Three Pre 1905 Electric Vehicles to Participate in 2007 LBVCR

Some of today's motor manufacturers are using hybrid technology to reduce the environmental impact of the vehicles they build.  However electrical propulsion for road vehicles is not a 21st Century invention and on Sunday 4 November members of the public can see three examples of electric cars, all over 100 years old, when they join the other 528 pre 1905 vehicles on the 2007 London to Brighton Veteran Car Run (LBVCR).   

The three examples were all built in the United States at the very beginning of the 20th Century.  The oldest electric car is the Cleveland Stanhope, which was built in 1900 and is now owned and driven by Reginald Blennerhassett-Plunkett, a retired company director from Dublin.  Mr. Blennerhassett-Plunkett purchased the car in 1985 and first entered it in the LBVCR in 1999 and has participated every year since.  Affectionately known as ‘Jilly', the Cleveland Electric has finished the 60-mile route four times out of seven attempts and it takes four recharges of the batteries to reach Madeira Drive in Brighton.

The next oldest of the trio is the 1902 Columbia Tonneau (pictured) owned and driven by John Hanson, who flies over from his home in Michigan to take part in the world's longest running motoring event.  Purchased from the Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan in 1974 the 3¾hp Columbia has a top speed of just 11mph and Mr. Hanson has kept the car in its original condition.  On 4 November he will also be wishing for the same sunny weather as experienced on last year's event because when it rains the driver has been known to receive a mild electric shock from the steering tiller.  John Hanson has driven the car on the LBVCR thirty-four times since 1974 and only failed to reach Brighton on one occasion.

The ‘baby' of group is the 1903 Waverley Surrey of Gervase Forster from Buckinghamshire.  The 104-year-old car was previously owned by the famous Edison Institute Museum and was purchased by the current owner in 1990.  Mr Forster drove ‘Sparky' for the first time on the LBVCR in 1992.  The Waverley has a top speed of 20mph from the six horsepower electric motor and can seat four people.

“When told that the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run has three electric cars amongst the 500 plus participants most people are astounded that electric vehicles were on the roads over 100 years ago,” said Roger Etcell LBVCR Event Director.  “In this age of minimizing our impact on the environment it is a shame that the technology wasn't developed further at the start of the 20th Century because who knows what we would be driving today if electrical propulsion had taken off at that time.  It is a privilege to have three fine examples of this type of vehicle participating year after year and all credit must go to the three owners for maintaining this unique part of our motoring heritage and providing the opportunity to see them on the roads each November.” 

Event Background

The London to Brighton Veteran Car Run is a celebration of the Emancipation Run held in 1896.  Thirty vehicles travelled the 60-miles from London to Brighton to mark the passing into law of the Light Locomotives Act which raised the speed limit from 4mph to 14mph and did away with the requirement for a person to walk in front of a vehicle waving a red flag to warn other road users    The first reenactment was in 1927 and the LBVCR has been held every year except during World War II and in 1947 due to fuel rationing.

In 2006 the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run event attracted in excess of 500,000 spectators to London's Regent Street and along the 60-mile route from London to Brighton, with the official coffee stop in Crawley High Street, outside the George Hotel as featured on the original 1896 Run.  The entire event is completely free of charge to spectators, making it one of the largest free to view events in the UK.

The 531 entries, all built between 1895 and 1904 and collectively worth in excess of £50million, include three electric vehicles built between 1900 and 1903, nineteen steam vehicles and 102 International entries from as far away as Australia, United States of America, Canada, Mexico, South Africa and China.