More than 500,000 enthusiasts converged on the UK capital for London Motor Week 2024, held from October 28 to November 3. The week offered a dazzling array of events, from RM Sotheby’s and Bonhams auctions to the automotive splendour of St James’s Motoring Spectacle, culminating in the magical London to Brighton Veteran Car Run.
Adding significance to this year’s smorgasbord of events was the 120th anniversary of the Ladies’ Automobile Club, along with the 125th anniversaries of Fiat and Renault.
International representation was as strong as ever, with participants from 23 countries bringing their antique machines to the capital, while the adoption of sustainable technologies – particularly in the pioneering use of e-fuels for Veteran vehicles – looked to safeguard the future of historic motoring.
More than 300 pre-1905 Veteran cars sputtered to life at the start line in Hyde Park, London
Spectators and participants were blessed with unseasonably mild November weather, allowing enthusiastic crowds to enjoy the displays in the new St James’s Motoring Spectacle and providing ideal conditions for the flagship Veteran Car Run.
LONDON TO BRIGHTON VETERAN CAR RUN
The 128th edition of the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run – the world’s oldest continuously running motoring event – marked the grand finale of London Motor Week on November 3, 2024.
Organised by the Royal Automobile Club, the Veteran Car Run’s origins trace back to the Emancipation Run of November 14, 1896, which was held after Parliament passed the Locomotives on the Highway Act. The legislation effectively ushered in the Motor Age by raising the speed limit from 4mph to 14mph and abolishing the requirement for motor cars to be preceded by a man waving a red flag.
Fittingly, each edition of the Veteran Car Run begins with the ceremonious tearing up of a red flag, as more than 350 pre-1905 Veteran cars sputter to life at the startline in Hyde Park, London.
This year, Veteran Car Run Steering Group members Joy Tacon and Queenie Louwman performed the flag-tearing honours – a fitting choice, because the event celebrated the 120th anniversary of the Ladies’ Automobile Club and featured 50 female drivers among its participants. The event also honoured the 125th anniversary of Fiat.
As dawn broke, a parade of 25 vintage cycles – ranging from quaint motorised machines to perilous penny-farthings – began their 60-mile journey to Brighton’s Madeira Drive on the south coast.
Irish fashion designer Louise Kennedy was among the pack, and paid tribute to 19th century English cyclist Tessie Reynolds by donning period bloomers. In 1893, Tessie set a record for cycling 120 miles from Brighton to Hyde Park in London and back in just eight hours and 30 minutes.
“It was terrific to see the ladies tearing up the ceremonial red flag at the start,” enthused Royal Automobile Club chairman Duncan Wiltshire. “[And] this has been a fabulous way to celebrate 120 years of the Ladies’ Automobile Club.”
With the flag torn and the cycles on the move, Wiltshire, assisted by councillor Robert Rigby, the Lord Mayor of Westminster, released the initial group of horseless carriages at 7:00am. As ever, the oldest cars in the field were the first to chug across the startline.
Leading the procession was Hermann Layher, president of Germany’s Technik Museum Sinsheim Speyer, piloting an 1894 Velo-bodied Benz.
In hot pursuit of Layher’s 1.5bhp Benz was Duncan Pittaway’s remarkable 1896 Salvesen Steam Car – essentially a miniature locomotive adapted for the road. Ironically, the Steam Car was also a machine that previews the future, because its stoker was feeding the boiler’s furnace with environmentally friendly eCoal made from a combination of olives, coffee and molasses.
A c.1904 Fiat 130HP Corsa – one of just three racing cars of its kind – was another of the early starters. Fresh from a meticulous three-year restoration by Turin’s Museo Nazionale dell’Automobile, its UK debut held special significance during Fiat’s 125th anniversary year. Powered by a goliath 16.4-litre chain-driven engine, the 1907 Italian Grand Prix winner is the most powerful car to have ever participated in the event.
The Benz, Salvesen Steam Car and Fiat were followed by a remarkably eclectic contingent of vintage pioneers, whose diverse powertrains and control layouts struck a contrast to the homogeneity of modern vehicles. Many of the piston-powered Veterans were running on e-fuels supplied by SUSTAIN – an innovation that promises to preserve the run’s future amid tightening environmental regulations.
The 369-car field showcased more than 100 different marques, drawing entries from as far as Hong Kong, the US and South Africa. While many of these pioneering manufacturers have vanished into history, others – such as Renault, Vauxhall and Ford – endure today, their Veteran machines trundling past generations of descendants on their journey to the coast. The most popular manufacturer was De Dion Bouton, which boasted more than 50 entries.
Happily, 325 of the participants successfully completed the pilgrimage to Brighton before the 4:30pm deadline, and were duly awarded a finishers’ medal and a warming hot toddy of Aberfeldy single-malt whisky. The first car to reach Madeira Drive was the 1899 Panhard et Levassor of Shane Houilhan. The former Works racing car completed the 60-mile journey in just over three hours.
“The turn-out from spectators was mighty impressive, with huge crowds lining the route all the way,” reported Duncan Wiltshire after reaching the finish line in the RAC’s 1901 Mors. “You also have to marvel at the organisation. This is an incredibly complicated event, which is seamlessly overseen by more than 300 wonderful volunteer marshals.”
ST JAMES’S MOTORING SPECTACLE
The Veteran Car Run was preceded by St James’s Motoring Spectacle, an exciting new event that celebrated the past, present and future of motoring with a showcase on Pall Mall.
Held on Saturday November 2, it attracted 10,000 visitors to central London for the first edition of the free-to-attend event, which charted motoring history with a showcase of vehicles that ranged from Veterans to modern supercars. Notable onlookers included HRH Prince Michael of Kent and Rowan Atkinson.
The Motoring Spectacle was officially opened by the Lord Mayor of Westminster and Duncan Wiltshire, outside the RAC clubhouse. “It’s a fantastic initiative,” said the Mayor. “It’s wonderful to see the heritage and history of motoring here on the street outside the Royal Automobile Club. I’m delighted that Westminster City Council gave its approval, and I’m hoping this will be the first of many years for the Spectacle on Pall Mall.”
More than 70 pre-1905 vehicles were showcased in the spectacle’s concours d’elegance, offering visitors a preview of the pioneering machines that would depart for Brighton at first light.
An expert judging panel that included the likes of TV personalities Edd China and Alan Titchmarsh were on hand to present a variety of awards along with magnums of Piper-Heidsieck to concours winners.
Andrea Holden – who took part in the Veteran Car Run in a 1902 Thomas – received a special prize for “embodying the spirit of the original pioneers of the Club” as part of the Ladies’ Automobile Club anniversary celebrations.
The 1894 Benz of Hermann Layher, meanwhile, clinched the Overseas Award, and the Historic Award was given to the stunning 1903 Mercedes-Simplex 60HP Roi des Belges of Rob Walton, who acquired the car earlier this year for a record-breaking £9.5m.
However, it was the 1901 Panhard et Lavassor of Bill Wood that took the Best of Show prize. “If you look at this car its history shrieks out at you, but so does the amount of care that’s been lavished on it over the years,” said Titchmarsh.
The incredible development of automotive engineering was demonstrated by the cutting-edge hypercars positioned at the other end of Pall Mall. Highlights included an Aston Martin Valkyrie, Pagani Huayra Roadster, Koenigsegg Regera, McLaren P1 and a Martini-liveried Porsche 918 Spyder.
There was also plenty of admiration for the mythical Mercedes-Benz W196R Grand Prix car and the Porsche 963 Le Mans racer that contested the legendary endurance race earlier this year. A gadget-festooned Aston Martin DB5 that was built to promote Goldfinger was another highlight.
Positioned between the Veterans and hypercars stretched a fascinating timeline of automotive innovation, charting over 100 years of powertrain development. The display began with a showcase of horse-drawn carriages and bicycles before progressing to steam- and electric-powered motor cars. Current state-of-the-art technology was represented by fast-charging Nyobolt batteries.
Fiat and Renault each celebrated their 125th anniversaries by displaying significant machines from past and present. An electric Fiat 500 served as a brilliant contrast to its fearsome 16.4-litre 130HP race car ancestor that claimed victory at the 1907 Italian Grand Prix. Renault, meanwhile, displayed its new all-electric Renault 5 hatchback, which is set to hit UK roads in early 2025. Another popular display honoured 50 years of the Volkswagen Golf.
Complementing the impressive array of vehicles was an educational zone that focused on sustainable technologies and the future of motoring. The zone featured interactive exhibits and offered career guidance to youngsters seeking to forge a career in the motor industry. Exhibitors included Imperial College, the Royal College of Art, Oxford Brookes University, the Association of Heritage Engineers, the National Transport Trust, the Heritage Skills Academy and the Worshipful Company of Coachmakers.
RM SOTHEBY’S AND BONHAMS SALES
London Motor Week’s build-up to the Veteran Car Run also featured two major auctions, beginning with Bonhams’ Golden Age of Motoring Sale on November 1. The auction’s consignments ranged from Veteran cars and period automobilia to vintage toolkits and parts.
Highlights included a 1904 Darracq 12HP Twin-Cylinder Four-Seat Side-Entrance Tonneau that sold for £189,750, a 1910 Lorraine-Dietrich FJ/24 24hp Four-Cylinder Double-Phaeton (£80,500) and a 1901 MMC 8hp Single-Cylinder Two-Seat Brougham (£93,150).
As official auction partner to the Veteran Car Run, RM Sotheby’s hosted its London Sale at the Peninsula London hotel on November 1-2. The 183 consignments were diverse, and everything from Veteran cars and automobilia to hypercars was up for grabs.
The top cars were a 1989 Ferrari F40 (£1.97m), a 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 by Scaglietti (£1.74m) and a 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing (£1.44m). Interestingly, many of the most headline-grabbing lots failed to sell, including the highly collectable 1957 Jaguar XKSS and the 2020 McLaren Senna GTR LM.
ART OF MOTORING EXHIBITION
Prior to the sales, the tenth edition of the Art of Motoring Exhibition opened in the RAC Clubhouse on October 30. Widely regarded as Europe’s most prestigious motoring art show, the exhibition featured paintings and sculptures from 30 of the world’s foremost automotive artists.
Names featured in the exhibition include former Formula 1 driver Stefan Johansson, Anna-Louise Felstead, Dexter Brown and John Ketchell. Exhibition debutants include Ana Herrero, Steve Goodwin and Eugenie Smit, among others.
MOTORING BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDS
Motoring creativity was also celebrated by the RAC’s annual Motoring Book of the Year Award ceremony on November 1. The coveted prize went to David Whyley’s The Austin Pedal Car Story published by Porter Press International.
The book tells the story of how the J40 and Pathfinder pedal cars were created by Austin to provide work for disabled miners in South Wales between 1949 and 1971. Today, the original pedal cars are highly coveted collectables, and will be familiar to those who have watched the children’s Settrington Cup race at the Goodwood Revival.
Dates for the 2025 London Motor Week will be announced in the coming months. For more information, click here.
