Every first Sunday in November the annual London to Brighton Veteran Car Run (LBVCR) attracts some famous faces from the world of entertainment and the arts, however many of the veteran cars on the 2008 LBVCR have also appeared in films and television programmes over the years. 

One of the most famous four wheeled stars in the world is the 1904 Darracq owned by The Louwman Collection and driven by Quirina Louwman.  Participating in the event with (start number 506), HXR 322 is more commonly known as ‘Genevieve' and is the car that starred in the 1953 film of the same name with John Gregson at the wheel and Dinah Sheridan in the passenger seat. 

There are many of the cars that appeared in ‘Genevieve' that still take part in the London to Brighton. These include an 1899 Benz (No 30) owned by Simon Caffyn, an 1899 Panhard et Levassor (No 38) owned by Allan Gibbs, a 1901 De Dion Bouton (No 98) owned by The Yorkshire Car Collection and a 1903 Argyll (No 338) owned by Antony Young.

The 1903 De Dion Bouton (No 265) owned by Ireland's Jimmy Bohan featured in the Oscar winning film ‘Moulin Rouge' starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor, which is quite apt considering the support of the dancers from the Moulin Rouge, and the venue's CEO Jean-Jacques Clerico (No 197), for the 2008 London to Brighton Veteran Car Run's celebration of French period car manufacturers this year. 

Veteran Cars are also seen regularly on the small screen.  Last month the 1904 Siddeley (No 509) owned by Wendy Baxendale featured on the BBC Antiques Roadshow programme, continuing what has become a tradition for the programme.  The 1903 Oldsmobile (No 237) of Roy Brown featured when the Antiques Roadshow visited Crawley and the 1903 Darracq owned by Nigel Huckle is another car running this year that has made an appearance on the show.

The 1967 BBC costume drama The Forsyte Saga starring Nyree Dawn Porter and Kenneth More made great use of the turn of the century vehicles. The 1903 Oldsmobile (No 258) owned by Anthony Brown and the 1903 Panhard et Levassor (No 296) from The Yorkshire Car Collection are two of the 550 entries in the 2008 LBVCR that are known to have featured in this 26 episode series.

Michael Sapsford's De Dion Bouton (No 177) appeared in David Dimbleby's A Picture of Britain that was shown on the BBC in 2005 and the 1901 De Dion Bouton (No 97) owned by Robert Lucas is used regularly as an extra in films in its native France.  However every one of the 550 participating vehicle are stars in their own rights and each one has a story to tell.