Editing Brooklands (section)

==Brooklands Museum==
{{main|Brooklands Museum}}
In 1987, [[Brooklands Museum]] Trust was formed with Sir Peter G Masefield as Chairman, and began to record, research, preserving and interpret all aspects the site's heritage. The Museum project began after a highly successful temporary exhibition about Brooklands was staged in 1977 by Elmbridge Museum in Weybridge and, with support from British Aerospace, Elmbridge Borough Council, Gallaher Ltd and many dedicated individuals, this led to the selection of a 30-acre heritage site in the northeast corner of Brooklands, by the old Paddock and Finishing Straight. As well as organising numerous aviation, motoring and other events since the mid-1980s, the Museum also staged regular fly-ins for visiting light aircraft from 1991 to 2003 using the northern half of the original tarmac runway and staffed these events with an all-volunteer team.

Brooklands made a notable [[Television|TV]] appearance when it featured in the 1990 'The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim' episode of ''[[Agatha Christie's Poirot]]'', when [[Hercule Poirot]] investigates a crime committed involving a racing driver. The banking of Brooklands was also used as a 'road location' in an episode of ''[[The Bill]]'' where the CID foiled an armed robbery and resulted in a 'shoot out'. On 1 November 2015, Brooklands was featured in an episode of the British series ''[[Downton Abbey]]'', although the scenes were actually filmed at the [[Goodwood Circuit]]. American car enthusiast Barry Meguiar (President and CEO of Meguiar's) has featured the Brooklands on his [[Speed Channel]] show ''[[Car Crazy]]''.

[[File:Mercedes-Benz World 2007.jpg|thumb|300px|Mercedes-Benz World at Brooklands.]]
In early 2004 the central area of Brooklands including the hard runway and parts of the remaining circuit were sold to [[DaimlerChrysler]] UK Retail and [[Mercedes-Benz World]] opened to the public on 29 October 2006. This development incorporates a vehicle test tracks (including part of the original Campbell Circuit) and an off-road circuit. Also included is a conference centre and extensive Mercedes-Benz showrooms.

Following significant earlier work by The Brooklands Society (not part of Brooklands Museum), certain buildings (including the 1907 [[British Automobile Racing Club|BARC]] Clubhouse, the 1911 Flight Ticket Office and the 1932 Brooklands Aero Clubhouse), structures and remaining sections of the Track first became the subject of preservation orders from 1975 and this legal protection was reviewed by [[English Heritage]] and increased by the [[Department for Culture, Media and Sport|DCMS]] in 2002). A draft Brooklands Conservation Plan was instigated by English Heritage and prepared in 2003 for DaimlerChrysler by DCUK consultants Terence O'Rourke. A Brooklands Heritage Partnership (BHP) was formed in 2010 as an informal partnership of Brooklands Museum, Elmbridge Borough Council, English Heritage and Surrey County Council, to address increasing conservation issues and concerns. In April 2013, a £32,540 grant was secured from English Heritage (now [[Historic England]]) to enable the BHP to appoint professional consultants to research and compile a comprehensive reference document on all aspects of Brooklands' heritage. A draft version of this new document was available for public consultation via Elmbridge Borough Council and Brooklands Museum from July to August 2017.

On 25 September 2013, the last flying VC10 - an RAF K.3 tanker, serial number ZA147 (originally built as a Super VC10 airliner) - made its final flight from RAF Brize Norton to Bruntingthorpe Airfield, this being the end of the type's remarkable 51-year career. Although this aeroplane is due to be scrapped, on the previous day its sister, ZA150, was acquired by Brooklands Museum for preservation at nearby Dunsfold Aerodrome and was delivered there by an RAF 101 Squadron crew. This was the last VC10 built - first flown from Brooklands on 16 February 1970, originally delivered to East African Airways and also one of the last complete aircraft manufactured at Brooklands - the last complete aircraft to be built there, BAC 1-11 D-ANNO, first flew on 19 December 1970. The retirement of these two VC10s also ended a 100-year period of Brooklands-built aeroplanes operated by the British armed forces.