The Inside Lane - 1958 Berkeley SE328

Welcome to The Inside Lane, where we give you a quick rundown of some of the more notable pieces of Lane Motor Museum's collection.

On this episode, we show you a lesser-known British sports car, the Berkeley SE328.

Berkeley was Britain’s leading caravan maker in the 1950s. In 1956, Lawrie Bond approached Charles Panter of Berkeley Caravans with his new design. It was an ideal project for Berkeley who had developed considerable skills in the use of fiberglass and was looking for something to fill the gaps in the very seasonal caravan market. This compact sports car has a fiberglass body and is powered by a small two-stroke motorcycle engine that drives the front wheels. The Berkeley was popular as both a road car and a race car. The SE328 model was produced from January 1957- April 1958, with 1,259 being made. Approximately 551 were imported and sold in the United States in 1958.

Lane Motor Museum is one of the few museums in the U.S. to specialize in European cars. The Museum also showcases specialized cars, historically significant cars, and prototypes and home-built one-offs. It is a working museum with the goal of maintaining all vehicles in running order. Some cars are in showroom condition, while others represent typical aging. Efforts are made to restore each vehicle to near-original specifications.

The Museum has been developed in a well-known Nashville landmark, the former Sunbeam Bakery on Murfreesboro Pike. Home to the bread company beginning in 1951, the 132,000 square-foot facility was the largest and most modern bakery in the area at the time of its opening. The bakery building, outfitted for the museum’s needs but left with many of its original characteristics, has a high ceiling, natural light, and hand-crafted brick and maple wood flooring. The architectural style complements the age of the cars represented. The main floor has approximately 40,000 square feet of open space, ideal for displaying about 150 of the museum’s total 560-vehicle collection.

To purchase your copy of "a hobby gone wild," be sure to visit our online bookstore: https://www.lanemotormuseum.org/books...

Special thanks to our volunteer videographer Corey Gibb with LifeLike Imageworks: https://lifelikeimageworks.com