125th Anniversary Veteran Car Run

Having missed out in 2020 due to the pandemic, we were very excited to participate in this year’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, the world’s longest running motoring event.

This year marked the 125^th Anniversary of the famous Emancipation Run of 1896, an event that celebrated the recently passed Locomotives on Highways Act that raised the speed limit for ‘light locomotives’ from 4 to 14 mph.  It also abolished the need for a man to walk ahead waving a red flag.  This was a new freedom for motoring cars and it was this change in law that accelerated the development of the British motoring industry.  The Run has been celebrated every year since.

We were very pleased to prepare six cars for this year’s Run and Jonathan was riding in car number 4, an 1896 Raynaud which we have previously restored for Bernard and Syliva Holmes.  This is a fascinating and complex motor car.  However, being the only car produced by Claude Raynaud, it was underdeveloped, and has historically proved to be rather unreliable.  Prior to Bernard Holmes’ ownership, the car had not participated in any tours or events due to its flawed design.  This has not deterred Bernard who has been determined to make this car work and trouble free.  The Raynaud successfully completed the London to Brighton Run in 2019 proving itself to have strong performance, despite encountering a number of issues along the way.  This year, we found ourselves in a unique position leading the way to Croydon (putting our navigation skills to test!) and were absolutely delighted to cross the finish line in Madeira Drive in Brighton before 1pm after an easy run.

This year’s event certainly stood out as one of the best yet, with unusually warm weather, the enthusiasm of the drivers and passengers who had missed out on last year, and the hordes of crowds who gathered along the entire route.  It felt like there was a street party in every village we passed through! Thank you to everyone who came out to support the Run and to the organisers for a truly memorable event.  Also, congratulations and a big thank you to all our customers who took part.  We are delighted you had a good journey and crossed the line at Brighton to the cheers of the crowds.  It was a spectacular day and we look forward to seeing you all again in 2022.

For more information on the Run, visit: https://www.veterancarrun.com/