FEATURE
The Panhard has acquired a beautiful patina , and traces of the original 1903 paintwork are visible in places .
of which the car apparently rolled very gently and gracefully backwards into a ditch ! So Grandfather said if you can ’ t do better than that , you ’ d better not drive it . So when my grandparents died , my father gave it to me .’
To see , touch and inhale the warm brass , slightly chipped paint and faded oily glory of the Panhard today , is to relish the lived-in originality that makes unrestored veterans so alluring . It exudes the sort of weathered authenticity that the buffed ’ n ’ polished brigade could never hope to enjoy .
How many times have Sir George and the Panhard tackled the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run ? He thinks 19 in total , 10 under his ownership . ‘ Somebody said to me once , that the fun of the Brighton Run is that you know you ’ re going to break down , but you don ’ t know where or when ! I think that ’ s true . The extraordinary thing about the Panhard is that if we prepare it properly , and if everything goes as you hope it ’ s going to go , you just drive to Brighton . It ’ s actually really rather disappointing if you haven ’ t had a real battle to get there !’
He pauses to remember . ‘ I mean , things do go wrong … I think it ’ s let us down twice . In the early days , we had a lot of trouble with it boiling . We could not find out what was wrong with it . One year , we struggled our way down there with it boiling all the time . We later wandered to the seafront , looking at all the other Panhards with John Dyke , our mechanic , who suddenly asked , “ What is that between the back wheels of most of the cars ?” I said , “ I ’ ve no idea , we haven ’ t got one .” So we asked the owners , and they said it was the second water tank . You ’ ve got to have one , there are another several gallons in there — and it suddenly dawned on me …’
In Sir Stanley ’ s quest for a lightweight racing body , it appears that this second tank was removed as part of the weight-loss process .
‘ So John made up another tank , which is entirely removable … and it ’ s just completely changed the car . The problem with it always was that , once it boiled , it was almost impossible to cool it down again ; you know , the residual heat . So mentally you were on the edge the whole time , but that extra water made all the difference .’
On the rare occasions that the Panhard has failed to proceed , it has forged wonderful memories . One episode led to an impromptu birthday party — with muffin and candle — for Sir George and Salvesen owner John Brydon , when both birthday boys ended up with their stricken cars sharing the same Pease Pottage car park .
This year will mark a significant moment in the Panhard ’ s London to Brighton history – its 20th attempt . All being well — and on current form — it should cruise down , but as Sir George adds , ‘ It has a mind of its own , and we will see …’
How would he summarise the appeal of the London to Brighton ? ‘ It is ridiculously exciting , because it shouldn ’ t be , should it ?’ says Sir George with a laugh . ‘ You ’ re pottering along in a silly old car , but there ’ s a tremendous sense of achievement ! There really is something quite wonderful about meeting in Hyde Park at dawn . I remember one year , there was a low mist over the whole of the park and over the water . Standing in the semi-darkness with the mist everywhere , I remember a car that appeared with candles in its headlights . It was quite , quite extraordinary .
‘ Leaving Hyde Park is wonderful . There ’ s a tremendous sense of exhilaration and a fantastic sense of satisfaction if you do get to Brighton — and that terrible feeling of , oh no , we ’ ve got to wait a whole year before we can do this all again …’ -
18 The London to Brighton Veteran Car Run