Haynes International Motor Museum in the UK has officially re-opened after a three-year, £5m ($8.4m, €6.1m) transformation, offering a tour through time of some of the greatest cars from around the world, with each room themed by historical period or geography.

The project, the result of a privately funded investment, took ten years of planning and two-and-a-half years of construction work to complete.

Three new exhibition halls have been created as a result of the revamp – Minis and Micros, Century of Supercars, Motorcycle Mezzanine – with the museum now accommodating some 400 cars and motorbikes. Each of the museum's rooms are themed by historical period or the world region that the cars hail from.

The museum, which is a charitable trust, has also added a reality experience in which visitors can ‘virtually’ re-spray a Mini motorcar, as well as a children’s adventure play zone, modernised events facilities, and a new entrance foyer with a shop and café.

Museum chair John Haynes – famed for his motoring manuals which have sold over 150m copies worldwide – said: “I could never have dreamed when I started out that, nearly thirty years on, we would be in a position to unveil what I believe is one of the greatest motoring collections.

“I hope the increased facilities will encourage guests to spend a day here and really enjoy the collections breadth and the story behind each exhibit.”

Haynes first opened the museum in 1985 with a collection of just 33 cars.