Royal Automobile Club hosts warm-up for the 2024 RM Sotheby’s Summer Veteran Car Run…
RM Sotheby’s tells us:
(All words and photographs from RM Sotheby).
A packed entry of enthusiastic participants are preparing themselves – and their wonderful pre-1905 cars – for the third running of the Royal Automobile Club’s much-loved Summer Veteran Car Run (Thursday 18 July).
The single-day Summer Run was established in 2022 as the perfect warm-up to the annual RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run which, as tradition dictates, takes place between dawn and dusk on the first Sunday in November.
The annual jolly July jaunt provides owners of pioneering vehicles with the ideal opportunity to enjoy their trailblazing cars in somewhat warmer climes than they sometimes experience in November on what remains the world’s longest-running motoring event.
The Summer Run will once again be based at the Royal Automobile Club’s tranquil Woodcote Park clubhouse, set in 350 acres of beautiful countryside adjacent to the Epsom Downs in Surrey.
Come next Thursday, a full-capacity line-up of 35 veteran cars will assemble on the Cedar Lawn for morning refreshments. From there they will set out onto the rural byways of southern England for a 54-mile tour heading through the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Beauty and the picturesque Mole Valley towards a welcome lunch stop at Gildings Barns near Newdigate.
After their leisurely pit-stop, participants will enjoy a gentle return to the seclusion of Woodcote Park for afternoon tea, an informal concours, and prize-giving in the glorious grounds. The day’s proceedings will conclude with dinner in the historic Motor House, surrounded by the Club’s heritage vehicle collection.
While public access to Woodcote Park is restricted, there will be plenty of opportunities for spectators to savour the sights and sounds of these pioneering cars in the leafy lanes of Surrey and West Sussex. Idyllic country villages such as Leigh, Charlwood, Rusper and Brockhum all make for ideal viewing points.
Those on the roadside will be treated to many renowned early automotive manufacturers. Some of the nascent marques represented – Cadillac, Mercedes, Renault, Oldsmobile and Peugeot – are still familiar today while others like Autocar, Argyll, Aster, De Dion Bouton, Gladiator, Mors, Napier and Wolseley were unable to stand the test of time.
While the Summer Run is limited to just 35 entrants, more than 330 cars have already registered for this year’s RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. Cost-saving Advanced entries are open until 13 August, with Standard entries available thereafter until 18 September.
Full details of both events are available on the official www.veterancarrun.com website.
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 the new Summer Run, London Motor Week, the Veteran Car Concours 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 RM Sotheby’sRM 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 the spectacular new venue of Marlborough House in St James’s. 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 |