Keeping the memory alive

A short drive from the Chirnside farm where Jim Clark grew up is Duns, a small market town in the Scottish Borders that has been home to the Jim Clark Motorsport Museum since it was opened by Sir Jackie Stewart in August 2019. Here you will discover an array of historic Clark artefacts, from original racing cars to trophies, overalls and posters.

Two of Clark’s competition cars take centre stage. His Formula 1 Lotus 25 chassis R6, on loan from Switzerland’s Museum Tinguely, was raced in 10 grands prix from 1963-65, with wins in the British, French, Dutch and Belgian GPs. Clark’s twin-cam Lotus Cortina is also in residence, now owned by Scottish former IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti. This is the vehicle that won every round of the British Saloon Car Championship in 1964. And a further motoring gem has recently arrived.

Another aspect of the museum is a hoard of more than 130 trophies, medals, cups and various items of racing memorabilia that are displayed in the Jim Clark Room – which pre-dates the museum. It is a memorial space that has been in existence since 1969 and has been visited by a number of racing drivers down the years – including Ayrton Senna. The silverware is a gift from Clark’s parents for public display and charts the champ’s career from his early successes in the Berwick & District Motor Club and Border Reivers and on to his F1, F2, saloon car and sports car triumphs.