FEATURE
The Tacon family in their 1903 Autocar .
Tom Brent in his 1903 Rambler .
George Hudson and family in their 1903 Flint .
‘ I ’ d love to see more youngsters watching , enjoying and participating in the Run ,’ he says . ‘ I think it is one of the most accessible motoring events to get involved in as a novice because the cars are so easy to understand . As a child , I could look at the engine on one of these cars and understand how it worked , because you can see all the parts working and you could visualise what they were doing . The Run is truly something special , and if you try it once , you ’ ll be hooked for life .’
Tom Brent ( 21 ) is a passionate classic-car enthusiast who bought a 1903 Rambler Runabout after watching the Run and deciding that he wanted to take part : ‘ It ’ s pretty simple and there aren ’ t that many controls , and it ’ s just got a single cylinder firing you down the road – although the brakes are dreadful . It ’ s nice to have people cheering you up the hills , and getting to
the finish gives you a sense of achievement but also a sense of relief .’
Charley Allen ( 24 ) will be driving her 1899 Locomobile steam car , which she acquired in 2018 before completing the following year ’ s Run : ‘ It was the first time I participated and it was like nothing I had experienced before . The most enjoyable part was reaching Brighton and feeling incredibly proud that my brother , my husband and I had got it to the finish line despite thinking at one stage it was going to be put on a trailer .
‘ It would be brilliant to see more younger people involved with veteran cars . It ’ s great fun and very challenging in some respects – the cars are not like driving anything else . The atmosphere on the Run , especially at the finish line , is something you can ’ t replicate elsewhere .’ -
40 The London to Brighton Veteran Car Run