London to Brighton Veteran Car Run

From the organizer: This year’s event commemorates the 130th anniversary of the 1896 Emancipation Run, which heralded the freedom of the motor car Entries for the 2026 RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run open this week on Wednesday 25 March. Following the success of last year’s Run, the organiser, the Royal Automobile Club, anticipates a strong field of ‘horseless carriages’ from the dawn of motoring for this autumn’s event on Sunday, 1 November. The annual showcase is the world’s longest running motoring event, and continues to bring enormous pleasure to veteran car owners and the tens of thousands of onlookers who always line the historic route from capital to coast. Last year’s Run attracted some 400 pre-1905 vehicles gathering in Hyde Park for the traditional dawn start. More than 100 entrants travelled from overseas, with 24 cars coming from Germany, 13 from Ireland and 26 from the USA. The so-called Emancipation Run took place in November 1896 – 130 years ago this year. It effectively ended the horse-drawn personal transport era, and celebrated the parliamentary signing of the Light Locomotives on the Highway Act. This raised the speed limit for cars from 4mph to 14mph and removed the need for a person to walk ahead of a vehicle with a red flag. Early motorists drove from London to Brighton en masse, and British motoring was born. The Run today follows an almost identical route each year in commemoration. Moreover it also honours the watershed removal of those draconian regulations with the ritual tearing up of a red flag before the start at daybreak. Entrants for 2026 can take advantage of a discounted ‘Earlybird’ offer if booking before Wednesday 17 June. There is also a further discount for those participating on the earliest vehicles (pre-1900) as well as on three-wheelers and veteran motorcycles from the same pioneering period. Adding to the spectacle, the organisers are once again welcoming a limited number of plucky cyclists riding veteran bicycles – including entertaining penny farthings – to join the festivities. Full booking details can be found on the official veterancarrun.com website.