Bessie, a 1903 Humberette, gets a lift home after finishing the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, 4th November 2012 photo©Julia Claxton
They left London at daybreak in torrential rain and howling winds and arrived just as the sun came out in Brighton - the 79th annual London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. Many of the cars are open topped, and passengers had to dress as well as they could to protect themselves from the elements on the slow journey down, [the cars are limited to an average speed of 20mph] but most of them made it and smiled happily as they turned at Brighton Pier on to Madeira Drive and the end of the run. Only cars which were built before 1st January 1905 are allowed to take part. Entrants come from around the world to join in the fun. The finish in Brighton marks the end of a weekend festival of Veteran Cars which includes a Concours in Hyde Park on the Saturday. The run from London to Brighton celebrates the passing into law of the "Locomotives on the Highway Act", which came into force on November 14th 1896. This raised the speed limit for 'Light Locomotives' from 4 miles per hour to 14 mph [although it was actually reduced to 12 mph before the act come into force]. The act abolished the requirement for the car to be preceded by a man on foot. More information on the run can be found at
Size: 4123px × 2744px
Location: Madeira Drive, Brighton,East Sussex,UK
Photo credit: © Julia Claxton / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 1903, 2012, bessie, brighton, car, drive, driving, east, humberette, london, madeira, november, rally, run, sea, storm, sunday, sunny, sussex, uk, veteran
