More than 400 pioneering veteran cars, their drivers and passengers gathered in London’s Hyde Park before dawn last Sunday, November 5, in preparation for the start of the annual Bonhams London to Brighton Veteran Car Run supported by Hiscox.
The event marked 121 years since the original Emancipation Run, held in 1896 to celebrate the Locomotive on the Highway Act that raised the speed limit for “light locomotives” from 4 to 14 mph, and abolished the need for a man to walk ahead waving a red flag.
This year’s Run — staged, as it has been since 1930, by the Royal Automobile Club — featured the largest entry in recent years, and although a number of cars were diverted following a traffic accident involving one of the participating vehicles, 315 of the 401 starters made it to Brighton to claim a coveted finishers’ medal.
Six people, including two participants in a 1902 Benz, were injured in the incident. The RAC has pledged a “thorough review” of the accident to determine what actions may be needed moving forward.
The Run marked the end of the RAC’s London Motor Week, a seven-day celebration of motoring that included an art exhibition, lectures, a motoring forum and a motoring book awards evening.
In recent years the Chopard Regularity Trial has introduced an additional element to the Run. This year’s winner was Robert Abrey driving a 1899 Daimler who was presented a Chopard Mille Miglia Chronograph worth £4,950.
The penultimate event in the week was the free-to-view Regent Street Motor Show, on Saturday November 4, which turned London’s flagship shopping street into a motoring showcase that put the spotlight on veterans and moderns alike while attracting thousands of visitors.
For further information please visit www.veterancarrun.com
