Site manager Troy Kelly said the factory’s owner Dean Montgomery was determined to make the museum a major Warrnambool tourism attraction.

Mr Kelly said a huge amount of work had been done this year on renovating the factory and it was hoped to open the museum in 2016.

Unforeseen hurdles had thwarted earlier hopes to have part of the museum open this month and the present plan was to open the entire museum next year, Mr Kelly said. No date for the opening has yet been sent.

“We will open it in one big hit to give it the wow factor. Along with the gardens and the markets, we hope to attract more tourists and car people,” Mr Kelly said.

The museum is expected to have up to 200 displays and a workshop where the public can see vehicles undergoing restoration.

Mr Montgomery has a collection of 52 vehicles and other vehicle museums and local car clubs have expressed interest in also putting vehicles on display.

“We want to rotate cars through every six months and have different themes to keep it fresh,” Mr Kelly said.

He said the restoration of the iconic Fletcher Jones factory had been “a massive task” with the replacement of the roof and removal of asbestos walls presenting challenges.

The multi-million dollar renovation had sought to maintain the industrial look of the former factory because “the building had got just as many stories to tell as the cars,” Mr Kelly said.

The motor museum will extend across two levels, east from the round room in the factory’s centre across the former machine rooms and a lower level under the area presently occupied by Factory Arts.

Other stages of the restoration include a cafe and reception centre and shops.

It was hoped the Fletcher Jones market would expand and the Factory Arts centre remain. The area presently used by the Warrnambool Triton Woodworkers Club might be relocated within the site, Mr Kelly said.