A new-look, £320,000 visitor centre at a popular north-east motoring museum has gone down a storm on its opening weekend.
The Grampian Transport Museum (GTM), near Alford, opened its doors for the 2016 season with hundreds turning up to have a look around the upgraded facilities.
Staff and volunteers raised the thousands of pounds required to redevelop and upgrade the entrance and visitor centre in the past few years, with the work taking place throughout the winter months.
It opened last Friday with the inaugural display of champion racer and TV personality Guy Martin’s machines – which attracted much of the attention.
His 1942 Rolls Royce Merlin engine, used in World War II Spitfires, and three of his cherished motorcycles were on display.
The GTM’s front end has been expanded and modernised with an educational space, display area and cafe inside.
With the upgrade complete, the management at the museum have their fingers crossed VisitScotland will upgrade them from a four-star to a five-star attraction.
Marketing and events organiser for the GTM, Martyn Smith, said: “It is an incredibly important development. What we saw on Friday was a highly improved welcome for our visitors.
“First and foremost, it is for the visitors, it will help our front of house team, it is a vastly-improved space. It is much more visible as you walk through our arch gate. You know what you are letting yourself in for.
“It has been a long time in coming, and there has been a lot of fundraising. A lot of that was really vindicated on Friday. It is a massive step forward.”
He added: “It has been a very busy opening weekend. There are some Guy Martin fans who have been in already. We think it is going to be a good season for us.”
On the walls of the new-look museum, for the first time, was a photograph dating back to July 1896, which portrays the first car to visit the north-east – which was purchased by an Aberdeenshire doctor.
The image, which captured the moment the car rolled into Alford’s high street, was thought to be lost to history until the museum launched a successful plea for a hard copy through the Press and Journal.
Later this month, the GTM’s Next of Kin exhibition will get underway – an exploration of the impact of World War I on Scots families.
