As a man who’s driven his fair share of classics, exotics and race machinery, why is Paul Cowland so smitten with the world’s oldest car run?
We’re very lucky in this job to get kind invitations to drive and look at all sorts of fabulous machines. Whether it’s a DM asking me to come and see a collection of East European rarities, or an email offering me a seat in a Ford EnduroKa racer, there’s rarely a week goes by without something wonderful landing in my inbox to go and see or try. Believe me, my friends, if I had the time, I would accept them all.
Certain invites that come through, however, get put into the ‘drop everything’ pile – and so it was when the chance arose to drive Hagerty’s own 1903 Knox. I’ve written elsewhere on the fantastic day I had with my good friend James Wood, getting acquainted with this characterful and charming beast over at Bicester Heritage. I’m talking about the Knox, by the way… although the same does apply to James.
As if this day wasn’t good enough by itself, clearly impressed by my stellar tillermanship, Hagerty did me the solid of inviting me to share the driving duties on the fabled London to Brighton Run a few weeks later. A request that needed precisely 0.0003 milliseconds of thought before replying. I’d packed my scarf and gloves before the Editor had even finished posing the question.
Most car enthusiasts will be familiar with this world-famous event. Back in 1896, a group of well-heeled and well-connected driving enthusiasts successfully lobbied to have the rather draconian 4mph speed limit raised to a heady 14mph, and in doing so invented two things. The first was the very concept of driving ‘at speed’ for pleasure. The second was the world’s first club cruise. If you’re into either of these two concepts, and I strongly suspect you might be, those early pioneers are the ones you need to tip your deerstalker to next time you decide to meet your mates down at Caffeine and Machine for an espresso. That run, literally, was the genesis of the car enthusiast movement.
Fast forward to the present day, and I’m delighted to report that the ingredients of this fabulous recipe haven’t changed a jot from the moment that the ‘Emancipation Run’ was conceived. Simply assemble you and your chums, with pre-1905 Veteran cars, and ideally with matching apparel, over at Hyde Park early on a cool November morning. Add fuel, oil and a few sandwiches and then cruise off in a steady convoy towards the sea-front at Brighton, retracing the steps of those early innovators, and this is the mind-blowing bit, in some cases, driving the very same car.
The assembling of so many machines in Central London is like nothing else you’ve seen. What’s so exciting about this period in the motoring canon is that anything went. The world of car design was so shiny and new, and regulation so free and relaxed that, if you had a great idea, and felt you could get it to market, you simply did. Pedals lay where they fell. Prototype engines tried every configuration and fuel you can imagine, and as for steering systems, you could choose from tiller, winding gear or wheel. Bodywork was often bespoke, upholstery wouldn’t have looked out of place in your parlour and as for wheels and tyres… pick a size, any size. Forget the posing rights that 22” inch rims bring today. The car next to us, a 1900 Panhard, driven by Gregg May, of Autohistoric, ran on sweet 36 inch rollers. Never mind ‘rolling on Dubs’ (custom wheels to the uninitiated) back then you rolled on a yard!
Driving ace James Wood and Hagerty’s new managing director Mark Roper would take the first stint from Hyde park to Crawley, so after waving off the incredible sight of over 300 chuffing, coughing, gurgling and steaming horseless carriages, as well as a few bicycles and trikes, I hot-footed it to the halfway rendezvous point to meet my team for a coffee and to settle in for the finishing leg.
Nothing in your life as an automotive writer and presenter can prepare you for the unalloyed joy of cruising in a car that’s as old as London’s Kew Bridge yet perfectly fulfils all of its original design brief. The Knox chuffed effortlessly along the sunny highways and byways of the rural route to Brighton, passing not only our friends and peers along the way, but tens of thousands of well-wishers, car-clubs and veteran car fans that were there to make the run a joyful part of their day.
The sun shone, families waved their flags, picnics and barbecues looked tempting as we trundled by, well-wishers tooted and the general sense of bonhomie and friendship towards these delightful old motorcars was quite unlike anything I’d ever experienced.
It was impossible not to grin idiotically along every yard of the entire route, and as we rounded the last few corners onto Madeira Drive, the welcoming cheers made us feel like royalty arriving after some heroic quest. No event I’ve ever finished offers the same level of jubilation and celebration as you arrive.
At an average speed of around 25 miles per hour, it was the slowest drive I’ve ever made in my life. But at an average rate of roughly 65 smiles per minute, it was, without doubt, the most rewarding.
Read more
Learning to drive… like a Victorian
From Capital to coast in celebration of the freedom of the open road
Community care: Meet the drivers of the 2021 London to Brighton Veteran Car Run
