Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Rick]

NAPOLEON JOINS THE VETERANS AS THE LONDON TO BRIGHTON GOES FRENCH.

France’s role as a motoring pioneer to be celebrated on the 2017 Veteran Car Run.

The Royal Automobile Club is proud to announce that the 2017 Bonhams London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, supported by Hiscox will be creating an Entente Cordiale in November as the event adopts a French flavour.

Germany’s Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz might have invented the world’s first horseless carriage, but the French dominated the early days of the automobile industry. In 1903 alone, for example, more than 30,000 cars were built in France… representing almost half the world’s total production that year.

To celebrate France’s contribution to motoring’s early days, the 2017 Run will welcome many of those pioneering French marques. Two of those names will be familiar to everyone ­– heading the entry will be cars from Renault (established 1899) and Peugeot (first car built in 1889).

They will be joined by cars from more than a dozen other marques. Among the better known are De Dion Bouton, Panhard Lavassor, Mors, Clement and Bolide, while there will even be an example of the patriotically named Napoleon marque (below bottom large).

But the Run is also promising some extremely rare models ready to fly the Tricolore. One is what’s thought to be the only remaining Créanche in existence. Built in 1900 by Société Louis Créanche of Courbevoie, Seine, the voiturette is powered by a single-cylinder De Dion engine. Everything except the body – an exact replica constructed in 1972 – is original.

Another French rarity – and which may also be the only surviving example – is an 1896 Raynaud vis-à-vis. Powered by a 3.8-litre two-cylinder engine, it was advanced for its day and has a wheel rather than tiller steering. It was discovered in Southern France in 1975 and, aside from a repaint and new solid tyres, is absolutely original.

Renault, one of the event partners, will also have something special on the Run. A rare 1900 Renault Type C is currently undergoing restoration and, it is hoped, will be ready for the 60-mile trip to Brighton. New gearbox parts are being cast using the latest techniques, though new parts for the brakes and rear axle are currently being prepared by a blacksmith.

Another Renault, an early Model A Open two-seater built in 1900 (bottom left below), will be shipped over to England from Australia where it is currently on display in a museum.

This year, the longest running motoring event in the world will be held, as ever, on the first Sunday in November – which falls on the 5th. As dawn breaks a red flag will be ceremoniously torn and the 400 entries will start their journey from capital to coast. The illustrious Run celebrates the passing into law of the Locomotives on the Highway Act in November 1896, also known as the Red Flag Act and refers to a time when these new-fangled machines had to follow a man holding a red flag.

Open to all vehicles built before 1905, the organisers have seen a 16 per cent rise in entries over 2016 in the first weeks after bookings opened. Early bird entry fee discounts are available until Friday 26th May.

The Run is just one element of the Royal Automobile Club’s London Motor Week. A full week crammed with motoring events, awards and functions, with popular events including the free-to-view Regent Street Motor Show. Held on Saturday 4th November, it turns London’s premier shopping street into a motoring showcase that puts the spotlight on veterans, classics and moderns alike.

Auction house Bonhams will be holding its annual Veteran Car sale on Friday 3rd November, while other events include a motoring Forum at the Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall and a motoring art exhibition.
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[Rick]

HOW FRANCE HELPED TO PUT ITALY ON WHEELS.

Historically significant Peugeot – the first car in Italy – to star
on the 2017 London to Brighton Run.

The very first car to have been driven on Italian roads is one of the special entries in this year’s Bonhams London to Brighton Veteran Car Run supported by Hiscox.

It was owned by wealthy textile industrialist, Gaetano Rossi. He ordered the car in 1892 and it was delivered to his home in Schio, Vicenza, in the north of the country in January 1893.

However, the car was not Italian, but French, an early 2.5 hp twin-cylinder Peugeot Type 3 with chassis number 25.

When Rossi, a friend of Armand Peugeot, purchased a second Peugeot in 1896, he gave the Type 3 to a friend, Guido Lazzari.

Lazzari lived in Aiello del Friuli, which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian empire but lost to Italy in the First World War.

When Italian troops entered Aiello del Friuli, parts of the car were taken and the pioneering Peugeot was laid up. The car lay forgotten for some years until, in 1955, the Lazzari family – Guido died in 1953 – offered it to the Turin Automobile Museum in exchange for a then-brand new Fiat 1100.

Partially restored in time for the museum opening in 1963, the Peugeot was initially thought to be a later model but its true provenance was uncovered in 1999 by Fabrizio Taiana of the Club Storico Peugeot Italia. Until his detective work revealed the truth, the honour of being the first car on Italian soil was held by a Panhard et Levassor, which was driven in Florence in 1894.

Since then, the Type 3 has undergone a further full bodywork restoration in 2007 and, this year, its engine and other mechanical parts were reconditioned in preparation for its debut on the world-famous London to Brighton Run.

With the 2017 Bonhams London to Brighton Veteran Car Run supported by Hiscox having a French theme, it is appropriate that the ‘Italian’ Peugeot will be taking a starring role: as the oldest car on this year’s Run. It has been given start number 1 and will be the first car away. It is officially entered by the Museo dell’Automobile di Torino but will be driven by Count Alessandro Rossi di Schio – a direct descendant of the car’s very first owner.

“This is a genuinely fascinating car. One of the earliest Peugeots in existence, it is also one of the most significant and will come to London in November with an intriguing back story. It is absolutely fitting that it will be driven to Brighton by a member of the original owner’s family,” said Peter Read, Chairman of the Royal Automobile Club’s Motoring Committee.

The 2017 Veteran Car Run will be held, as ever, on the first Sunday in November – this year, it falls on the 5th – and is organised by the Royal Automobile Club.

As dawn breaks, a red flag will be ceremoniously ripped up and the 400 entries will start their journey from capital to coast: the Run celebrates the passing into law of the Locomotives on the Highway Act in November 1896, also known as the Red Flag Act, and refers to a time when these new-fangled machines had to follow a man holding a red flag.

More than 400 veterans have entered this year among which are a large contingent of cars constructed in France. While Germany is generally considered to be the birthplace of the motor car, it was the French who accelerated the concept of the horseless carriage and was by far the biggest automobile producing nation as the 19th century turned into the 20th century. This year’s Run has adopted a French theme in honour of the country’s contribution to motoring.

The Run is just one element of the Royal Automobile Club’s London Motor Week. A full week crammed with motoring happenings, popular events include the free Regent Street Motor Show. Held on Saturday 4 November, it turns London’s premier shopping street into a motoring showcase that puts the spotlight on veterans, classics and moderns alike.

Auction house Bonhams will be holding its annual Veteran Car sale on Friday 3 November while other events in London Motor Week include a motoring art exhibition at the Mall Galleries, which is open to the public, as well as invitation-only lunches, receptions and functions at the Royal Automobile Club’s Pall Mall clubhouse.
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Rick - Admin
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[Rootes75]

I find the early days of motoring fascinating, we will endeavour to watch the L to B one day.
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Various Rootes Vehicles.

[Rick]

ENTRIES SOAR FOR 2017 VETERAN CAR RUN AS FRENCH MARQUES DOMINATE.

• More than 450 motoring pioneers rev up for 2017 London to Brighton
• Historically significant Peugeots join the pioneers on pilgrimage
• 60 Go Bonkers to Brighton raising funds for BBC Children In Need
• Britain’s oldest surviving car joins entries from all around the globe

With a bumper entry of more than 450 pioneers from the era of the horseless carriage, this year’s running of the Bonhams London to Brighton Veteran Car Run supported by Hiscox is set to be the biggest for five years.

While the bulk of the entries come from the UK, Europe and the Channel Islands, many of the cars have come from much further afield. Some will make their way to London from Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Norway, South Africa and the Unites States.

In all, 23 countries are represented in an entry list, which includes 34 new participants on the Run, while a further 18 have returned after missing the 2016 event.

Scores of different makes are represented from the familiar – such as Ford, Renault and Vauxhall – to the forgotten, such as Brush, Gladiator, Achilles and Bolide.

Variety is the key. While the majority are petrol powered, the starters will include three electric vehicles and a smattering of steam-powered machines. There will be three- and four-wheeled cars, some with tillers and some with steering wheels...

All will leave Hyde Park as dawn breaks on Sunday 5th November and hope to make it to Brighton’s Madeira Drive before 4.30pm to gain a finisher’s medal. Not all will make it, though, with mechanical breakdowns being part and parcel of the epic trip.

Although every car entered on the historic Run – the World’s longest running motoring event – comes with a fascinating history, some are more special than others. Among those are the oldest vehicle on this year’s Run, an 1893 Peugeot which was built a mere seven years after the world’s first car, the Benz Patent Motorwagen, stuttered into life.

This particular Type 3, which will be the first car to leave Hyde Park, is not the most historically significant Peugeot. Another dates back to 1897 and is believed to be the only surviving Type 14 of the 18 originally built still in running condition. The Type 14 was the very first model to use a Peugeot designed horizontal twin engine, prior to its introduction all Peugeots used engines supplied by either Daimler or Panhard.

Other highlights include the extraordinary 1896 Salvesen steam car, which looks more like an early locomotive than a car, and the ever-popular 1901 Pope Waverley electric car from the Harrods stable. The Pope Waverly is just one of a collection of vehicles which Official Partner Harrods has preserved as a nod to the store’s rich history as a pioneer in electric vehicles in London.

Although the majority of the tricycles are single-seat De Dion Bouton models with a single front wheel, the entry includes three tandem-seat Leon Bollees from 1898 and 1899, where the passenger is seated between the two front wheels ahead of the driver, who sits above the engine which drives the single rear wheel.

Among the stars taking part are Pink Floyd drummer and car collector Nick Mason, who will be driving his 1901 Panhard et Levassor, one of almost 200 French-built cars on the Run. Thierry Peugeot and Robert Panhard are two more notable participants – they are both direct descendants of the founders of the famous automotive companies that bear their respective names.

While Germany is generally considered to be the birthplace of the motor car, it was France which accelerated the concept of the horseless carriage and was by far the biggest automobile producing nation as the 19th century turned into the 20th. This year’s Run has adopted a French theme in honour of the country’s contribution to motoring.

As well as familiar French names such as Peugeot and Renault there are no fewer than 65 De Dion Bouton cars and trikes entered and almost 30 Panhard et Levassor models. French rarities include the sole surviving Créanche from 1900 and the only Raynaud in existence.

British marques are also well represented with cars from Vauxhall, Wolseley, Humber, Riley and Siddeley among the more familiar names. One notable veteran, however, is an 1894 Santler Dogcart, believed to be the oldest British car in existence.

The 3½ hp machine was built in the town of Malvern ­– now better known as the home of Morgan – and was originally steam-powered before it was given a Benz petrol engine later in its life.

The Santler is one of several veteran cars due to come under the hammer at the Bonhams London to Brighton Run sale, which takes place two days before the Run. The car is offered complete with a guaranteed entry in the 2017 Run.

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.

As ever, the Veteran Car Run will be held on the first Sunday in November and is organised by the Royal Automobile Club.

As dawn breaks, a red flag will be ceremoniously ripped up and the 450+ entries will start their journey from capital to coast: The Run celebrates the passing into law of the Locomotives on the Highway Act in November 1896, also known as the Red Flag Act, and refers to a time when these new-fangled machines had to follow a man holding a red flag.

The Veteran Car Run is the final act in the Royal Automobile Club’s annual London Motor Week – a week in which the Club presents an array of functions and events to suit all motoring tastes, which this year includes its annual Art of Motoring exhibition, the Motoring Lectures, a Motoring Forum, a dinner with FIA President Jean Todt and the Dewar and Simms Trophy presentations, awarded for British engineering excellence. The week culminates with the free-to-view Regent Street Motor Show on Saturday 4th November and the world-famous Bonhams London to Brighton Veteran Car Run supported by Hiscox.
_________________
Rick - Admin
Home:https://www.oldclassiccar.co.uk
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