Scots £25m motorsport plan closer 02 | 08 | 2017

THE BUILDING OF a new £25 million Scottish National Motorsport Heritage Centre, at the historic Rest and Be Thankful hillclimb and rally stage in Argyll, has moved forward today with confirmation of plans to form a charitable Trust.

A steering group has been guiding the plans for the multi-million-pound project to create an underground centre to display cars and pay tribute to the Scottish motorsport heroes of the past and present.

The latest developments come just over a year after the initial plans were launched in June last year. (Related: Plans launched for new £25m Scottish National Motorsport Heritage Centre)

In the newly-dugout ‘cavern’, 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.

The centre would be set into the hillside near the classic hairpin at the top of the Rest and would involve tunnelling hundreds of tons of rock.

An exhibition of the plans and a scale model of the centre opened today at the Lighthouse arts and architectural centre in Glasgow, and over the next two months the public is being asked for their comments and support for the project.

The project is the brainchild of Douglas Anderson, the Dundee man responsible for the return of the Monte Carlo Rally to Scotland over recent years.

His vision is that the centre, set within the dramatic hillside, would breathe new life into the popular stopping place and bring tourism spend and jobs to local communities as well as acknowledge the Rest as one of the most important motorsport locations in Scotland.

"The location of the proposed building at the Rest and Be Thankful, Argyll, has great significance in motorsport terms because of the famous hill climb races and international rallies,” Anderson explained.

“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. It is therefore the ideal place to celebrate Scotland's impressive motorsport heritage.

"The idea is to mark that connection within a permanent exhibition space, but the project is much more than that. The building would be a multi-use facility which could be used by the local community for film, business and cultural events and there would also be retail and a restaurant area.

"There would be jobs in the construction phase and full and part-time local jobs when complete.”

The proposed building has been designed by award-winning architects Kennedy Twaddle Architectural Design to utilise the stunning vista at the summit of the glen, already a favourite stopping place for tourists.

Although the company is based in London, two of the four specialists are Scottish and three of them trained at Duncan of Jordanstone College in Dundee, where one of them is still based, working on among other projects, part of the V&A Museum on the city’s riverfront.

The concept has already been given the backing of Sir Jackie Stewart, John Cleland and veteran Scottish rally driver Jimmy McRae.

The former British Rally Champion, and father of world champion Colin and brother Alister, said it would be a fantastic attraction and tribute to Scotland’s place in international motorsport.

“The Rest is known around the world as one of the classic rally stages and is renowned by drivers and motorsport enthusiasts alike,” Jimmy, who still holds the record for the fastest run down the Rest and Be Thankful Rally stage, said.

“This project is a tremendous initiative which would acknowledge the important part Scotland has played in international motorsport over many years.”

Discussions with officials from Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, VisitScotland, Transport Scotland, MSPs and local politicians have been positive, with tourism chiefs aware the attraction would bring something unique to the area.

"This is a really innovative idea; a visitor centre taking in the stunning scenery of the Rest and Be Thankful would surely be very popular,” Councillor Aileen Morton, Leader of Argyll and Bute Council, said.

“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."

The glass-fronted building is designed to sit below car parking and architects Chris Twaddle and Gary Kennedy say the attraction is respectful of the natural beauty of the site.

"We wanted it to be sympathetic to its context,” Kennedy who has been working on the plans for the past five years, said, “but we also wanted to frame the view and accentuate the natural amphitheatre of the valley. It is subtly quiet but exciting, visually.”

The challenge now is to bolster support for the project and generate financial backing.

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Jim McGill