A museum steeped in automobile history and the birthplace of British racing is due for a £4m upgrade.

Brooklands Museum has received a grant to bring to life more of its history, thanks to funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

The £4.681m grant will transform the Second World War Wellington Hangar into the Brooklands Aircraft Factory, build a new annex to house more of the museum's collection of historic aircraft and restore the finishing straight of the Brooklands Racing Track. Work is due to start in the next couple of months. 

Museum director Allan Winn said: "This support from the lottery players is a real vindication of the museum's vision of bringing a wartime temporary aircraft assembly building back to life as the only place in the country dedicated to showing how aircraft are designed and built."

The project will include a training scheme for volunteers in historic aircraft restoration.

Stuart McLeod, head of HLF south east, said: "Today's glitzy Grand Prix and the state of the art airliners can all be traced back to innovation that took place here. The Heritage Lottery Fund's investment in this remarkable site will help the museum create a unique experience for visitors, helping them understand the pivotal role that the UK has played in the field of engineering."

The first public demonstration of powered flight in the UK took place in the site in 1909, the first person to travel more than 100 miles in one hour, Percy Lambert, did so at Brooklands in 1913 and the first British Grand Prix took place there at 1926.