Route revealed as hundreds of Victorian cars travel from London to Brighton
The annual Veteran Car Run will see over 400 vehicles match the journey taken by the first drivers of the modern car
Hundreds of Victorian cars are tackling a historic route from London to Brighton to mark the anniversary since they first hit the road.
The annual Veteran Car Run will see over 400 vehicles match the journey taken by the first drivers of the modern car, in the longest running event of its kind.
The route begins in Hyde Park just before 7am - and takes drivers to Brighton seafront by 4:30pm.
Ben Cussons, who's the chairman of the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run steering group, explained:
"If you had one of the very early cars and you wanted to drive it on the road you had to have a man walking in front of you with a red flag.
"You could go no faster than 4 mph because cars were perceived both as a danger and also as a commercial threat to the power of the railways and the coaching inns.
"There was a very strong political view to stop these cars being used.
"But equally, there was a very strong movement in support of them and so they changed the law on the Friday and on the Saturday there were thirty three cars which drove down to Brighton to celebrate their newfound freedom of the road."
Cussons is taking on the route in a 1903 Daimler.
"On the back of our early success in the early 20th century, we built an industry that still goes on," he continued.
"Although we've lost mass production, we're still one of the world's leading specialist car manufacturers, whether it's Aston Martin, Bentley, Rolls Royce.
"I think in terms of motorsport, particularly Formula One, we are the global leader by a long way.
"So I think it's important to celebrate our heritage because that's where our future comes from."
The route & timings
6.56am-8.15am: Hyde Park, London
• Wellington Arch
• Constitution Hill
• Buckingham Palace, The Mall
• Whitehall
• Westminster Bridge
7.05am-9.15am: Lambeth North, A302
• Kennington, A23
• Brixton, A23
• Streatham, A23
7.20am-9.45am: Norbury, A23
• Thornton Heath, A23
7.35am-11.00am: Croydon, A236 – A235 – A23
• Coulsdon, A237 – A23
• Merstham, A23
7.50am-11.30am: Redhill, A23
• White Bushes, A23
• Salfords, A23
• Horley, A23
8.00am-12.15pm: Gatwick, A23
8.20am-2.00pm: Crawley, A2219 – High Street – A2220 – A2004 – A23
• Pease Pottage, B2114
• Handcross, B2114
• Staplefield, B2114
8.30am-2.15pm: Hammer Hill, Cuckfield Road, B2114
• Whitemans Green, B2115 – B2036
8.45am-2.30pm: Cuckfield, B2114
• Whitemans Green, B2115 – B2036 – A272
• Ansty, B2036
8.55am-3.00pm: Burgess Hill, B2036
• Hassocks, A273
9.00am-3.30pm: Clayton Hill, A273
• Pyecombe, A273 – A23
• Brighton, A23