The world’s longest-running motoring event looks ahead to the future as the Royal Automobile Club teams up with SUSTAIN…
They tell us:
(All words and photographs from the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run).
With all the entrants dating back to the dawn of motoring, the RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run is the world’s greatest celebration of automotive history.
This year’s event, however, not only hailed the life-changing advent of motorised transport after centuries of horse-drawn carriages but also showcased the future with all four venerable pre-1905 vehicles owned and run by the Royal Automobile Club running on innovative sustainable fuels.
The initiative was significant and successful, too, with all four cars, which included Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust’s 1900 and 1903 Daimler and the Club’s 1901 Mors and 1905 Cadilac all successfully completing the hallowed 60-mile route from capital to coast.
There is nothing new, of course, about veteran cars being propelled by non-petrol engines – some of those regularly seen on the London to Brighton are powered by electric and steam engines, as well as early traditional combustion engines.
This is the first time, though, that veteran cars have pioneered fuels from SUSTAIN on the annual trip from Hyde Park to Madeira Drive. Sustainable fuels not only offer a low-carbon outlook for much-loved historic vehicles but also provide a convincing alternative to the widespread introduction of electric motors, which are likely to be only part of the overall solution.
Developed by fuel specialist Coryton, the leading supplier of bespoke fuels, SUSTAIN replaced traditional fuel in the tanks of all four entries with no technical modifications needed to their respective engines or fuel systems.
“SUSTAIN’s support has been wonderful and the fact we are running the Club’s cars on sustainable fuels is a very powerful message for the future,” asserted Duncan Wiltshire, Chairman of the Royal Automobile Club who was driving the Club’s four-cylinder, 10bhp 1901 Mors. “This is how we are going to keep yesterday’s cars on tomorrow’s roads for the years to come; thus, this was a perfect opportunity to showcase these emerging fuels.”
Ben Cussons, Chairman of the Royal Automobile Club’s Veteran Car Run Steering Group was equally impressed driving the 1903 4-cylinder, 14 bhp Daimler. “The car ran really, really well on the SUSTAIN fuel,” he confirmed. “It’s been powering up the hills with absolutely no noticeable difference between this sustainable fuel and pump petrol – if anything it’s better!
The fact that you can dial in these fuels to work with early engines makes them a winner in every sense. I think the name SUSTAIN is absolutely right – it will help to sustain our very old cars on modern roads. Sustainable fuels must be the key to the future.”
Racing driver and broadcaster Amanda Stretton was aboard the even more venerable 1900 2-cylinder, 6 bhp Daimler which, like Cussons’ car, is loaned to the Club by the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust. “The car was fantastic and the engine didn’t miss a beat,” she reported at the finish after sharing the car with fellow historic car enthusiast and racer Katrina Kyvalova.
The fourth of the Club’s quartet of finishers was the 1905 single-cylinder Cadillac tourer driven by Malcolm Barber of event partner RM Sotheby’s.
SUSTAIN prides itself on providing a more sustainable future for much-loved vehicles from yesteryear, and last summer introduced the UK’s first publicly available plant-based petrol specifically designed for classic vehicles – the SUSTAIN Classic range. Its latest involvement in the veteran car sector is an extension of this programme, which also includes a high-performance sustainable petrol for motorsport.
“We’d like to congratulate the team behind RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run on another fantastic event,” said SUSTAIN’s New Business Director, David Richardson. “We’re delighted that our sustainable fuel played a part in this year’s success. As the crowds go to show, there’s a real appetite for celebrating our rich motoring history here in the UK. By powering the Royal Automobile Club’s fleet for the event with SUSTAIN, we hope to highlight the role sustainable fuel can play in the future of vintage vehicles, reducing our reliance on fossil fuel and securing a brighter future for the sector and our planet.”
As well as providing a ‘drop-in’ sustainable fuel for the Club’s four London to Brighton entries, SUSTAIN also had a presence at the previous day’s St James’s Motoring Spectacle on Pall Mall in central London.
Here Richardson had the opportunity to present the many benefits offered by sustainable fuels to many of the show’s 10,000 visitors including Duncan Wiltshire and Councillor Robert Rigby, the Lord Mayor of Westminster.
Full details of the 2024 RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run are available on the event website at www.veterancarrun.com.
For more information on SUSTAIN, please visit https://sustain-fuels.com/
Further information:
About RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run
With its unique atmosphere and camaraderie, the RM Sotheby’s Veteran Car Run from London to Brighton (staged specifically as a non-profit making event) commemorates the Emancipation Run of 14 November 1896, which celebrated the Locomotives on the Highway Act. The Act raised the speed limit for ‘light locomotives’ from 4 to 14 mph and abolished the need for these vehicles to be preceded by a man on foot waving a red flag.
The first commemoration of the Emancipation Run was held in 1897 with a drive to Sheen House in Richmond Park. Then, in 1927, the inaugural re-enactment followed the original Brighton route and has taken place every November since, apart from the war years and 1947 when petrol was rationed and 2020 during the global Covid-19 pandemic. The Royal Automobile Club has managed the Run, which celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2021, with the support of the Veteran Car Club of Great Britain since 1930.
For more information visit: www.veterancarrun.com
About the Royal Automobile Club
The Royal Automobile Club was founded in 1897 and its distinguished history mirrors that of motoring itself. In 1907, the Club was awarded its Royal title by King Edward VII, sealing the Club’s status as Britain’s oldest and most influential motoring organisation.
The Club’s early years were focused on promoting the motor car and its place in society, which developed into motoring events such as the 1000 Mile Trial, first held in 1900. In 1905, the Club held the first Tourist Trophy, which remains the oldest continuously competed for motor sports event. The Club promoted the first pre-war and post-war Grands Prix at Brooklands in 1926 and Silverstone in 1948 respectively, whilst continuing to campaign for the rights of the motorist, including introducing the first driving licences.
Today, the Club continues to develop and support automobilism through representation on the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and the RAC Foundation while promoting its own motoring events including London Motor Week, the new St James’s Motoring Spectacle and the RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run.
The Club also awards a series of internationally recognised trophies and medals celebrating motoring achievements. These include the Segrave Trophy, the Torrens Trophy, the Simms Medal, the Dewar Trophy and the oldest trophy in motorsport still being competed for today, the Tourist Trophy.
About SUSTAIN
SUSTAIN was launched by Coryton, part of the ASPEN Group, in 2021 as part of its mission to create a cleaner future. The pioneering brand focuses on developing responsible and sustainable fuels that contribute towards the push for net zero impact. Through products such as SUSTAIN Racing and SUSTAIN Classic, SUSTAIN has already celebrated some fantastic milestones in the motoring industry and it plans to continue this success long into the future.
For more information visit https://sustain-fuels.com/
About RM Sotheby’s
RM Sotheby’s is the world’s leading collector car auction house. With over 40 years of proven results in the collector car industry, RM’s vertically integrated range of services, from auctions (live and online) and private sales to estate planning and financial services, coupled with an expert team of Car Specialists and an international footprint, provide an unsurpassed level of service to the global collector car market. RM Sotheby’s is currently responsible for the most valuable car ever sold at auction. In 2022 the RM Sotheby’s annual London sale moved to Marlborough House in St James’s and in 2024 onto a brand new venue within the five star Peninsula London. This year’s London sale will again be held on the eve of the RM Sotheby’s Veteran Car Run on Saturday 2 November with a preview on the previous day.
For more information visit: rmsothebys.com