Our Story

The idea to create a museum that shared a passion for the car began with John Haynes OBE and his wife, Annette Haynes.

John was the founder of Haynes Publishing and creator of the Haynes Owners Workshop manuals which floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1979. He also collected cars that appealed to him, beginning with a 1930 Morris Oxford Six saloon. By the early 1980s his collection had expanded considerably and he made the decision to found the Museum and donate the vehicles to the Museum charity.

John bought a disused sawmill in Sparkford in 1984 and it was here that, in July 1985, the Museum opened with a collection of 35 cars. The Museum grew over time, with new exhibition halls built as John continued to add to the collection and funded for the continuing development and growth. John never tired of speaking with visitors about how the manuals helped them.

By the time John passed away in 2019, the Museum had become a world renowned institution and his legacy is clear to see. The Museum set out to engage people to feel empowered to learn about the history of the automobile as a platform for engineering and science. Since its inception, the Museum has aspired to adapt and change in Museum practice, not least in the development of exhibition display and interpretation. Following a comprehensive review in 2020, the Museum embarked on a transformative journey of change to ensure the future relevance to a broader audience and accessibility for all.

Photos shown: John Haynes, aged 16, sitting proudly in his newly completed Austin Seven Special, John and his family sat in John's first Rolls Royce, the Phantom II, staff posing outside the Museum in the late 1980s, John Haynes admiring the Benz Replica-Motorwagen outside of the Museum and John Haynes in front of the American Dream Exhibition.