The Croydon Grand Prix… yesterday morning, soon after 8am, the leading vehicles in the 2018 London to Brighton rally chugged and puffed their way along Roman Way.                             Photo: Graham Cluer

After a two-year diversion (roadworks on the A23 at Brixton Hill, as it happens), the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run chugged and puffed its way through Croydon once again yesterday morning, with hundreds of vintage vehicles having their annual outing on the way to the coast.

As an unseasonably mild London was still covered by darkness, nearly 400 pioneering veteran cars, their intrepid drivers and plucky passengers gathered in Hyde Park, waiting for daybreak to signal the start of the Bonhams-sponsored event.

Some of the cars parked overnight in Hyde Park, before the rally

It’s now more than 120 years since the original Emancipation Run, which was held in 1896 to celebrate the passing of the Locomotives on Highways Act. This raised the speed limit for “light locomotives” from 4mph to 14mph, and abolished the need for someone to walk ahead of their vehicle waving a red flag.

Symbolising that new-found freedom, the annual Run always commences with the symbolic tearing of the red flag – a ritual pre-dawn feat this year performed by supermodel and car enthusiast Yasmin Le Bon, representing The Movember Foundation, and F1 team boss Christian Horner.

At 06.59am, the first of the pre-1905 horseless carriages was flagged away from the start with the earliest of the Victorian vehicles leading the way as they phutted and hissed their way through Wellington Arch, down Constitution Hill, past Buckingham Palace and Admiralty Arch and Whitehall into Parliament Square.

Yasmin Le Bon and Formula 1 team chief Christian Horner conduct the ceremonial flag-tearing

Here, for the first time in its 122-year history the 60-mile route split into two, thus alleviating traffic congestion in South London.

Half of the plucky participants travelled over Westminster Bridge and then followed the traditional A23 route via Kennington, Brixton and Streatham Common. The other half left via Millbank, over Lambeth Bridge then journeyed via Vauxhall, Clapham Common and Tooting.

The two routes merged on the A236 just north of Croydon, with the entire cavalcade of Chitty Chitty Bang Bangs reunited as they headed to the halfway point in Crawley High Street, the South Downs and eventually the Madeira Drive seafront in Brighton.

The early starters head through Admiralty Arch, heading for Croydon and beyond

First away from Hyde Park was a Peugeot Type 3 dating back to the dawn of motoring in 1893. Hailing from the Turin Motor Museum, it is believed to be the first car to have been driven on Italian roads.

Other early starters included the crowd-pleasing 1896 Salvesen Steam Cart – basically a steam locomotive running on the road complete with stoker shoveling coal into the boiler’s fiery furnace plus an evocative choo choo steam whistle – and a number of primitive motorised tricycles complete with riders and passengers regaled in period costumes.

Thereafter followed a staggering variety of antique machinery dating back to the era of innovative and experimental vehicles – some petrol-powered, others propelled by steam and electricity; some fitted with steering-wheels, others with naval inspired tillers and helms.

As always it was an extraordinary sight without parallel anywhere on Earth: a living, moving testament to a bygone age when motoring technology was in its infancy. Blessed with such eccentric charm and incredible history, the renaissant Run enjoys worldwide participation and attracts huge crowds along the entire route. Among this year’s entries were cars from Argentina, Australia, Hong Kong, and South Africa as well as 21 from the United States.

In total, 117 different marques ranging from Achilles (built in Frome, Somerset) to Yale (from Toledo in Ohio, US) were represented on this year’s Run – some, like Chevrolet, Renault and Mercedes, still well-known today, but the vast majority lost to history. Many cars and crews sported moustaches in support of Movember, the event’s official Charity Partner.

Le Bon and Horner, too, were also savouring the Bonhams Veteran Car Run supported by Hiscox for the very first time; the former driving a 1901 Wolseley kindly loaned by the British Motor Museum at Gaydon, the latter behind the wheel of Lord (Irvine) Laidlaw’s 1904 Panhard-Levassor. Both made it all the way to Brighton enjoying the hazy autumnal sunshine and huge, cheering crowds lining the roadside.

There were good sized crowds as the rally headed south of Croydon

“It was super,” Horner said. “We had a great run in a lovely car which ran seamlessly. I cannot thank Irvine Laidlaw enough for letting me drive his beautiful Panhard. It is an absolutely magical event and wonderful to see so many enthusiasts and car clubs coming out to support all those on the road. It was great fun – I’ll definitely be back for more!”

Le Bon was equally enthusiastic and enthralled. “I absolutely loved it,” she beamed at the finish. “I was grinning from ear to ear, even in the few more gripping moments that we had. The car behaved beautifully. The crowds were just astonishing – I had no idea quite how many people come out, but I’m delighted that they do to see these incredible vehicles all together on the road. It’s an extraordinary sight. What’s more, I was doing the Run for a wonderful cause – men should definitely be talking together more about health issues and taking charge of their wellbeing.”

In total, nearly ninety per cent of the starters made it to Brighton before the 4.30pm deadline to claim a coveted finishers’ medal – just 44 of the starters failing to reach the sea front. The first car home was the 1901 Oldsmobile of Andres Melkus from Austria arriving on Madeira Drive. Next across the line was Tom Loder driving a 1900 Stephens.

Ben Cussons, the chairman of the Royal Automobile Club, said: “It has been another exceptional Run in this quite remarkable event. The split route out of London definitely alleviated the traffic problems of the past, and it has been a real pleasure to complete the Run today.

“The weather has been kind this year, which makes a big difference for these types of extraordinary vehicles, and I have seen lots of happy smiley faces amongst our participants.

“I would just like to thank all the people that have come together to make this such a special event. Thanks must go to the marshals all the way down the route that continue to make it a real pleasure to drive this event, those at Goose Live Events who run the event on behalf of the Royal Automobile Club, plus the Veteran Car Club of Great Britain particularly in dating these cars and making sure of their authenticity.

“My final thank you is to the spectators who have lined the route. It is such a fantastic family event and it is great to see people of all ages enjoying themselves in the autumnal sunshine.”