ThrustSSC and Thrust2
The fastest car in history, which broke the sound barrier in 1997 at 763 mph, displayed beside the holder of the previous record.
The fastest car ever built is not in Las Vegas or a Ferrari showroom. It sits in a quiet hall in the middle of Coventry. ThrustSSC broke the sound barrier on Nevada's Black Rock Desert in October 1997 at more than 763 mph, a record nobody has touched since, and beside it stands its older sibling Thrust2, holder of the previous record from 1983. Standing beneath those two jet engines bolted to what is technically a car is the moment that justifies the train ride from Birmingham; everything else in the building is a pleasant bonus. The bonuses are substantial: over 240 cars and commercial vehicles, a hundred motorcycles and two hundred bicycles, all British-made and most of them born in Coventry itself, back when this city was Britain's Detroit. Jaguar, Daimler, Triumph, Hillman and Rover are laid out chronologically from Victorian carriages through black cabs and city buses to concept cars that never reached production. The bicycle section surprises more than you expect, because Coventry was the cycle-making capital of the world before it thought about cars at all. Entry was free for years; it now costs adults £15.50 booked online or £17 at the door, with a family-of-four ticket at £38.50 online, and a rare perk: every ticket is valid for unlimited return visits for a full year. Advance booking is optional and even in the summer holidays queues are rarely worth mentioning. The 4D land-speed simulator is £3 per person or £10 for a family of four, runs from 11:00 to 16:00 and has only a handful of seats per ride, so book it at the desk the moment you arrive. The whole building is step-free and pushchair-friendly, with lifts between the two floors, baby-changing facilities and a café. From Birmingham the train takes about 20 minutes from New Street to Coventry, followed by a 15-minute walk through the city centre; by car allow around 40 minutes via the A45 and park at Bishop Street or Belgrade Plaza, since the museum has no car park of its own. It opens Tuesday to Sunday 10:00-17:00 with last entry at 16:30 (the museum advises arriving before 15:00), and is closed on Mondays except bank holidays. Give it two to three hours, then finish the day at the bombed-out ruins of Coventry Cathedral a few minutes' walk away; together they make an ideal rainy half-day out of Birmingham.
The fastest car in history, which broke the sound barrier in 1997 at 763 mph, displayed beside the holder of the previous record.
More than 240 British cars from Jaguar, Daimler, Triumph and Hillman, plus two hundred bicycles from the era when Coventry was the world's cycle capital.
A £3 ride that recreates the supersonic run, running 11:00 to 16:00 with limited seats, so book it on arrival.
Millennium Place, Hales Street, Coventry CV1 1JD
Yes, if anyone in the family cares about cars: the whole outing is half a day by train, the museum is step-free and pushchair-friendly, and the simulator delights younger kids. If cars mean nothing to you, Birmingham's own Thinktank science museum is closer and better for small children, and Coventry is worth visiting for the cathedral ruins instead.
Gaydon has a bigger, deeper collection for serious enthusiasts, but it sits in the countryside about 45 minutes' drive from Birmingham and costs about the same. Coventry is reachable by train, holds the two Thrust cars nothing else can match, and pairs easily with a historic city centre. For an ordinary family, Coventry is enough; for someone who cannot get enough of cars, go to Gaydon.