As November rolls around again, it’s time for another London to Brighton run, the annual parade of veteran cars taking on the 97km route down to the coast to commemorate the 1896 abolition of the ‘Red Flag Act’, requiring that any non-horse drawn carriage be crewed by at least two, with a third walking down the road in front, carrying a red flag as a warning to other road users.
From 1896, it was possible to drive more freely at up to 14mph and this gave a start to the British motor industry.
An emancipation run was arranged with a cavalcade of cars driving from London to Brighton and this tradition has been carried out on an annual basis.
This year too, 120 years of the Ladies’ Automobile Club was marked, along with the 125 anniversaries of both Fiat and Renault.
Last Saturday also saw the inaugural St James’s Motoring Spectacle, with Pall Mall, site of the headquarters of the Royal Automobile Club, closed to traffic to display a large selection of veteran cars which would be taking part in the run on the following day.
In addition, there was a look to the future with a display of innovative technology that might shape the cars to come.
Cars from Fiat and Renault also featured to mark their 125th anniversaries and there were also displays to mark 50 years of the Volkswagen Golf, with all generations on show.
