Richard Hammond’s famous ‘Desert DB9’ joins ‘Oliver’ the Opel Kadet at Haynes Motor Museum’s new ‘DriveTribe’ exhibition

Published: 18/06/2024

The Aston Martin DB9 driven across the Sahara Desert by Richard Hammond in ‘The Grand Tour: Sand Job’ is among the star cars at a new DriveTribe exhibition at Haynes Motor Museum officially opening on Monday 24th June.

The new feature showcases cars, engines, digital and video content from Richard Hammond’s hugely successful DriveTribe social networking.

Alongside the heavily-modified and desert sand-blasted DB9 other iconic TV cars on display include ‘Oliver’ the 1962 Opel Kadet driven by Richard in the Top Gear Botswana Special, a 1998 Mazda MX5 Mk2 owned by DriveTribe presenter Mike Fernie, a 1971 Buick Riviera from the Grand Tour: Lochdown episode, and a Chevrolet SSR from The Grand Tour: Eurocrash.

The exhibition also features a V10 engine and a mix of digital and non-digital interpretation, interactive features and a photo opportunity.

Starting in 2017 as a social media platform founded by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May, DriveTribe has evolved to become one of the biggest automotive media outlets and communities in the industry. 

Known mainly for its YouTube channel featuring Richard Hammond, Mike Fernie, Ben Collins and Izzy Hammond, it now has over 2.6m subscribers.

The exhibition comes off the back of the DriveTribe Live event which is set to happen for its second year at the Museum with those attending the sold out event having exclusive first access to the new ‘exhibition’ before it opens to all Museum visitors the following day.

All interpretation has been written and filmed by DriveTribe and features exclusive videos from Richard Hammond and the other presenters about each of the cars. 

“After the success of the live event here at the museum, we view this exhibition as a natural extension of our partnership, and we’re really pleased to offer fans, a chance to interact with what they see on screen in a real-life setting,” said Dave Murdoch, Managing Director at DriveTribe.

The exhibition is part of ongoing project to transform the Museum to be accessible for multiple audiences, not just enthusiasts – telling the stories behind the vehicles, their previous owners and social history. 

“We’re always looking for ways to widen our audience and engage with new visitors,” said Museum Curator Dr Luca Hoare.

“We want motoring heritage to be accessible to as many people as possible. This innovative feature is an amazing opportunity for the Museum to access a significant new audience,” she added.

The exhibition will change over time with the introduction of new features and content giving visitors the chance to see different cars and discover new stories.
Located just off the A303 at Sparkford in Somerset, Haynes Motor Museum is an independent registered charity and Arts Council England accredited museum.

The new exhibition is included within general Museum entry. Visitors can book online and save 10% plus revisit all year round for FREE.

•    Haynes Motor Museum, Sparkford, Nr. Yeovil, Somerset, BA22 7LH. Open 10am daily. For more information call 01963 440804 or visit www.haynesmotormuseum.org