Formula One legend Sir Jackie Stewart has asked motor sport enthusiasts across the world to back a £300,000 crowdfunding campaign for a new Jim Clark Museum in honour of the Fife born racing star.
The campaign was announced alongside the unveiling of Jim Clark’s historic 1965 Lotus 33 R11 at at Race Retro 2017.
Jim Clark inspired a generation with his courage and skill behind the wheel, and his dignified and humble personality when not racing. Widely regarded as one of the greatest motor racing drivers of all time, he became a national hero and international icon of the 1960s.
The Jim Clark Trust, working in partnership with Scottish Borders Council, aims to build a new expanded Jim Clark Museum in 2018 celebrating his life and legacy 50 years on from the tragedy of 1968 at Hockenheim that stunned the world.
The plans have been made possible thanks to Scottish Borders Council’s commitment of capital funding towards the building design and infrastructure. The Council has pledged £620,000 towards the new £1.6m museum with a further £645,000 support from the Heritage Lottery Fund with Stage 1 Development phase approved and the Stage 2 Delivery build programme pending.
£300,000 is now required to give the green light to the Delivery build phase to redevelop the existing Jim Clark Room in Duns into a modern museum with space to display new memorabilia and two of Jim Clark’s race cars.
The campaign was launched at Race Retro alongside Jim Clark’s iconic 1965 Lotus 33 R11 as it made its first public appearance in over 40 years, with the potential to exhibit the restored race car in the new museum once complete.
The Jim Clark Trust is now seeking support from motor racing fans across the world to get behind the charity fundraising drive for the new museum by donating to the appeal via Crowdfunder.co.uk at www.crowdfunder.co.uk/jim-clark-museum. The campaign will run for only eight weeks with all pledges having to be submitted by April 21to meet the aim of raising the full £300,000 target.
If this target is reached successfully and with popular support, the Trust’s ambition is to then consider a further £300,000 for an extension to the rear of the building to display up to 10 cars or more for a wider celebration of Scottish motor sport.
