New Scottish motorsport centre 16 | 06 | 2016
A NEW MULTI-MILLION pound Scottish motorsport heritage centre is being planned for the top of the historic Rest and Be Thankful hillclimb and rally stage. But the project — which some figures suggest will cost between £20-£25 million — will only get the green flag if the necessary funds can be raised.
The centre, which would sit in a stunning location at the head of the glen, would involve tunnelling into the hillside near the classic hairpin at the top of Rest and Be Thankful. It’s in the newly-dugout ‘cavern’ where a display of cars would be housed paying tribute to Scottish motorsport heroes of the past, and present.
Legendary names such as Formula One world champions, Jim Clark and Jackie Stewart, as well as grand prix winner David Coulthard, would be included in the display.
So too would World Rally Champion Colin McRae; four-times IndyCar champ and three-times Indy500 winner Dario Franchitti; three-times Le Mans 24-Hours winner Allan McNish, and double British Touring Car Championship winner John Cleland.
And it was the BTCC champ who opened a new exhibition in Helensburgh where the detailed plans for the new heritage centre were revealed.
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The project is the brainchild of Douglas Anderson, the man responsible for the return of the Monte Carlo Rally to Scotland in 2011. Anderson hopes the building will breathe new life into the popular viewpoint and stopping place, as well as boosting tourism and jobs.
“The location has great significance in motorsport terms because of the famous hillclimb races,” Anderson said. “It was seen as the ultimate test for drivers in many ways because of the steepness and conditions, and many greats like Jackie Stewart raced there.
“The idea is to mark that connection within a permanent exhibition space but the project itself is more. The building will be a multi-use facility which could be used by the local community for film, business and cultural events and there will also be retail and a restaurant area.”
Meetings have already been held with Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, VisitScotland, Transport Scotland, MSPs and local politicians.
“This is a really innovative idea,” Aileen Morton, Argyll and Bute Council’s policy lead for tourism, said. “A visitor centre taking in the stunning scenery of the Rest and Be Thankful would surely be very popular. The council is supportive of anything which takes advantage of the area’s natural beauty.
“If Douglas Anderson’s vision can be realised, we would welcome the additional tourists the attraction would bring into the area.”
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Cleverly nestling within the contours of the mountainside, the proposed glass-fronted building — designed to sit below the current car parking — has been designed by KennedyTwaddle Architectural Design.
It’s worth highlighting that though the company is based in London, not only are two of the four specialists Scottish, but three of them trained at Duncan of Jordanstone College in Dundee, where one of them is still based.
Award-winning architectural designers, Greenock-born Chris Twaddle, and Gary Kennedy, believe the attraction is respectful of the natural beauty of the site.
“We wanted it to be sympathetic to its context but we also wanted to frame the view and accentuate the natural amphitheatre of the valley,” Kennedy, who has been working on the plans for the past four years, said. “It is subtly quiet but exciting, visually.”
While there is no question the heritage centre has a huge potential to become an international attraction — probably within five years — the project now faces a massive challenge to generate and raise the required funds to cover the building costs.
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Jim McGill