the MINI for designer chic. But unlike the MINI, it's also spacious and practical. There's plenty of space for four people, and the rear seat splits, tumbles or slides to the benefit of passenger or parcel.
Smart salespeople will also be making a big noise about the car's "lounge" facility. The front seats can be folded down to merge with those in the rear and form a makeshift double bed. There are even a couple of cushions that can be propped against the doorframe. The idea is hardly new-the Renault Twingo offered this facility years ago-and it smacks of a desperate attempt to offer some novelty value. At least the adolescents will like it.
Three petrol engines are available for now-a 75-bhp 1.1 liter, a 95-bhp 1.3 liter and a 109-bhp 1.5 liter-all of which are brand-new and sourced from Mitsubishi. The two three-cylinder turbodiesel engines (which were unavailable for test) are Mercedes-sourced, boast 1.5 liters and generate 68 bhp and 95 bhp, respectively. Next summer will see the launch of a Brabus version with a 150-bhp, 1.5-liter turbo engine.