Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Rick]

News of an interesting change to the run for this year, are there any LondontoBrighton-ers on here?

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LONDON TO BRIGHTON VETERAN CAR RUN:

A NEW CHALLENGE

For the first time in its 117-year history, the 2013 London to Brighton Veteran Car Run will have a competitive element.

The London to Brighton Veteran Car Run is not a race, but is certainly a challenge.

For the hundreds of hardy drivers at the wheel – or sometimes the tiller – of their pioneering motorcars, the only aim is to cover the 60 miles from London’s Hyde Park to Brighton’s Madeira Drive without mishap. For most participants, merely arriving at Brighton is sufficient reward.

But this year, for the first time ever on the Run, jointly sponsored by Tindle Newspapers and Bonhams, there will be winners. The Royal Automobile Club is delighted to announce that a Regularity Trial will be included in the world’s greatest celebration of the first pioneering motorists.

A Regularity Trial demands that entrants maintain a specific average speed over the event, with penalties for arriving at the finish, or at one of the secret intermediate time control points, too early or too late.

Competitors can choose a specific time to aim at: three hours equates to a 20mph average, but they can opt to take four, five or even six hours, with the latter time equating to a 10mph average speed.

For each minute under the target time, two penalty points will be imposed with one point imposed for each minute over the nominated time. Winners will be the cars with the fewest penalty points in each of the four time classes.

Ben Cussons, Chairman of the VCR Steering Group, said: “The Steering Group is committed to evolving the event and adding value and involvement for the participants. We are restricting the Trial to 150 entries for the first year as it is a new initiative.”

The 2013 Veteran Car Run, which takes places on Sunday 3 November, will attract as many as 500 automobiles from the dawn of motoring. As the longest running motoring event in the world, it is no surprise that 500,000 onlookers turn out to enjoy a genuine and free to view spectacle.

And, in line with tradition, the event takes place as close as possible to the date of the original 1896 run. Whilst the weather may be capricious, it does produce the most splendid display of motoring apparel as many drivers and passengers dress in period clothing to complement their cars.

The special weekend now also features the Regent Street Motor Show on Saturday 2 November, which now hosts the world’s premier Concours d’Elegance for veteran cars adding to the wonderfully nostalgic experience for both participants and spectators.

With its unique atmosphere and camaraderie, the Run (staged specifically as a non-profit making veneration) commemorates the Emancipation Run of 14 November 1896, which celebrated the Locomotives on the Highway Act. The Act raised the speed limit for ‘light locomotives’ from 4 to 14mph, and abolished the need for these vehicles to be preceded by a man on foot waving a red flag.

The Emancipation Run was first re-enacted in 1927 and has taken place every November since, with the exception of the war years and 1947 when petrol was rationed. The Royal Automobile Club has managed the run with the support of the Veteran Car Club since 1930 and moved the start to Hyde Park in 1936 – this year will be the 77^th Anniversary of that move.
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[Rick]

An interesting snippet of news regarding this year's run in November:

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SIR RAY TINDLE: 50 NOT OUT!

Dating back to the dawn of motoring, the annual London to Brighton Veteran Car Run boasts more than its fair share of history. This year’s running of the world's oldest motoring event will mark a major milestone in the annals of one particular participant.

On Sunday 3 November Sir Ray Tindle will be embarking on his 50th Brighton Run, each time driving his faithful single-cylinder Speedwell Dogcart, a 1904 car that he purchased more than half a century ago to fulfil a childhood dream.

Like so many others, Sir Ray’s fascination with the historic 60-mile journey from London’s Hyde Park to Brighton’s Madeira Drive was originally fuelled as one of the half a million spectators that lined the route.

“I can recall the exact spot on Streatham Common where my parents took me to watch these wonderful old machines pass,” he said. “Of course, then the oldest car taking part was probably only about 30 years old but still totally different from their modern counterparts. I remember thinking how wonderful it would be to ride on one of those cars.”

Little did he know that later in life he’d not only own one of those ‘wonderful old machines’ but be gearing up for his 50th start in the world famous event.

Over the years Sir Ray, who was knighted in 1994 for his services to the newspaper industry, has offered seats on the Speedwell to some high-profile and interesting passengers. In 1980 the American Ambassador, Kingman Brewster, enjoyed the memorable trip to Brighton. Cabinet Ministers Virginia and Peter Bottomley have also been his passengers as well as Lord Rothermere and Vyvyan Harmsworth of the Daily Mail.

In 2007, Sir Ray purchased a 1903 Georges Richard, which unlike the Speedwell has a closed driving cabin, allegedly to drive if the weather became too wet. But, despite some pretty poor conditions in recent years, it has never yet been bad enough to force Sir Ray to abandon the trusty Speedwell.

Indeed in 2008 the ‘new’ Georges Richard was driven by HRH The Duke of Kent who, following a short driving lesson around the Kensington Palace grounds, successfully reached the Seafront in Brighton.

As well as being Sir Ray’s 50th start, the 2013 Veteran Car Run is also the 20th successive Run supported by his Tindle Newspaper Group – the business he set up after wartime service with the Devonshire Regiment after buying his first title – the Tooting & Balham Gazette – with his £250 demob payment.

Once again it was Sir Ray’s long-standing passion for the event that persuaded him to provide special support in the early Nineties. “The organisers wrote to all the participants just a few weeks before the Run reporting that there was no sponsor. Some of us were concerned that without one the event might not take place. Like a good Devonshire Regiment soldier, I offered to help,” he explained.

Sponsoring the Brighton Run has its benefits, of course, like having the company’s logo on the front cover of the event programme. But to Sir Ray the real advantages are different: “I do like being able to make an early start. After waving the Union flag to set off the very earliest cars, I can usually be seen sprinting for the Speedwell in its favoured parking position, and making haste to Brighton.

“Even better, is the chance I have been able to give to some close friends, but mainly to readers of my newspapers [over the years, some 200 of them] the opportunity to enjoy the very special experience of a ride on an open veteran car, taking part in the most famous old motoring event in the world.”

Ben Cussons, Chairman of the VCR Steering Group, is one of many to honour Sir Ray’s ongoing support and enthusiasm for the event. He said: “We wish Sir Ray, the event’s longest-standing sponsor, a safe and dry drive to Brighton to celebrate his half century as a participant of the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. I’m sure his lifelong passion for the run will inspire new generations of roadside spectators to get involved in what is one of the world’s most iconic and unique motoring experiences.”
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[Rick]

More info on this year, plus Nick Mason talks about taking part in his 1901 Panhard...

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WELCOME TO THE MACHINE

The annual London to Brighton Veteran Car Run is a remarkable homage to the dawn of driving that boasts huge appeal, attracting entrants from around the globe, all eager to participate in what is the world’s longest running and greatest motoring celebration.

It’s a unique event – always staged on the first Sunday in November – that catches the imagination of royalty and personalities from the world of television, stage, music and sport. For everyone involved, though, it’s a rare opportunity to experience a ride in one of these extraordinary pre-1905 automobiles on the famous 60-mile run from Hyde Park in central London to the seafront in the Sussex resort of Brighton.

Nick Mason, however, is one famous face who has become a Veteran Car Run regular. Indeed, the Pink Floyd drummer and renowned car enthusiast is such a strong devotee that he acquired his very own pre-1905 veteran car specifically to partake in the amazing showcase that features up to than 500 vehicles from the motoring’s very earliest days.

“It sounds bizarre getting up at the crack of dawn on what’s usually a really rather cold November morning but it’s great to run these old cars,” explains Mason who drives a 5-litre 1901 Panhard. “It’s a real thrill to get these old machines working and to get them down to Brighton.”

Mason has a pretty good record of completing the course, too. “I think we’ve now finished 17 out of 20 times,” he continues. “We actually had a couple of failures earlier on mainly due to punctures and a faulty wheel but once we sorted that the car has been pretty reliable, touch wood.

“It’s actually a very good ‘old’ car with some very advanced things for the period such as a steering wheel rather than a tiller! It’s also got a big engine and is terrific in terms of power considering its age. It was almost certainly originally built as a race car. Consequently, when other people are struggling up the hills, on a good day we can have five passengers aboard and just go for it.”

The Panhard, which Mason found in an American museum where it had been on static display for a considerable length of time, also has other major attractions. “It has this wonderful three piece suite mounted on it which is fantastic for carrying people,” he explains.

Like so many others recreating history on the road to Brighton each November, the musician delights in being part of such a special celebration but admits seeing the English Channel is the biggest highlight of the day. “It’s always fabulous fun just to participate, but it’s always the arrival into Brighton and the feeling of achievement to get the car there which is the biggest thrill.”

Come Sunday 3 November, Mason will doubtless be joined by many other famous faces as this year’s historic Veteran Car Run once again commemorates the Emancipation Run of 14 November 1896 when 33 pioneering motorists set off from Central London to endure the rough roads en route to Brighton.
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[Rick]

Plenty more reading for fans of veteran cars in particular...

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A MIGHTY MYSTERIOUS COINCIDENCE

One entrant in this year’s London to Brighton Run will
be driving in an ancestor’s tyre tracks

Call it fate, serendipity or just chance, but when Henry Lawson was bitten by the veteran car bug little did he know where it would lead.

In 2000, after building up a collection of classic cars, Henry was persuaded by a friend to take part in the annual Veteran Car Run from London to Brighton. He borrowed the friend’s car, a rare 1900 MMC, and was so taken with the challenge and camaraderie of the event that he decided to buy himself a veteran to add to his collection.

As his only veteran experience was of the MMC – standing for the Motor Manufacturing Company and based in Coventry – he decided to look for another, without at first realising how rare they are.

But even though there are thought to be only 13 left in the world, Henry eventually bought two, a 1902 twin-cylinder 10hp model and a 1903 example powered by a 20hp four-cylinder engine.

And it was then that the coincidences started to appear. Researching the history of the cars Henry, a digital media entrepreneur, found out that MMC was founded by company promoter Harry Lawson, who had also floated the English Daimler company in 1886. As they shared the same surname, Henry delved a little deeper and discovered they were in fact related.

“Harry, it turns out, was a brother of my great-great-great grandfather making him a second cousin thrice removed, or something like that,” said Henry.

Harry was something of the family’s black sheep. He started by making and selling bicycles and then decided to manufacture cars under the banner of the Great Horseless Carriage Co., before founding MMC. It was at this time he bought the rights to manufacture German Daimlers under licence… and which is why MMC cars, built alongside early Daimlers in Coventry, were remarkably similar under the skin.

“He was a shrewd businessman but a ‘patent troll’. He would buy up patents at this time of great engineering discoveries with a view to selling them on. He would also set up companies and sell shares, using the money raised to start other new companies while allowing the original firms to go bust. It was what we would now call a Ponzi scheme and he eventually went to prison,” said Henry.

Intrigued, Henry then looked further into the history of the two cars he owned… and discovered another coincidence. Although he bought them from different ends of the country at different times they had, at one point, both been under the same ownership at the same time. Henry was reuniting the pair.

Henry’s first Veteran Car Run in his own MMC was in 2001 and since then Henry, his wife Lindsay, and all three of their sons have driven the MMCs from London to Brighton. One of their sons even did the event shortly after his 17^th birthday, the twin cylinder MMC proudly wearing ‘L’ plates.

“One interesting thing about the four-cylinder car is that ‘those in the know’ said it undriveable, but Lindsay has never had a problem with it. Perhaps all it needed was a lady’s touch…” said Henry, adding: “The thought often occurs to me that had I borrowed a Panhard, a De Dion Bouton or something else for the 2000 Run none of these remarkable connections would have been made. That really is fate.”

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STREETS PAVED WITH GOLDEN MEMORIES

Since its introduction in 2005, the EFG International Concours d’Elegance has become one of the major highlights of the annual Regent Street Motor Show, the UK’s largest free to view motor show.

Showcasing many of the extraordinary pre-1905 cars taking part in the following day’s staging of the world famous London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, this year’s Concours on Saturday 2 November, will feature no fewer than 100 of the finest vehicles dating back to the dawn of motoring.

With this year’s Regent Street Motor Show extended from Piccadilly Circus right up to Oxford Circus for the very first time, the historic gathering will be sited to the northern end of Regent Street, which is closed to traffic for the day to allow more than a quarter of a million viewers a fabulous opportunity to see all these charismatic and captivating cars up close.

The public can also vote for their favourite veteran car on the day as one of six special awards presented along with an Overall Winner. All those voting also will be automatically entered into a free prize draw with the lucky winner collecting a £2,000 Regent Street shopping voucher, a night’s accommodation for two at a leading West End hotel plus dinner for two at Brasserie Zedel in London W1.

Judged by a panel of expert judges, the remaining Concours categories include awards for cars with the most impressive provenance and in the most original condition as well as for drivers and passengers wearing the best period clothing. Last year overall victor was a 1902 Napier with the number plate HE 1 owned by Mr Clive Boothman.

While a certain crowd pleaser, the evocative EFG International Concours d’Elegance is just one of many attractions that make up this year’s enlarged Regent Street Motor Show. Other confirmed highlights include a special display of 100 Aston Martins to celebrate the iconic marque’s centenary year. Another anniversary being honoured is 50 years of the evergreen Porsche 911.

The dedicated Manufacturer Zone located further south on Regent Street’s architecturally stunning curve will include the latest models from companies such as BMW and Renault while the special Future Car display will put the spotlight on the cars of tomorrow.
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“The annual Regent Street Motor Show really is a truly unique event with something for everyone,” said Ben Cussons, Chairman of the Royal Automobile Club Motoring Committee. “While the sight of so many Aston Martins and Porsches will be eye-catching even for those in central London, it’s the astonishing collection of veteran cars in the EFG International Concours d’Elegance that makes this such a special event. The prestigious and historic setting just adds to what’s already a remarkable and magical atmosphere.”

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THE JOY OF THE VETERAN CAR RUN

London to Brighton should be easier than California to
Florida hopes Oldsmobile driver

When Joy Rainey tackles the Veteran Car Run in her 1904 Oldsmobile in November, it ought to be a breeze.

Her faithful Curved Dash Runabout might only have a comfortable top speed of 25mph, but the 60-mile trip from London’s Hyde Park to Madeira Drive in Brighton should be a great deal easier than the car’s last outing… more than 2,650 miles from coast to coast across America.

Joy took 31 days in April and May this year to complete the mammoth trip from California to Florida, undertaken to raise money for charity.

And the Olds, a 7hp single cylinder model, never missed a beat throughout the epic journey despite some treacherous weather, poor roads and modern traffic – including some seriously ‘big rigs’ – whistling past at three times the speed of the American-built veteran.

In fact the only problem of note concerned the mudguard brackets which needed a spot of welding after vibrating loose over some washboard road surfaces, while Joy found the tiller steering hard work, especially when battling through side winds.

Highlights were many, however. They included the reassuring chuff-chuff-chuff of the engine, the scenery – with speeds reduced to a walking pace going up hills, there was plenty of time to enjoy the surroundings – and the people the team met en route.

“Everyone was so supportive. We even ‘gate-crashed’ a drag racing meeting along the way and were allowed to drive up and down the strip to huge cheers from the crowd,” said Joy.

“After surviving that trip, getting to Brighton ought to be easy,” she admitted, “but it never pays to be complacent. I failed to make it all the way in 2001, the first time I did the Veteran Car Run. But that was in a car I borrowed from a museum and it hadn’t been used for a while.”

Despite a high octane motor racing and hillclimbing background, that first London to Brighton Run gave Joy a taste for this slightly slower branch of the sport. She bought the Oldsmobile in 2006, completing the Run successfully in 2006 and 2007.

“Then my partner, Trevor Hulks, and I decided to re-enact a coast-to-coast US crossing made in 1903 in a similar Oldsmobile by pioneering drivers Lester Whitman and Eugene Hammond,” said Joy.

Trevor set about rebuilding the car for the journey but tragically succumbed to cancer before the pair could undertake the trip. “It took me a while to summon up the courage to do it without him,” said Joy, “but I’m so glad I did. It was a fitting tribute to Trevor and helped raise much needed funds for Cancer Research UK.”

The trip has given her a taste for long distance driving in the Olds. After this year’s Veteran Car Run, she is planning a slightly longer expedition… from Adelaide to Darwin in her native Australia.

“Back in 2004, I did the London to Sydney Marathon in a ‘modern’ (a 1970 Morris Minor) and loved the Outback so much that I vowed I would return one day.”

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GORDON BENNETT – RACING NAPIERS SET FOR BRIGHTON!

A trio of Britain’s pioneering competition cars are ready to tackle the famous Veteran Car Run

Three iconic British racing cars – all Napiers inextricably linked with the famous Gordon Bennett Cup races held at the start of the last century – will be lining up to undertake the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run on Sunday, 3 November.

And although each of the cars has taken part in the Run over the years, it is thought that this is the first occasion all three have taken part at the same time.

"I would like to thank the owners of these very special cars for giving the public a rare opportunity to see them, both on display in the Regent Street Motor Show on Saturday and then in action on the Veteran Car Run on Sunday," said Ben Cussons, Chairman of the Royal Automobile Club Motoring Committee.

In the early 1900s, James Gordon Bennett, owner of the New York Herald, promoted a series of international road races for teams of cars representing individual nations.

In 1902, the race was held between Paris and Innsbruck and was won by a Napier driven by S. F. Edge. The car, painted green, was the first British car to win an international motor race.

To honour the previous year’s winning nation, the 1903 Gordon Bennett Cup was due to move to Britain – but with racing on public roads against the law on the mainland, the event took place in County Kildare in Ireland.

Three Napiers were entered to represent Great Britain, each painted green – what we now call British Racing Green – but the best the team could manage was fifth place.

Following this relatively poor showing, a series of qualification events was held for would-be competitors in the 1904 Cup. This attracted no fewer than five Napiers, as well as three Wolseleys and three British-built Darracqs.

In the end the British team comprised one Napier and two Wolseleys, but the Cup, held in Homburg, Germany, was another failure for the country. The best-placed British car was ninth while the sole Napier, driven as usual by S.F. Edge, retired just 20 miles from the finish with a seized engine.

The three racing Napiers on the 2013 Veteran Car Run comprise a 1904 car that crashed in the Cup qualification race and so failed to make the cut. This 100HP 11.1-litre car is now owned by the Dutch Louwman Museum.

The 1903 race is represented by the 7.7-litre Napier now owned the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu. Driven by Charles Jarrott, the car crashed and overturned in the race, though thankfully both Jarrott and his riding mechanic Cecil Bianchi survived.

The most successful of the trio is the car that won the 1902 Gordon Bennett Cup. After a racing career in Europe and America, the 30hp, 6.5-litre Napier D 50 was dismantled in the 1920s before being brought back to the UK in the 1990s and restored. It is owned by Argentinian collector Daniel Sielecki.

“Napier’s competition cars from this period are among the most significant cars in the history of British motor sport. They were the first to wear British Racing Green, the colour that British cars would race in for much of the 20^th Century,” remarked Cussons.

“To have one or two Gordon Bennett Cup cars on the Veteran Car Run would be an honour. To have three together is an exceptional event.”
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Rick - Admin
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[Rich5ltr]

Anyone else at the event in Regent Street on Saturday? I displayed my car there along with about 70 others Astons and 100+ veteran cars. Here's a few shots including the Napier.

8:30am set up a hive of industry in Regent Street[/i]

1903 Napier




and my Aston along with a few others...

[D4B]

Wasn't in Regent street, but we watched for a couple of hours just south of Cuckfield, pictures not the best as they were taken on my mobile phone.... I must admit I enjoyed the classics who had gate crashed even more than the oldies.... maybe it's just me?

















THIS was my favorite sighting:

[D4B]

[D4B]

One for Peter ??















that's all folks

[Rick]

Thanks for posting the pics, looks like a great day. Weather was on side also for a change

RJ
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[D4B]