FEATURE
Angela Trevelyan and Major Charles Trevelyan tear the Red Flag in front of Piers & Henrietta Trevelyan ’ s 1904 De Dion .
Our Best Period Dress winners , Chris & Jenny Sorensen on their 1903 Grout Steam Car .
CREATIVITY IN MOTION
The 2020 RM Sotheby ’ s Virtual Veteran Car Run
Whilst Covid-19 made it impossible to hold the 2020 RM Sotheby ’ s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run in its traditional form , the event took on a new , virtual guise , when we called upon owners of eligible pre-1905 cars to celebrate with the veteran car community worldwide in a different way . And the result was fantastic !
There were no hard and fast rules – our only advice was ‘ Be imaginative , stay safe and enjoy yourself .’ Those who couldn ’ t hit the road were invited to use their imagination and ‘ dress up to the nines ’ in period outfits for a chance to win the Best Period Dress trophy .
We kickstarted the day in traditional style at dawn on Sunday 1 November by tearing the Red Flag outside the Royal Automobile Club . More than 180 pre-1905 veteran vehicles took to their local roads across the world , and we were delighted with the creativity and enthusiasm with which so many owners embraced the Virtual Run , and the tremendous sense of fun they displayed .
It was wonderful to see so many interpretations of the Virtual Run and to receive so many terrific photos and videos , which we shared across the Run ’ s official social media channels , and a small selection of which we have shown here . There were several prizes on offer to encourage all those taking part to share their day with us , with a panel of judges from the VCR Steering Group deciding the winners from a shortlist created from the most popular social media posts .
First prize of a fabulous weekend for two , with all the trimmings , at the Royal Automobile Club , Pall Mall went to the Royal Veteran Car Club of Belgium . Mark Sabbe and Guy Mahy organised a splendid celebration , with
their members across Belgium documenting their exploits in an exhilarating video in which the Red Flag features strongly .
Robin Morrison and Graham Gregory won second prize – dinner for two at the Club ’ s Brooklands restaurant , Pall Mall – for a creative series of photographs documenting a route which recreated iconic scenes from Genevieve .
John Hickman took third prize ( a bottle of Aberfeldy Single Malt Scotch whisky ) for a video of his tour around his hometown celebrating the Run – he even included his car at the head of the table for a celebratory lunch !
There was strong competition for Best Period Dress with the award going to Chris and Jenny Sorensen , who gamely donned their period outfits in the sweltering heat in Queensland , Australia .
In addition – and in keeping with tradition – several other award winners were selected . The Peter Foubister Award , in recognition of inspiring the next generation , went to the Hudson family , many generations of whom have participated in the Run , and the Hagerty Achievement Award was given to Nick Ross . Nick has worked tirelessly for many years as the Route Official for Crawley High Street and Honda Gatwick and retired from the event in 2019 . And Mark Farrall , who will be familiar to many Run participants from the Union Flag waistcoats he and his co-pilot wear each year , raised £ 887 for his local hospital by taking part in the virtual event , and was presented with the Spirit of the Run award .
We ( and the participants ) so greatly enjoyed the Virtual Veteran Car Run that we are holding it again this year – so watch out for the reports on our social media channels and website ! -
18 The London to Brighton Veteran Car Run