London to Brighton Veteran Car Run: start time, route and where to watch tomorrow

Set your alarm: tomorrow morning some of the world’s oldest cars leave Hyde Park at sunrise for the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. This year’s run marks 130 years since the original 1896 Emancipation Run.

Why it starts at dawn

The run celebrates the “freedom of the road”. In 1896 the law changed so that cars no longer needed a person walking in front with a red flag, and motorists marked the moment by driving from London to Brighton. Only cars built before 1905 can take part, so many of the machines you will see are more than 120 years old.

Where to watch in London

The best atmosphere is at the start in Hyde Park, where crews in Edwardian dress fire up their engines in the half-light. The cars then head through central London and over Westminster Bridge before making their way south out of the capital. Arrive early, wrap up warm and expect fog first thing.

Can’t make it at dawn?

Today the free St James’s Motoring Spectacle on Pall Mall shows off more than 60 of the veteran cars until 3pm, a chance to see them up close before tomorrow’s run. A limited number of veteran motorcycles, tricycles and cyclists on period bicycles also join the run.

Sources: Veteran Car Run official timetable, Ashdown Radio, ianVisits. Photo: Buch-t, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE.

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