Surrey Vintage Vehicle Society caters for veteran cars, vintage cars & classic cars, as well as commercials and motorcycles.

London-Brighton Veteran Run: 
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2019 Brighton Veteran Run

      London to Brighton Veteran Car Run  -  2021

The first London to Brighton car run run took place on Saturday 14th November 1896, organised by Harry J. Lawson, and was named "The Emancipation Run" to celebrate the recently passed Locomotives on Highways Act 1896 abolishing the need for an escort being required to walk on foot 60 yards ahead of the vehicle waving a red flag, - and the raising of the national speed limit of 4mph in the country (2mph in town) to 14 mph in the country. This LBVC Run of 2021 was the 125th anniversary of the original Run and only cars that were in use THEN are allowed on the run, now being called 'Veteran' cars. The Run is open to four-wheeled cars, tri-cars and motor tricycles manufactured before 1st January 1905 and the subject of a valid Veteran Car Club of Great Britain (VCC) Dating Certificate. Similar Runs take place for early Motorcycles (Pioneer Run) and early Commercial Vehicles (HCVS Brighton Run).

The LBVC Run is approximately 60 miles (97km) long and starts from Serpentine Road, Hyde Park in central London, and finishes at the sea-front at Madeira Drive, Brighton. First cars start at Official Sunrise Time (7.06am) and depart in batches at intervals of two minutes. The starting order is determined by age and horsepower, with earliest vehicles starting first. The maximum average speed permitted is 20mph. The official finish is at Madeira Drive, Brighton which closes at 4.30pm. The maximum entry list is 450. This year the catalogue suggests a smaller overall entry list and that the start within London has again been split into two routes to ease congestion and improve the flow of the run within the city. They join up again north of Croydon. This is why some cars carry blue entry numbers and some a red number. Some cars are also carrying a Red letter 'R' sign which denotes they are undergoing a Lange & Sohne Regularity Time Trial of achieving an average speed as close as possible to that nominated at the start of the event over a defined 10 mile stretch of the route near Redhill. Points lost for being early or late or lots for hiding out of sight if early!

Weather on the 2021 LBVC Run was quite reasonable and our intrepid snapper Tony Oakes was again at his usual post on the hill out of Redhill where the cars are getting towards their slowest as they grind up the steep incline out of town. It is interesting to note that while the cars are generally spanning only five or six year period, the speed they get up the hill differs from having to have spectators and marshals pushing them up it, to veteran cars galloping up the hill overtaking moderns. 

SVVS Members on the Brighton Veteran Run - November 2021

A number of SVVS Members have veteran cars that are eligible for the London to Brighton Veteran Car run, -  and four of them were on the run this year : the perennial Michael Doughty in his 1902 Wolseley 10HP Tonneau, Grandfather's Rights David Smart in his 1905 Cadillac Limousine, Robert Pedler in the 1904 De Dion Bouton 6HP Rear Entrance Tonneau, and Penelope Chew with David Ralph in a 1904 De Dion Bouton 6HP Two Seater. Unfortunately all our photographers failed to get photos of the cars on this year's run, - so these  are from 2019
Please Click on the photo to see full size ALTERNATIVE HIGH DEFINITION SUPERSIZE picture

For PHOTOS OF SVVS Vehicles attending the post LBVCR Meeting at the Black Horse CLICK HERE