The London to Brighton Veteran Car Run happens once again this November and 2006 marks the 110th anniversary of the first Run, making it the world's oldest motoring event.   More than just a run down to Brighton by owners of 500 veteran cars, the event is three days with access for the public than allows them to gets a feel for what it was like to drive one of these cars at the turn of the 20th century. 

Introduction

Public awareness is such that if you asked someone in the street what the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run is, they would probably reply that it is a gathering of old cars that chug their way down to Brighton once a year.  Since taking over the running of the event in 2004 on behalf of The Royal Automobile Club, owners of the LBVCR, Motion Works UK Limited have transformed the event into an occasion that is starting to rival the London Marathon and the Lord Mayor's Show as a �must see' spectacle in the capital's vast calendar of events.

The move has been such that the LBVCR has become a lot more than just an event for owners of veteran cars to give their �pride and joy' a run out, it has also become a three day event where members of the public can see these magnificent machines from a bygone era close up in the centre of London and then see them being run in their natural environment on the open road.  Many owners also dress in Edwardian driving clothing to complete the feeling of being transported to another time when motoring in this country was new and to take a trip in a motor car was a joy in itself.

Event History

It all began on 14th November 1896 when 30 cars travelled the 60-miles from London to Brighton to celebrate the passing into law of the �Light Locomotives Act (1896)' by parliament which allowed motor-cars to run on English roads for the first up to 14 mph and not be required to be preceded by a person waving a red flag.  Only 14 cars completed the 60 miles to Brighton, but history had been made and the motor industry in the UK blossomed from that point onwards.

Fast forward 110 years and after two days of displays and an auction the 2006 London to Brighton Veteran Car Run will start at sunrise (07:07am) on Sunday 5th November when nearly 500 pre 1905 eligible vehicles, the newest car being 102-years-old this year, will be waved off from the start in Hyde Park. 

Highlight of the Social Calendar

In recent years the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run has become more than just an excuse to give the �Old Girl' a chance to stretch her legs.  It has fast become one of the highlights of the social calendar, the Ascot or Henley of the old car world so to speak.  On Friday evening, Bonhams the Auctioneers host an international participant's reception in their New Bond Street salerooms for the 100 overseas entries and their guests, providing them with a warm welcome to Great Britain.  On Saturday a cocktail party is held for all participants of the LBVCR in the grand setting of The Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall and on Sunday the traditional post Run Veteran Car Club Ball is held at the Grand Hotel in Brighton. 

Something for Everyone - Auctions and Parades

The LBVCR is also about putting on a show for the 1000's of people who turn out to witness this display of living history.  Since 2004 the event was extended from one day to three days and now includes an auction of automotive memorabilia at Bonhams on Friday; a concours for selected veteran cars on Saturday in Regent Street, which is closed especially for the event and then the Run itself on Sunday.

Bonhams have found their New Bond Street salesrooms packed with the world's major veteran car collectors. A top price achieved of £46,050 by a 1904 Franklin 12hp Tonneau in 2004.  However it doesn't stop with just cars, the sales embrace motoring related accessories, art, literature ceramics, petrolmania and jewellery, all active collector fields in their own right.  Viewing is on Thurdsay and Friday morning, with the auction starting on Friday afternoon.  Entry is by auction catalogue.

Last year saw the first ever LBVCR International Concours in Regent Street where 100 of the world's finest veteran cars were displayed on Saturday afternoon in central London.  With Regent Street closed to normal traffic, shoppers were able to get a close look at motoring history, Victorian and Edwardian style, with owners on hand to talk enthusiastically to interested bystanders about the cars they own.  Competition is fierce for the six awards on offer but none as much as the Spectators Special Award, where members of the public are invited to vote for their favourite car on the day. 

The LBVCR International Concours also features demonstrations and passenger rides by some of the participants as they run their cars down Conduit and Bruton Streets and around Berkeley Square, with many of the owners getting into the spirit of the occasion and wearing period clothing and motoring accessories from the period.

First Class Travel

Kuoni Travel is the Official Travel Partner of the Run and for 2006 has put together the LBVCR Motoring Memorabilia Tour.  The Tour is either a 5 or 10 day programme which allows guests to enjoy first class travel, food, wine and hospitality whilst able to enjoy the experience of one of the most revered motoring events in the world.  Staying in a top London hotel, guests will be able to have dinner with Lord Montagu at Beaulieu after a visit to the National Motoring Museum, visit the Williams F1 Grand Prix Collection, a visit to Goodwood House and another to Brooklands before enjoying three days of VIP treatment on the LBVCR, which includes following the route of the Run to Brighton on an open top bus. 

Places on the open top buses that will be following the participants from Hyde Park to Brighton are available as a separate item, open to anyone wishing to experience the next best thing to actually riding on a veteran car.  From the top deck of the old Routemaster buses, the event takes on a different perspective and with the waving crowds lining the route you feel that you are as much a participant in the Run as the people driving and riding on the veteran cars.   The prices also include the return trip to London at the end of the event.

Kuoni Travel also provides visitors to the LBVCR with preferential rates and highly competitive hotel accommodation in London and Brighton so anyone can make a weekend of it and be at the start and the finish of the world's oldest motoring event.

The Main Event

Like all good events all of the parties and displays build the anticipation for the main event, the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run itself.  Before dawn the cars are moved into position on Serpentine Road in Hyde Park.  With nearly 500 veteran cars and their support vehicles this is a logistical challenge, but the organisation has been perfected over the years and all the public see is an orderly precession the cars that form up in good order.  As dawn breaks what is unveiled is a unique display of turn of the century motoring history that is unrivalled across the world.

At sunrise the first car is waved off and the order is always by age, and horsepower, of the vehicle, with the oldest through the starting arch first and the youngest heading off last.  This isn't a race and there are no winners or losers.  The rules state that all participants must average no more than 20mph for the run from London to Brighton.

All Ages and Backgrounds

Contrary to popular belief participants come from all walks of life and are of all ages.  Driver ages entered for the 2006 LBVCR range from 17 to 89. Three cars ran in 2005 with �L' plates as the drivers only held a provisional licence, ably assisted by their more experienced passenger.  Participants' occupations range from Lords of the Realm, company directors and the current owner of the Moulin Rouge, to taxi drivers, a BT telecoms engineer and even a retired mushroom farmer.  One participant has listed their occupation as a professional penny farthing racer.  The LBVCR certainly has its fair share of colourful characters and most of the participants have a good story to tell, which they usually do if asked.

However the stars are definitely the cars and many have been handed down generation to generation. It is possible to see cars on the Run with three or four generations of the same family on board.

Electric, Steam and Petroleum

While the engineering principles of the motor car are remarkably similar to a modern vehicle the technological advances over the past 100 years are staggering. 

One thing that does surprise visitors is the inclusion of electric cars in the LBVCR.  Electric cars are thought to be a very modern invention but the technology goes back a lot further than the ubiquitous milk float or fork lift truck.  The oldest electric car on the 2005 run was a 1900 Cleveland Stanhope owned by Reginald Blennerhassett-Plunkett from Ireland, who is participating once again this year. There were two other electric cars on the 2005 Run, a 1902 Columbia Tonneau owned and driven by John Hanson from the United States and a 1903 Waverley Surrey owned and driven by Gervase Forster.

Steam vehicles are also seen on the LBVCR and 2005 saw 15 different types of steam driven vehicle with the oldest being the 1896 Salveson Open Cart vehicle.  The owner/driver John Brydon and his passengers have to shovel sacks of coal into the hungry furnace to keep the steam up during the run and by the time they reach Brighton are usually covered in coal dust.

However it is the petrol engine that propels the majority of the vehicles on the LBVCR.  Some of the very early cars have as many cylinders as they have horsepower and they can barely reach the permitted top speed allowed by the 1896 Light Locomotive Act.  However in a short period of time the shape of the modern motorcar evolved from the early horseless carriages and with it came advances in engine design and power.

Household Names

Some of the car manufacturers on the LBVCR are still household names today. Renault, Mercedes, Benz, Rover, Ford, Vauxhall, Peugeot, Oldsmobile, Cadillac, Daimler, and Opel are all represented with very early examples of the machines that would help these companies grow into the brands we know today. 

Other manufacturers are represented that have since gone out of business or are now involved in other engineering endeavours away from motor car manufacturing, names such as Thornycroft, Siddeley, Talbot, Sunbeam, Humber, Lanchester, Napier and Royal Enfield. 

The third group of manufacturers are names from a bygone era, many of whom were little back street workshops or engineering works and are not the household names they would have been 100 years ago, names such as Rambler, Phoenix, Argyll, Darracq, De Dion, Panhard et Levassor and Mors.

In 2005 there were a staggering 137 different makes entered on the LBVCR and the entry list for 2006 looks like equalling this figure.

A Gentle Pace

It takes about 100 minutes for all the participants to go through the starting arch in Hyde Park and set off towards Brighton.  The route is a close as possible to the original 1896 route, following the A23 most of the way. 

The first part of the journey is through Central London driving past some of the best known parts of the capital and past many landmarks.  Leaving Hyde Park the cars negotiate Hyde Park Corner, down Constitution Hill, past Buckingham Palace, down Birdcage Walk, through Parliament Square and past Big Ben before crossing Westminster Bridge to the south bank of the Thames and past Lambeth Palace to join the A23.  This part of the journey is the one that is the most memorable, both for the participants and the early morning spectators who line the route.

Once on the A23, the participants negotiate their way through the early Sunday morning traffic out of London, travelling through Lambeth, Streatham, Norbury and Croydon.  Many of the cars start to show their age and many drivers and passengers can be seen by the side of the road conducting running repairs.  However, the owners of these magnificent machines are used to this and most are soon on their way again.

In Croydon there is one of the many unofficial stop off points that have sprung up along the route, that have become a tradition over the years.  Keith Kingham of Kinghams, Croydens Seat, Alfa Romeo car dealership, started by handing out teas and coffees to participants a few years ago and now for many of the regulars it has become one of the traditions of the Run to stop at Kinghams in Croydon for a warm drink and a bite to eat.  The car park next to the garage sees a regular flow of veteran cars and many locals come down to have a look and chat to the drivers before they set off on the next leg of the journey.

Next it is through Coulsden, Redhill and around Gatwick before they get to the George Hotel in Crawley for the official coffee stop.  The centre of old town Crawley is turned into a Veteran Car display area as the participants line up for their stop to refuel themselves and, in many cases, their vehicles as well.  The George Hotel is an old coaching inn and over the years has been the traditional stopping point for travellers, both horsedrawn and mechanised, including the original 1896 Run, heading to the south coast.

The journey now heads out into the greener parts of the English countryside through Cuckfield, Burgess Hill and Clayton Hill before coming to the finish line at Preston Park in Brighton.  Once the cars have crossed this line they are classified as completing the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run.  The cars then head off into Brighton towards Madeira Drive and the traditional finish line on Brighton sea front where the crowds are waiting and there is a chance to be interviewed by the commentators or local media.  All participants completing the Run before 4:30pm receive a commemorative medal and finishers photograph to say they had completed the LBVCR.

In 1896 over 50% of the vehicles taking part failed to make it all the way to Brighton.  In 2005 over 90% made it to Madeira Drive, a testament to the dedication and craftsmanship of the people who built these cars over 100 years ago and the people who maintain these fantastic machines for everyone to enjoy year after year.  Long may it continue.

The annual LBVCR relies heavily on commercial sponsorship as both the Saturday Concourse and Sunday Run are Free to view along the entire route. The organisers and The Royal Automobile Club gratefully acknowledge the kind support of: Tindle Newspapers, Daily Mail, Bonhams, Renault, Regent Street, Kuoni, Autocar, Classic & Sports Car, RAC, TMS and Hagerty International.