Beaulieu gears up for autumn series

The National Motor Museum at Beaulieu has announced its line-up of guest speakers for this year’s autumn series lectures.

Kicking the series off on Saturday 22 October, guest speaker Mac Hulbert will speak of his passion for historic cars, which led him to participate in The Road to R4D.

The academic, who was professor of international marketing at Columbia University in Manhattan, will explain how he came to own and race a huge variety of vehicles including the ERA R4D from 2001 to 2015.

Hulbert raced ERA R4D extensively, setting records at Shelsley Walsh and Prescott, writing many business books before his long-awaited and thoroughly researched ERA: The Autobiography of R4D.

As a professional speaker and former custodian of ERA R4D, Hulbert will reveal the history behind the vehicle and his legendary racing career. Copies of his book will also be on sale at the event in the Lecture Theatre of the National Motor Museum Trust Collections Centre at Beaulieu.

On Saturday 19 November, museum guide Sarah Crofts will tell the story of Women in Motorsport. Her passion for racing originated from family-run business, Skinners Motor Dealers of Hastings, which was bought by her grandfather Frank Hickman in 1913.

Crofts has researched and compiled a tour for the National Motor Museum, which focuses on 100 years of women’s achievements in motorsport, including the discovery of her fascinating finds. Crofts will tell the enthralling stories of the pioneering women who dared to ‘take on the men’ and prove themselves in a male-dominated sport.

Last, but not least, on Saturday 3 December museum manager and chief engineer Doug Hill will give his own unique insight into some of the most iconic vehicles in the National Motor Museum Collection during his talk, Under the Bonnet Again.

Hill, who has made the museum his life’s work, offers the chance to see and hear some of the vehicles which have made motoring history. After joining Beaulieu as a 16-year-old apprentice, over the years Hill accompanied the late Edward Lord Montagu on numerous rallies across the world, piloting many of the museum’s vehicles.

Hill’s outstanding achievement in the field of international automobilism was recently rewarded by the presentation of the prestigious Guild of Motoring Writers’ President’s Trophy, as he followed in the footsteps of previous winners Sir Jackie Stewart, John Surtees, Ron Dennis and Charles Morgan.

The October and November lecture evenings will begin at 7.30pm in the Lecture Theatre of the National Motor Museum Collections Centre, while the December evening will take place in the museum.