Buckle up for a road trip around Britain to discover more about its rich automotive history

British Motoring Museum

The British Motoring Museum, in Warwickshire, central England, reopened earlier this year, offering visitors an immersive look at the history of the British automotive industry. Why not stop off here first to discover its new collections centre, which features an additional 250 vehicles from the rare and vintage car reserves of the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust and the Jaguar Heritage Trust. It also provides an excellent starting place to buckle up for a.  www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk

See an iconic car being made

Jaguar is one of Britain's most iconic luxury car brands and offers tours of its two factories in Solihull and Castle Bromwich, in central England, around two hours' drive from London.

Both sites are 40 minutes' drive from the British Motoring Museum and offer car enthusiasts the chance to see how the brand's latest models are made.

Originally a motorcycle sidecar manufacturer, the company first started making cars under the Jaguar branding in 1935, with a 2.5 litre saloon and two sports models among its first vehicles. This is a world away from the high-tech factories of today, where visitors can see Jaguar's state of the art car manufacturing robots in action. It is advised to book in advance as tour places are limited.  www.jaguar.co.uk/experience-jaguar/factory-tours/index.html

Be James Bond for the day

Another of Britain's most famous car brands is Aston Martin, the luxury sports car that has been regularly seen in James Bond films, in particular the classic DB5 model that was first used by the secret agent on screen in 1964's Goldfinger.

Aston Martin has made available a performance-driving course to car enthusiasts using its iconic models, which also include the V12 Vantage S Coupe.

The course costs £1,500 a day and takes place at the Millbrook Proving Ground, near Bedford, 90 minutes' drive from London.  www.astonmartin.com/en/events#event=Driving+Course+-+Millbrook

Britain's oldest cars on the road

London to Brighton Veteran Car Run

Head out from London on to the Sussex coast for one of the best vintage car experiences in the world - the Bonhams London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. The event celebrates its 120th anniversary in 2016 and takes place each year on the first Sunday in November.

This car run involves pioneering, pre-1905 cars travelling from Hyde Park in the capital to make the 60-mile journey to the Sussex coast where they meet up on Brighton seafront. It is the largest parade of veteran cars in the world and at the 2015 event 380 cars took part.  www.veterancarrun.com

Regent Street Motor Show

Visitors are recommended to make the journey to London on the Saturday before the event when some of the vintage cars taking part will be on show at the Regent Street Motor Show, the largest free to view motor show in Britain. Here the West End shopping street is closed for a mile to showcase 125 years' worth of automotive history.  www.regentstreetmotorshow.com

Speed legends in action

Along the Sussex coast, 30 miles west of Brighton, lies the Goodwood Motor Circuit near Chichester. Each summer the circuit is the venue for the Goodwood Festival of Speed, where 150,000 visitors attend three days' worth of races to celebrate the history of motor racing.

Key events include a hill climb featuring classic Formula One cars and a forest rally stage.  www.grrc.goodwood.com/section/festival-of-speed

Motoring history in style

Make your next stop an hour's drive west past Southampton to Beaulieu, in the picturesque New Forest, Hampshire, south England. This stately home location houses the National Motor Museum, which has more than 250 cars on display. Among its top attractions is the legendary Bluebird, which was used by Sir Malcolm Campbell to set 1925's land speed record of 150 mph.  www.beaulieu.co.uk

Classic cars on a large scale

Ninety minutes' drive from the New Forest is the Haynes International Motor Museum, near Yeovil in Somerset, west England. This houses one of Britain's largest exhibitions of cars and bikes, with more than 400 vehicles on display, including models from classic British brands Bentley and Rolls Royce, as well as the Jaguar XJ220 super car.  www.haynesmotormuseum.com

Vintage cars in a breath-taking location

The Three Castles Vintage Rally takes place in June each year along one of north Wales' most dramatic coastlines, flanked by the mountains of Snowdonia and castles. This event, which has a classic, as well as a vintage car event for pre-1955 cars, starts at the Victorian seaside town of Llandudno, just under two hours' drive from Manchester in north-west England.  www.three-castles.co.uk

Road-racing legends

Head to Armoy in Co Antrim, near the northern most tip of Northern Ireland, to witness the destination's motorbike road racing heritage up close. Here each summer the Armoy Road Race, also known as the Race of Legends, takes place. This free event offers spectators the chance to see motorbike road racing first hand in a location that was home to the Armoy Armada, the name given to the 1970s quartet of pioneering road racers Mervyn Robinson, Joey Dunlop, Frank Kennedy & Jim Dunlop.  www.amrrc.com

Scotland's motoring heritage

Drive up to Glasgow, from where you take a short 18-mile drive to the Scottish Motor Museum Trust's Motoring Heritage Centre in Alexandria, West Dunbartonshire.

The stunning marble-walled Edwardian building was once the home of the Argyll Motor Works that originally covered 11 acres in its early 20th-century heyday. Following a £6million restoration it is now home to both a large retail shopping centre as well as the Motoring Heritage Centre. Here motoring enthusiasts can view Scotland's largest private historic motoring photo archive, see Scottish built cars on display as well as take a guided tour.  www.motoringheritage.co.uk