The London to Brighton Veteran Car Run 2024: A Photographer’s View
The London to Brighton Veteran Car Run is the world’s longest-running motoring event, held on a course between London (51°30′31″N 00°09′49″W) and Brighton (50°49′42″N 00°08′22″W), England. To qualify, participating cars must have been built before 1905. It is also the world’s largest gathering of veteran cars. The first edition, “The Emancipation Run” in 1896, celebrated the recently passed Locomotives on Highways Act 1896, which liberalised motor vehicle laws in the United Kingdom.
The run has taken place most years since its initial revival in 1927. It currently takes place on the first Sunday in November, starting at sunrise, about 7:00 AM, in Hyde Park London and mostly following the old A23 road to the finish at Brighton, a distance of 54 mi (87 km). There are two official stops along the way: Crawley (for coffee) and Preston Park (in a suburb of Brighton). Preston Park is the official finishing point; the cars then proceed to Madeira Drive on the seafront, also the venue for Brighton’s other big motoring event, the Brighton Speed Trials
The event is organised on behalf of the Royal Automobile Club, who emphasise that the event is not a race – they do not even publish the order in which cars finish, and participants are not permitted to exceed an average speed of 20 mph (32 km/h). Any that finish (many do not) before 4:30 PM are awarded a medal.
There are a few other events preceding the Veteran Car Run, such as the Motoring Forum, the Veteran Car Run Sale, a motor show, and a participant reception
These images were taken by Fletcher Davies, along a stretch of The Mall In London. I have been given permission to repost these images on my blog.
