Bonhams London to Brighton Run... What a Ride!
By Sandy Cotterman - Motorsports Enthusiast
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Nick Grewal Image
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My experience was priceless... nothing less than ideal. Every detail was aligned with perfection ... the car, the driver, and the weather. And to think I had scratched this event off my bucket list only months before! Registration is open for the 2017 Bonhams London to Brighton Veteran's Run, making this the perfect time to share my adventure!
There are many opportunities to participate in the Run, all the way from following the cars in a double decker bus to actually being a passenger in one of the over 400 pre-1905 veteran cars.
After watching the Chasing Classic Cars episode on the 2015 Run, I was not convinced that it was worth the chase of finding a ride, with the unlikely chance I would even see the finish line. Then it all came together.
Nick Grewal and his 1904 Cadillac participating in the Saturday Regent Street Motor Show's Concours d'Elegance.
Our editor, Dom Miliano, introduced me to vintage car owner and racer Nick Grewal with whom we had mutual friends who would be doing the Run with him. With an extra seat in his 1904 single cylinder Cadillac and an invitation to join the group, the London to Brighton Run was back on my bucket list!
Nick was the ultimate host, making sure we were emersed in every aspect of the weekend. We arrived on Thursday, just in time to drive north of London to meet Michael Hibberd, whose shop preps and stores the Cadillac. We also had a chance to meet Michael's son Andrew who had won the Chichester Cup at last year's Goodwood Revival in Nick's Lola 2. Both Michael and Andrew would deliver the car then follow us throughout the Run. Michael's wife Hazel would complete the female trio seated in the back seat.
Already registered, this 1904 Humberette sold for $71,276 at Bonhams on Friday, and then finished the Run on Sunday.
Friday evening we attended the Bonhams auction, and, to my amazement there were Brighton ready auction cars you could buy and take on the Run!
Vehicles are released in groups by year, then individually waved on at the start.
Organized by the Royal Automotive Club, this week-long event deemed the "world's longest running motoring celebration"culminates with the 60-mile run from Hyde Park in central London to the seafront in the Sussex resort of Brighton. Last year's Run marked the 120th anniversary of the very first Run, which commemorated the Emancipation Run of November 14, 1896. The original Emancipation Run celebrated the Locomotives on the Highway Act, which raised the speed limit for 'light locomotives' not exceeding 3 tons from 4mph to 14 mph and abolished the requirement for these vehicles to be preceded by a man on foot carrying a red flag.
Also referred to as the 'Red Flag Act', a red flag is symbolically waved, then traditionally torn apart at sunrise, signaling the start of today's Emancipation Run.
To my amazement, the Run takes place on local streets and major highways alongside modern day vehicles - no special treatment or police escorts. Our 8.25 HP Cadillac seemed like it was racing, most likely due to the agility of our driver. At an average speed of 12 mph and downhill speed close to 28 mph, we could be considered one of the faster cars! Meeting the age criteria of pre-1905, there were 436 vehicles entered last year; 15 withdrew, 28 did not start, 52 retired along the way, and a grand total of 341 finished according to the official results. Grouped in sections by age, the oldest vehicles leave the staging area at 7 am and by 8 or 8:30 am, the last of the vehicles have departed. Back in 1896 a total of 33 motor vehicles set off for the Run and seventeen arrived in Brighton.
The start is exciting. We passed through the official arches on our way to A23 heading out of London. Despite light vehicle traffic there were quite a few buses jockying for position amongst the closely aligned veteran cars.
We made two official stops along the way for re-fueling and refreshments. Again, I was surprised, as we pulled up to a local gas station and filled up at the pump. No special gas or gas cans required! At the half-way point, also known as The Harrods Stop at Crawley, we were entertained by a lively jazz band and served by amusing "Harrods Butlers". Although the Run is not a race, there is an opportunity for a little competition by becoming involved in the Chopard Regularity Run. The Regularity Run requires drivers to get as close to their pre-determined average speed as possible between a designated 13-mile stretch of the Run.
Shown at the finish, the beloved 1904 Darracq, from the movie Genevieve, returns annually from the Louwman Museum to do the Run.
Logistics aside, the ride is nothing less than breathtaking. The first cars arrived at the finishing point at Brighton's Madeira Drive just after 10:00 am continuing until the event officially closed at 4:30 pm. The Run culminated with the 77th Annual Dinner, a black tie affair, sponsored by the Veteran Car Club of Great Britain at The Grand Hotel in Brighton.
During Saturday's Concours, this 1900 Bardon and its owners received the Concours d'Equipe award for the vehicle, drivers and passengers wearing the most symbolic period dress from the Veteran Era.
For the motor car with the most impressive provenance in either continuous ownership or historic connections, a 1901 Panhard-Levassor received the Historic Veteran Car Award sponsored by Hiscox.
Prior to the Run on Saturday, we attended the Regent Street Motor Show, a must. First held in 2005, the RAC event runs from 10:30 am until 4 pm along London's 'mile-of-style,' which is closed to traffic from Piccadilly Circus to Oxford Circus. This pre-Run event includes an International Concours d'Elegance of 100 vehicles participating in Sunday's Run. I was surprised that quite a few vehicles have done the Run with generations of the same families for over sixty years.
Ready for the ride, Sandy Cotterman (left) and Linda Mullen (right) are bundled in the back rear-entrance seating of the Cadillac.
You will see more participants dressed in period outfits on Regent Street than on the Run, especially women in dresses and brimmed straw hats. No matter what, the Run will be breezy... OK, freezing. The way it was told to me was that it is like riding a motorcycle in winter. That is why, on the Run, the participants are bundled up in wind and water resistant long dark brown duster oil cloth coats, fur hats with ear flaps, boots and warm socks, battery operated woolen mittens, and, of course goggles to block the wind and glare. Over all this, you wrap yourself in woolen blankets, which are a good thing to bring from the States.
Needless to say, once I was packed into my seat, I couldn't move. That is exactly why you won't see any images of stalled cars along the roadside. I couldn't turn my body to get the shot once we sailed by!
At the finish, owner Nick Grewal is joined by his guests, Michael Kaleel in front and in back, Sandy Cotterman, Hazel Hibbard, and Linda Mullen (L to R) Photo courtesy of Nick Grewal.
This is one of those events where the actual 'experience' makes the event, thus each person will have an entirely different take on how their weekend went. We were extremely fortunate to have had the ultimate experience. It is definitely one of those magical memories!
