Up before dawn for the annual London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. There are over 400 cars, all pre 1905 and little as we like the 6 AM alarm, by the time we reach Bayswater Road we can feel the excitement. Some owners have stayed at nearby hotels and will drive the short distance to the Hyde Park starting point. We can hear the cars before we see them in the semi-dark, many with the put-put of one or two cylinders and some so old they don’t possess running lights. A little dangerous along a main road, but it’s pretty early on a Sunday for general traffic, and the buses and taxis will be aware of the rally. The pre-dawn sky is streaked with coral, reflected in the calm water of the Serpentine where swans and ducks are swimming.
The cars are still lining up as we arrive, with the oldest (1896) starting first - it’s not a race, and any car completing the journey in four hours is deemed to have had a successful run. No two cars alike, some with well known names, like Oldsmobile or Renault, and others made by firms long since disappeared. A number are so basic they raise the question of what the criteria are for qualifying as an automobile - barely more than a rectangle of wood with a steering lever and no transmission. But there are four cylinder cars, steam powered cars, even a man riding an old penny farthing bicycle, though no pretence that that is a car. Some hold only the driver, or may have one passenger seated behind- or in some cases in front of - the driver. Wicker baskets, wooden trunks, or holders for bouquets of flowers are often attached to the rear, a clue to the North American use of “trunk” for what the British would term the boot. A purist might prefer the cars in (presumably original) black, but those sporting shiny red blue and yellow paint are pretty cheerful. As are the drivers and passengers in period costume. Not cold today, which is good, because few of the cars offer much protection. The first car leaves at 6:59, and it takes about an hour to get them all underway. And this year they all succeed in getting started, albeit with a little last minute hand cranking, so no disappointed drivers unable to take part after bringing their vintage vehicles from as far away as Australia.
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