Hundreds of pioneering cars and tens of thousands of spectators celebrate motoring’s remarkable heritage
With a remarkably mild London still shrouded in darkness, close to 400 pioneering veteran cars, their intrepid drivers, plucky passengers and hordes of enthusiastic well-wishers gathered in Hyde Park this morning (Sunday 1 November).
They were eagerly awaiting daybreak to signal the start of the much-loved RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run – the world’s longest-running motoring event.
It is now 130 years since the original Emancipation Run was held in 1896 to celebrate the recently passed Locomotives on Highways Act. This landmark legislation raised the speed limit for ‘light locomotives’ from 4 to 14mph and abolished the requirement for a man to walk ahead of a motor vehicle waving a red warning flag.
Expressing that new-found freedom, today’s legendary homage once again commenced with the symbolic tearing-up of the red flag – a pre-dawn ritual performed this year by Marcus Breitschwerdt, CEO and Head of Mercedes-Benz Heritage, together with Duncan Wiltshire, Chairman of the Royal Automobile Club, which has organised the Run since 1930.
Breitschwerdt was given the honour as the 2026 event paid tribute to the 140th anniversary of the birth of Carl Benz’s revolutionary Patent-Motorwagen, widely recognised as the world’s first production car. To mark the momentous milestone, an example of Benz’s pioneering three-wheeler was displayed at the ceremonial start.
Then, as daylight arrived, Duncan Wiltshire flagged away a pack of pre-1905 motor and pedal cycles also headed for Brighton, with the brave-hearted penny-farthing riders attracting notable admiration as they embarked on their journey to Madeira Drive on the Sussex coast.
A few minutes later, at precisely 6.53am, the first batch of pre-1905 ‘horseless carriages’ was flagged away from the start line and across Hyde Park Corner.
As ever, the extraordinary gathering of pioneering vehicles left Hyde Park in age order, with the earliest starting at the front of the pack to give them the maximum time to reach Brighton. In total, 396 pioneering vehicles – all dating back to the dawn of motoring – were flagged away, of which 349 successfully completed the hallowed journey to the Sussex coast.
Among the early starters was the ever-popular Salvesen Steam Car – effectively a steam locomotive running on the road, complete with stoker shovelling coal into the boiler’s fiery furnace – together with a number of primitive motorised tricycles, many carrying riders and passengers dressed in period costume.
Thereafter followed a staggering variety of antique machinery from the earliest era of automotive innovation. Some were fitted with steering wheels, others with naval-inspired tillers and helms; some were powered by petrol engines, others by steam and even electric batteries. Most were open to the elements and offered very few creature comforts.
With the most venerable Victorian ‘light locomotives’ leading the way, the remarkable cavalcade chugged, puffed and hissed through Wellington Arch, down Constitution Hill, past Buckingham Palace, Admiralty Arch and Whitehall, before reaching Parliament Square and crossing Westminster Bridge beneath the gaze of Big Ben.
Here, the 60-mile route split into two in order to ease traffic congestion in south London. Half of the participants followed the traditional A23 route via Kennington, Brixton and Streatham Common, while the other half crossed Lambeth Bridge before travelling through Vauxhall, Clapham Common and Tooting.
The two routes then merged on the A236 just north of Croydon, with the entire magical procession reunited as it headed towards the challenges of the South Downs and, eventually, the Madeira Drive seafront.
One of the most notable starters was the world’s oldest surviving Rolls-Royce, which had been crowned Best in Show at the previous day’s packed St James’s Concours on Pall Mall. Now resplendent in its original Primrose yellow, the 1904 Rolls-Royce was the fourth of just 17 pioneering Type A 10hp models produced – the first three having long since disappeared.
There were famous faces behind the wheels, too, including Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason, television personality Alan Titchmarsh and Andy Green OBE, the fastest man on Earth.
The extraordinary diversity of powertrains on display illustrated the embryonic motor industry’s pioneering spirit, as different forms of propulsion vied to dominate the next century of automotive development. More than a century later, a similar challenge faces the global car industry as it considers the future of mobility.
Reflecting those changes, a number of veteran cars taking part in this year’s Run were powered by sustainable e-fuels supplied by official partner SUSTAIN.
As ever, the 2026 Veteran Car Run recalled a bygone age when motoring technology was still in its infancy, attracting huge crowds of spectators along the entire route. This year was no exception, with thousands of well-wishers turning out to cheer the remarkable machines on their way.
The Run also continues to attract participants from around the world, with this year’s entry including cars from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Monaco, Portugal, Spain, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland. Some 21 entrants came from the United States alone.
More than 100 different marques were represented, ranging from Ader, Albion, Argyll and Aster to Warwick, Waverley, Winton and Yale. A few – including Cadillac, Ford, Renault, Peugeot and Mercedes – remain familiar names today, but the vast majority have long since disappeared into automotive history.
Taking advantage of the relatively benign weather, most starters completed the challenging trip to Brighton well before the 4.30pm deadline, earning themselves a coveted finishers’ medal and a well-deserved hot toddy courtesy of The Macallan.
While the Run is famously not a race, the first car to reach the Sussex seafront was a 1903 Lacoste et Battmann driven by German entrant Wolfgang Kraemer. The single-cylinder French machine completed the journey from capital to coast in just over three hours.
Despite breaking another Land Speed Record with the JCB Hydromax earlier this year at more than 400mph, Andy Green was among the last to finish in his 1904 Stanley steam car.
He was particularly pleased to make it to Madeira Drive having failed to finish 12 months ago.
“Compared to last year, when the boiler reached the end of its life in Brixton, making Brighton is definitely a success story, so I’m very, very happy to be here,” he admitted. “The Run itself was cracking. As ever, the marshals did a brilliant job making our passage as easy as possible and the crowds lining the route were just incredible. This is the only motoring event that I know in the world where thousands and thousands of people turn out, rain or shine, with huge smiles on their faces to watch the cars go by. There is nothing else like it.”
Duncan Wiltshire, who successfully completed the journey aboard the Royal Automobile Club’s 1901 Mors, carrying its very special RAC 1 registration plate, was equally delighted with what was widely hailed as one of the best London to Brighton Veteran Car Runs in recent years.
“This has been an exemplary London to Brighton Veteran Car Run and one of the very best I can remember,” agreed Wiltshire. “We had an outstanding entry, wonderfully kind weather and, most importantly, huge crowds all the way from London to Brighton. Everyone I have spoken to has been absolutely delighted by the day.
“After 130 years, it is quite remarkable that this uniquely British event remains so vibrant and continues to attract participants and spectators from all over the world. It is a very significant part of Britain’s motoring heritage and one of the great privileges of the Royal Automobile Club is being able to preserve and promote this wonderful tradition for future generations.
“My thanks go to everyone who brought their cars and cycles and made the journey, and particularly to our 350 volunteer marshals, whose hard work and enthusiasm make the Run such a special occasion. It has been a magnificent celebration of motoring’s past, present and future.”
The RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run provided a fitting climax to the Royal Automobile Club’s busy London Motor Week, during which the Club presented a wide array of functions and events.
The penultimate showpieces were Saturday’s packed, free-to-view St James’s Motoring Spectacle on Pall Mall and the record-breaking RM Sotheby’s London Sale – both providing the perfect lead-in to today’s grand finale.
Looking ahead, next year’s RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run will take place on Sunday 7 November.
