The London to Brighton 2024 Veteran Car Run

London to Brighton 2024 Old Car Run

The London to Brighton 2024 Veteran Car Run is one of the most treasured events in the world of classic motoring, bringing living history to the streets each autumn. Every year, a remarkable collection of early motor cars sets off on the famous 60-mile journey from London to the Brighton seafront, recreating a moment that marked the dawn of motoring in Britain. For visitors and photographers alike, the run offers a rare chance to see pioneering machines in motion, just as they were more than a century ago.

First staged in 1896, the original run celebrated the repeal of the restrictive Locomotive Acts, which had limited the use and speed of early motor vehicles. With the new laws in place, motorists were finally free to travel more openly on public roads. What began as a symbolic demonstration soon evolved into an annual tradition, honouring the courage and ingenuity of the engineers and drivers who helped shape the modern car.

The stars of the event are the veteran cars themselves, vehicles built before January 1, 1905. These early machines often feature tiller steering, belt drives, and exposed engines, offering a fascinating glimpse into the experimental nature of early motoring. Alongside them, later Edwardian and vintage cars illustrate how rapidly automotive design progressed in the years that followed.

The traditional route begins near Hyde Park and winds through suburbs, villages, and rolling countryside before finishing on Brighton’s famous seafront. Along the way, spectators can watch crews make careful adjustments, greet onlookers, and coax their fragile engines onward.

At the finish, the seafront becomes an open-air museum, where you can walk among the cars, meet the crews, and enjoy one of motoring’s most atmospheric celebrations, perfectly captured in the photographs that follow.

Photos from the older London to Brighton Veteran Car Run are inside Visit London Events Home Page