Highlights
- The Benz Spider from 1901 masterfully completed this year’s RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run
- Carl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler invented the automobile in 1886 independently of one another
- Ten years later, the “Emancipation Run” from London to Brighton took place for the first time
Over a century old
Neither the rainy weather nor the nearly 100-kilometre-long route were able to rattle the Benz Spider: this more than 120 years old automobile, belonging to the company’s own vehicle collection, completed RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run with flying colors on Sunday, 2 November 2025 and reached the finish: the sea-bathing town on the English Channel coast.
Marcus Breitschwerdt, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Heritage GmbH
“RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run is as likeable as it is historically significant. In a diverse field of participants, the Benz Spider from 1901 impressively demonstrated high-tech from a time when the automobile was beginning its success story. With this extremely vibrant vehicle, we have made this early chapter of our history shine.”
St. James’s Motoring Spectacle
Mercedes-Benz Classic presented the Benz Spider and additionally a Mercedes-Simplex 28/32 hp before the “Run” as part of the St. James’s Motoring Spectacle held in downtown London on Saturday, 1 November 2025. On Friday, 31 October 2025, the two gems were already available for content production work on the circuit of Mercedes-Benz World at nearby Brooklands.
“140 Years of the Automobile” coming in 2026
With this contingent in England and participation in the oldest automobile event which has remained unchanged, Mercedes-Benz Classic also gave an initial preview of the big anniversary “140 Years of the Automobile” coming in 2026. The patent application filed by Carl Benz for his motor car on 29 January 1886 is considered to be the birth certificate. “100 Years of Mercedes-Benz” is another important anniversary in 2026: Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) and Benz & Cie. merged in 1926 to form the then Daimler-Benz AG and founded the new Mercedes-Benz brand. From then until now, and into the future, Mercedes-Benz has always and constantly been a driving force for automotive innovations in safety, efficiency, sportiness and comfort. The brand’s iconic designs continue to set the style standard for the entire industry. One of the strengths of the Mercedes-Benz design is its awareness of the unique history since 1886.
RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run (LBVCR) dates back to the year 1896. At that time, with the “Emancipation Run”, automobilists applauded the increase in the maximum permissible speed for road vehicles outside built-up areas to 14 mph (22.5 km/h). The “Run” was celebrated as the final farewell to the “Locomotive Act”, also known as the “Red Flag Act”. This act originally stipulated that a person with a red flag had to walk in front of self-propelled road vehicles.
In 1896, automobile inventor Gottlieb Daimler took part in the Emancipation Run as a guest of honor, in a Daimler Vis-à-Vis 3 hp belonging to his business partner and close friend Frederick R. Simms. In 1897, Simms and Charles Harrington-Moore founded the Automobile Club of Great Britain and Ireland (ACGBI), the forerunner of today’s Royal Automobile Club. The club played a key role in campaigning for the removal of further restrictions on motor traffic in Great Britain. Its events generated public enthusiasm for the new mode of transport, and from the outset the club was an important promoter of the automobile and its supporters.
Simms acquired the rights to use Daimler’s engine patents in Great Britain in 1890 and founded Daimler Motor Syndicate Limited in 1893. In addition to models from Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft and Benz & Cie., the starting field in 1896 included several cars from Panhard & Levassor with Daimler engines and at least one Arnold Motor Car derived from the Benz Velo under license.
RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run is currently considered to be the world’s longest-running automobile event. Two-, three- and four-wheeled vehicles with various drive concepts built up to 1904 are eligible to participate. Since 2017, bicycles have also been permitted to be at the start. Traditionally, LBVCR takes place every year on the first Sunday in November. In London’s Hyde Park, in commemoration of 1896, a red flag is symbolically torn apart at sunrise before the field of participants of more than 300 vehicles sets off together bound for Brighton in a unique spectacle.
