THE VETERAN RUN TO BRIGHTON
THE VETERAN RUN TO BRIGHTON
A RECORD ENTRY AND SPLENDID ORGANISATION N November 20th the R.A.C. and the Veteran Car Club again gave us one of the inimitable runs to Brighton for cars built prior to 1905. This event is quite unique and vast entertainment for competitors, who, however, take the run really seriously, as, indeed, it should be taken. It seems to attract as many onlookers as most motoring events, too, from the quite surprising crowd that assembles in Hyde Park from 7.80 a.m., and those lining the fifty-seven mile route, to the very large crowd which watched the arrival on the ‘Madeira Drive at Brighton. R.A.C. Scouts and the police do everything possible to ensure smooth functioning and the organisation is splendid, the lunch park being in a cinema park at Crawley and the Madeira Drive properly fenced off to receive competitors. The weather alone misbehaved, a blustery gale and heavy rain making the run a tough undertaking, for few of the cars had hoods or screens and only two had properly closed bodies. This year 121 entries were received, which is a record and shows that some lucky mortals still manage to unearth
pre-1905 motors. Amongst the newcomers were a De Dion with late-type radiator and big single-cylinder engine, a very smart Darracq voiturette, a Panhard Sterling Dog Cart driven by Alan Hess, a Benz, and a truly beautiful 1904 touring English Licence Mors with chain-drive, white-painted front tyres of small section and big Bleriot headlamps. As a seat seemed unlikely to be forthcoming on a car this time, the MOTOR SPORT representative followed the veterans in modern transport possessed of a much appreciated lid. At the start H. E. Wood’s 1899 Benz got its belts mixed and several times rammed Major Allen’s steam Stanley Locomobile. Potheringbarn-Parker’s 1899 Century seemed to be in trouble in the Park, through which the Locomobile aforementioned sailed amid intermittent steam clouds of gigantic proportions. At Brixton Town Hall E. L. Wood’s passenger was seen to alight to assist the Leon Boll& to restart, but Sarmny Davis on the other Leon Boll& was going splendidly, able to do some 29 mp,h. if his official schedule hadn’t been a mere 12 m.p.h., and tailed by his Vv’olseley 25 saloon. Wood stopped at the top of the Croydon By-Pass, probably to adjust his schedule. D. Copley, alone in his little 1 h.p. Renault, bearing a notice to announce it as the world’s smallest car, overshot the traffic lights at Thornton Heath Pond, to the amusement of a mobile cop, and stopped his engine at the top of the Croydon Aerodrome rise, though he restarted after vigorous flooding of the carburetter and other weird manceuvres. Capt. Wylie stopped his 1897 Hurtu at the same spot, but only to dig out a rug for the Marquis of Donegal, who was his frozen passenger. Incidentally, the car was going really well this time, carried another passenger as well, and was tailed by a Rai1ton saloon. Rowden’s Star Dogcart of thirtymine summers pulled up here as well,
and oil from a small bottle was poured into the exposed big-end. At Merstham we struck the first unfortunate—J. Bradshaw, with Cecil Clutton as one of his passengers, whose astounding eight-seater 1808 Daimler saloon was misfiring thunderously. Shortly afterwards some of the faster stuff began to come through, though Yea’s 30 h.p. Mercedes, with very advanced streamlined body, was obviously finding the schedule 18 m.p.h. a distinct bother and we imagine that Charlie Martin and
his goat-hair coat, in Shuttleworth’s 1903 ” Paris-Madrid” bodied De Dietrich, was far ahead of it. Capt. George Eyston, too, was certainly winding up Fedden’s big 1903 Mercedes.
F. Jarrett’s 1902 White Steamer, with limousine body, took on water at a garage in Merstham, and HuttonStott’s Lanchester was going as beautifully as ever, with full crew, and the family Lanchester 21 saloon having a job to keep station with it. In all, twelve cars fell by the wayside, and there had been sixteen non-starters. Kaye Don had his 1903 De Dion die on him, and when we left Brighton Capt. Rolfe’s 1903 De Dion was passing Pycombe at about 3.20 p.m. and Lloyd-Jones’s 1898 Star was encountered later still, so that the unfortunate occupants must have got the full blast of the cloud-burst which concluded a dismal day. An hour later another car went past on tow. Dick Nash arrived safely in his big Panhard, the rear seat passengers actually protected by a hood, Dick very cheery but not look ing too well. The Bolster family got in with their Panhard, John in a grand
flying het, and the polished Panhard from Barnsley was also present. Bergal got Porter’s De Dion down so quickly that it was encountered in London again early the same evening and the 1903 Alldays and Onions of F. Harvey was obviously going well and was, we believe, the first arrival. Sh uttleworth ‘s Loeomobile steamer, Wisdom’s Wolseley and Vernon Balls’s Oldsmobile did well. Andrew Leitch drove his 1900 Begot and Mazurie in a Sherlock Holmes hat and Estler had a
canvas screen erect on his 1903 Siddeley to afford some measure of protection for himself and his lady passenger. Apparently Richard Seaman (Benz) didnot start, but other well known entrants included Fotheringham-Parker’s Century, Dunham’s Renault, Fry’s Humber, and Fairtlough and Oliver Bertram with the 04 Panhard. St. John Nixon rode down on his De Dion tricycle. RESULTS
Claw 1, 1894-1896 (10 m.p.h. schedule) : 1, E. L. Wood (Leon-Bollec). Class 2, 1897-1900 (12 m.p.h. schedule) : 1, F. S. Bowden (Star )ogeart
Class 3, 1901-1902 (14 Swift (Panhard).
Clam 4, 1903-1904 (18 m.p.h. schedule) : 1, F. W. Hutton-Stott, Jwir. (Lanenester).
The team prise was won by H. Cl. Adams and C. R. 8authail thaw, G. IL Eyre (Napier), and
S. Goff-A C. Lane (Be Dion).
m.p.h. schedule) : 1, J.