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| 1991 McLaren MP4-6 show car |
On arrival, we were greeted by the guides, who split us into smaller groups. The weather was threatening rain, but the stopping points are mainly inside. We saw a few old F1 cars — a replica of James Hunt's championship car included, and Ayrton Senna's McLaren. A lot of aeroplane engines and aeroplanes. The highlight being the Hawker Hurricane, and the Rolls-Royce Merlin. There were more Hurricanes in WWII and at the Battle of Britain, than there were spitfires. That was because the company took a risk and prepared for the big order they were hoping for before it was signed. It meant there were enough planes in the sky to win the fight.
We also saw the test chamber where planes and other vehicles could be tested at very low temperatures and very low air pressures. We learnt that Barnes-Wallace was a dedicated family man and saw his office — from the outside.
The tour ended outside on the pit straight, in clear view of the awesome and terrifying banking; it's there because they couldn't test the speed without it, being unable to corner well on the narrow, primitive tyres of the day.
We ate our lunch undercover because the drizzle had started, then queued for way too long for a cup of tea. We now had not-long-enough before the Concorde experience. We visited the bus museum and paid homage to the Routemaster, among others. Waiting for the Concorde, the heavens opened, so we 'hid' under the plane.
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| Concorde 003 |
The experience felt hurried; it was well put together and good to see how Concorde looked to its passengers. There was much to look at and read, but the narrow gangway and the number of people meant I did not get to see most of it. The 'flight experience' was underwhelming in today's simulator world.
On the return journey, there were RTCs on both the southern and northern routes on the M25, so we took a route inside the motorway. The journey time approached 4 hours, I'm so glad I wasn't driving.
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