A charitable trust is being formed to push forward plans for a £25 million Scottish National Motorsport Heritage Centre at the Rest and Be Thankful in Argyll.
The Rest is a historic hill climb and rally stage on the A83 Tarbet to Campbeltown road.
Plans are underway to create an underground centre to display cars and pay tribute to the Scottish motorsport heroes of the past and present.
It would be set into the hillside near the classic hairpin at the top of the Rest and would involve tunnelling hundreds of tons of rock.
An exhibition of the plans and a scale model of the centre opens today at the Lighthouse arts and architectural centre in Glasgow and over the next two months members of the public are being asked for their comments on the project.
The motorsport heritage centre is the brainchild of Douglas Anderson, the Dundee man responsible for the return of the Monte Carlo Rally to Scotland over recent years. His vision is that the centre, set within the dramatic hillside, would breathe new life into the popular stopping place and bring tourism spend and jobs to local communities. It would also acknowledge the Rest as one of the most important motorsport locations in Scotland.
Mr Anderson said: “The location of the proposed building at Rest and Be Thankful, Argyll, has great significance in motorsport terms because of the famous hill climb races and international rallies.
“It was seen as the ultimate test for drivers in many ways because of the steepness and conditions and many greats like Jackie Stewart raced there. It is therefore the ideal place to celebrate Scotland’s impressive motorsport heritage.
“The idea is to mark that connection within a permanent exhibition space but the project itself is much more than that. The building would be a multi-use facility which could be used by the local community for film, business and cultural events and there would also be retail and a restaurant area.
“There would be jobs in the construction phase and full and part-time local jobs when complete.”
The proposed building has been designed by award-winning architects Kennedy Twaddle Architectural Design to “utilise the stunning vista” at the summit of the glen – already a popular stopping place.
Architects say that the glass-fronted building, designed to sit below car parking, is respectful of the natural beauty of the site.
