Cars of the Stars Motor Museum explained

54.601°N -3.136°WThe Cars of the Stars Motor Museum was in the English town of Keswick, Cumbria, and owned a collection of celebrity television and film vehicles. The museum opened in and closed in . The sister site The Bond Museum in Keswick, with its over 30 original screen cars from the James Bond films, also closed at the same time.^[1]

Nearly all of the vehicles were sold to the American collector Michael Dezer.^[2] He relocated the collection to America, where he used it to establish a permanent Cars of the Stars exhibition at his Miami Auto Museum.^[3]

History

In 1982 the museum's founder, Peter Nelson, was approached for use of his MG TC in "The Spoils of War" television production. As a result, he formulated the idea of starting a motor museum with a focus on television and film-based vehicles. The Royal Oak Garage in central Keswick was purchased and refurbished to house the collection.

The museum opened to the public on 1 May 1989 and closed in May 2011.^[4] The museum's collection was relocated to the United States.

Collection

The collection included:

• A Ford Anglia 105E, which had been used during the filming of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
• Both of the two remaining A-Team GMC vans
• KITT (convertible) from Knight Rider
• Batmobiles from the various Batman related films and television series
• A DeLorean promotional replica from the Back to the Future films
• One of the original Mr. Bean MkIV Austin Minis. (A replica of this is also at the National Motor Museum)
• Laurel and Hardy's Model 'T' Ford
• A comprehensive collection of vehicles from the James Bond films including at least five Aston Martins and a variety of other James Bond cars such as the Lotus Esprit, Toyota 2000GT, AMC Matador,^[5] and a BSA motorcycle
• Chitty Chitty Bang Bang from the film of the same name
• The Mad Max film Pursuit Special Ford Falcon XB GT Coupe
• The Munsters' Munster Koach, a hot rod based on a lengthened 1923 Ford Model T chassis with a custom hearse body built by customizer George Barris
• A life-sized replica of FAB1 from the supermarionation television series Thunderbirds
• The Street Hawk Motorcycle
• The yellow Reliant Regal van used in Only Fools and Horses
• A Triumph Roadster 1800 as used in the detective series Bergerac
• A Herbie Volkswagen Beetle as used in the film series of the same name

Notes and References

1. Web site: The Bond Museum in Keswick closes its doors, collection moving to Miami . Bond News . 8 May 2011 . 26 January 2014.
2. Web site: Palm Beach Driving Club Founder Purchases The Cars of the Stars Museum Automobile Collection; Relocates 100 Cars to Miami . Club News . Palm Beach Driving Club . 30 June 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131102223804/http://www.palmbeachdrivingclub.com/news/1-club-news/31-palm-beach-driving-club-founder-purchases-the-cars-of-the-stars-museum-automobile-collection-relocates-100-cars-to-miami.html . 2 November 2013 . 26 January 2014.
3. Web site: Hollywood Cars of the Stars at Miami's Auto Museum . web page . Miami's Auto Museum at the Dezer Collection . 23 May 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20151107030403/http://www.dezercollection.com/museums/hollywood-cars-of-the-stars/ . 7 November 2015 . dmy-all .
4. Web site: Lake District's Bond Museum and Cars of the Stars close . BBC News . BBC . 10 May 2011 . 26 January 2014.
5. Web site: Bond's AMC Matador - the car that flies! Copyright:'The Bond Museum', Keswick. Taken with permission. . eucharisto deo . 7 April 2009 . flickr . 26 January 2014.