London to Brighton Veteran Car run on the up | Car Talk - Car News Oct 2017

15:07 Tuesday 17 Oct 2017

With over 450 entries, the organisers of this year’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run say the event is all set to be the biggest for five years.

The run, sponsored by auctioneers Bonhams, takes place on 5 November, and will see entrants not only from the UK and Europe, but from as far afield as Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, South Africa and the Unites States.

Ford, Renault and Vauxhall are amongst the familiar marques represented, alongside forgotten names like Brush, Gladiator, Achilles and Bolide. Variety is also evident in terms of propulsion, with electric and steam powered models joining a line up of mostly petrol-engined vehicles.

Departure from London’s Hyde Park is at dawn on Sunday 5th November, with the oldest entrant, an 1893 Peugeot Type 3, leading the pack. The finishing point is Brighton’s Madeira Drive, with those that make it that far before 4.30pm being awarded a finisher’s medal. Amongst the drivers will be Pink Floyd drummer and car collector Nick Mason, and Thierry Peugeot and Robert Panhard, both direct descendents of the founders of those two famous automotive marques.

Following the Run will be 60 auction winners who bid for a seat on one of three vintage buses. The 60 Go Bonkers to Brighton auction was organised by BBC Radio 2 DJ Chris Evans to raise money for BBC Children in Need. In the three years Children in Need has been involved in the Run, more than £741,000 has been raised for the charity.

The World’s longest running motoring event, the London to Brighton Run is organised by the Royal Automobile Club, and now forms the final event of the Club’s annual London Motor Week. It was first staged to mark the passing into law of the Locomotives on the Highway Act 1896, also known as the Red Flag Act. As dawn breaks, a red flag will be ceremoniously ripped up and the 450-plus entries will start their journey from capital to coast.