Beaulieu and The National Motor Museum

This weekend my man and I decided to go down to the south of England, to check out something I had been wanting to see for ages- The National Motor Museum. Now, I'm not car obsessed, I can give you very little info about my own car, much less others. But, there was a whole exhibit there that I couldn't wait to see. More on that later. (See what I did there? Left a little bait to keep you hooked for the whole post. What kind of exhibit would a lil Southern girl be so excited about? You'll just have to wait and see!)


We headed out on the motorcycle around 10:30, with a two hour drive ahead of us. Unfortunately, Saturday was the hottest, most beautiful day of the year in England. This was bad for 2 reasons- 1. we were wearing heavy motorcycle armor, and 2. every family decided that it was a good day to go to the beach. Luckily, in the UK, motorcycles are allowed to filter (go through traffic) so what for the cars must have been closer to 3 or 4 hours, took the planned 2 for us.

First, the village of Beaulieu. Adorable, quaint, charming. Tiny. Population of less than 900 people. I noticed, in what I saw of the village (and I'm fairly certain that was all of it) only 1 pub, 2 restaurants, 2 knick knack shops, a post office, and a hotel. And a lot of animals. Yes, I saw more horses, donkeys, and cows walking around the village than there were buildings in the village. I noticed brandings on some of the animals, so obviously they are owned by someone. What I assume is a set up similar to the Half-Wild Connemara Ponies in Ireland- they let the animals loose to roam where they please when they are not using them, then round them up when they need them. Not such a bad setup, if you don't mind having to scour the countryside when you want to go for a ride.

The other interesting thing about this village was the number of rare, expensive, classic, brand-new, amazing cars and bikes in and around the area. Obviously this is due to the Museum, but there was something cool about seeing an old, Model A type classic followed on the road by a brand-new Audi or BMW. Like I said, I don't know a ton about cars, but I know enough to appreciate something good when I see it!

The National Motor Museum

This museum is any car enthusiasts dream. While the majority of the vehicles it contains are of British origin, it boasts a wide selection of 2 and 4 wheeled means of transportation from around the world. Some are old, some are new. Some are originals, some re-creations. All shiny, restored, and fabulous.

The iconic Chitty Chitty Bang Bang! Yes of course, we did start singing the theme song as we walked by.

Such a great variety from all eras of car creation.

Representing the good 'ole US of A :-)

Even a car that is shaped like an orange. Several people commented, as they walked by, that they remembered seeing this "car" on the road when they were younger.

Just a couple of the vehicles that made land speed records. No big deal. 

The ever popular, time travelling DeLorean! Ok, not the original, but still fascinating to see.

And what was the part of this museum that had me so excited to visit? Not the Top Gear display (though it was intriguing), not the History of Tyres (that's tires to us..), not even Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (sorry chap).

Bond in Motion! 

That's right, an exhibition purely devoted to the suave, debonair protector of the Queen and England's assets.. James Bond! 

I love 007. I grew up watching the movies, have never lost a game of 007 Scene It (DVD game) and even have my own Walther PPK (what do you expect, I'm from the South!). 

This exhibit was extremely interesting and most definitely worth the hype. It wasn't just all the Aston Martins, Rolls Royces, BMWs, and Jaguars that made it great.

It was the inclusion of other "vehicles" Bond had used throughout the last 22 movies (and even ones from number 23!). The crocodile sub he used in Octopussy. The Hovercraft from Die Another Day. Q's Boat from The World Is Not Enough. All there.

Another thing that made the exhibit special was the ambience of the show. Different rooms had clips of movies playing, special lighting, and sounds. All together, and extremely well made homage to the great hero of the Isles.

That being said, the exhibition was not perfect. The tagline is "50 cars, 50 years" and they say it is the "largest official collection of original Bond vehicles". I have no doubt of that. While the show has a great variety of vehicles from different movies, it does not have every one, or even something from every movie. A little disappointing, for those of us who are more interested in the original movies (Sean Connery is #1!) than the new ones, but not at all surprising. It seems reasonable that one of the 7 2006 Aston Martin DBSs used in Quantum of Solace would be easier to acquire than the 1961 Sunbeam Alpine from Dr. No. Still, the traffic, money, and time was all worth it to see the exhibition.

For more information, and a full list of cars, check out the museums site: http://www.beaulieu.co.uk/attractions/bond-in-motion

Beaulieu Palace
Along with entrance to The National Motor Museum, you get access to the Palace and grounds. The palace was originally part of the Abbey built in Beaulieu in the 13th century.

It has been owned by the Montagu family since 1538. Parts of the house are opened to the public, and apparently the current Lord and Lady Montagu still live there.

The home is gothic in design, and quite beautiful. Family portraits line the walls, as well as statues and priceless family heirlooms. The grounds are well landscaped and gorgeous.


The price to attend the museum and palace was £20 per person ( £18 if you booked online ahead of time), which is $30. A tad expensive, especially for a place in the middle of nowhere. However, the trip was well worth it for the exhibitions and grounds. Also, if you return within 6 days, you can go in again for free! Not to mention free entrance to the grounds ( with discounted admission to the museum) for a year. If you like cars, I definitely suggest Beaulieu as a place to visit on a trip to England.