Sunday, November 4, 2012

london to brighton




I don't have a bucket list but if I did it would include entering the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run someday. I blame the 1953 movie classic Genevieve about two car loving friends who along with one's long suffering wife and the other's tolerant girlfriend enter their cars for the annual run. Being a car guy with a long suffering wife, Genevieve and I connected immediately.

London to Brighton, celebrated on the first Sunday of November, is the longest running motoring event in the world. First held in 1896, the run celebrated a change in England's motoring laws which raised speed limits for motorcars to 14 miles per hour, up from 4 mph  and eliminated the need for a flag man to walk 20 yards ahead of the car alerting (deaf?) bystanders of the car's approach.

The 54 mile run, which is not a race, is held for annually for cars built before January 1905 starts in London's Hyde Park and ends at Brighton pier, with at least 2 intermediate stops. Last year over 500 cars were entered, almost half finish. 

Toad







3 comments:

Anonymous said...

FYI: Apropos of nothing, Toad, but are you aware there of RETURN TO THE WILLOWS? Reviewed today in WSJ (under children's books column) -- thought you'd want to know...

Anonymous in NY

OP said...

I entered the annual Boerne, Tx all British car show which was held yesterday. I took the Series lla Land Rover and the Bugeye Sprite. It is about 40 something miles from my house top the show site. The Sprite made the whole trip plus some. Land Rover lost a fuel pump about half way back. Think I know how some of those London to Brighton folks felt.

Toad said...

Anon, No, but I do now. Thank you!

Op: the RR club, the "best car in the world", has an annual long distance drive. The object is to finish in the car you started. Few ever do.