FEATURE
PASSING IT ON
Left : reaching Brighton in 2019 , with Katie and Sadie Smart in the front , Dickie Smart and Patrick Smith behind , and Oliver alongside ; above : Katie with her uncle , Harold Pritchard .
Katie and Oliver Smart grew up in a family of veteran car enthusiasts and , as James Page discovers , they ’ ve inherited a passion for the Run
For many of those who tackle the London to Brighton Run , the event is a family tradition , something that has been passed down through the generations . That ’ s certainly the case for Katie Smart and her brother Oliver , who were introduced to veteran motoring by their uncle , Harold Pritchard . He bought his first De Dion-Bouton in 1992 and replaced it a couple of years later with his current twin-cylinder model .
‘ I was born in 1996 ,’ says Katie , ‘ and from a very young age , my brother and I – as well as my cousin Henry Pritchard – would squeeze into the back of that car for various events , and particularly the London to Brighton Run . In the early days , we ’ d join only for the second half , but when we got our own car in 2003 , we were able to do the Run ourselves . That was a fantastic moment .’
After Katie ’ s grandfather , Peter Pritchard , had passed away in 2002 , the proceeds from selling his Sunbeam went partly towards buying the Smart family ’ s own 1903 single-cylinder De Dion-Bouton . Her parents presented it to Katie and Oliver , who therefore
became the youngest owners in the Veteran Car Club at the ages of seven and 10 respectively .
‘ I don ’ t think my brother and I had any idea whatsoever ,’ recalls Katie . ‘ I suppose in those days , it was easy to hide something from us because we were very young . They brought it to us at the end of a rally at Beaulieu on the back of a trailer and I remember not really understanding ! But I do still remember that day and it was fantastic . I know it would have taken quite a bit of work to get it to that stage to present to us there , but they did it .’
‘ The whole history of the event is fantastic , as is the way that it ’ s been passed down through the generations .’
Katie had already ‘ taken the wheel ’ of her uncle ’ s car by that point – and on Madeira Drive , no less , following the end of the Run : ‘ I have a photo of me sitting on his lap , ready to drive . I say “ drive ” in a very
20 The London to Brighton Veteran Car Run