Terry Bond Posted November 4, 2017 Share Posted November 4, 2017 It's that time of year once again for the famous London to Brighton Run. This Sunday, 5 November, hundreds of pre 1905 vehicles will make the 60 mile run from London's Hyde Park to Brighton. It's a spectacle unlike any other automotive event on earth! You can find all information about the event, including entries, and follow-up after the event as videos and photos are posted. Check it out with this link: http://www.veterancarrun.com/home Today was also Bonham's pre event auction of early vehicles and automobilia, and you can look at items and results here https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/24123/ Aside from selling a great selection of early automobilia, the vehicles offered included what has traditionally been the run's earliest starters, - a Scottish built Salvensen steam wagon. Check the auction listings for details of this amazing machine. If you love really early machinery, you'll spend some time looking over the entries and auction items. Brass is beautiful! Terry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne sheldon Posted November 4, 2017 Share Posted November 4, 2017 Thank you Terry, for the Bonhams link. I don't follow auctions very much, but some I really do like to hear about. I have followed the London to Brighton Run off and on for a few decades, and already have had that link bookmarked on my computer for a few years. The next couple weeks will involve several evenings of watching videos as they show up on youtube. Looking at the few pre'05 cars sold at the Bonhams auction was very interesting. And the prices intriguing. The one that surprised me was in fact the steam wagon. I would have expected it to have gone a bit higher, although early steam cars don't command the prices of later steamers. Even that early, maybe there just aren't enough people wanting to play with steam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Bond Posted November 4, 2017 Author Share Posted November 4, 2017 I suspect there are a lot of factors that kept the price lower than what a lot of us thought it would bring. It has limited interest outside of the UK except as possibly a museum collection addition. It really isn't usable at all except for it's annual appearance at the run. It's historic of course, but still pretty ugly. I hope it remains in the UK and we continue to see it however. I enjoyed the write-up on it. I actually have the Sword auction catalogs and it was indeed a part of that sale. I believe the Sword auction was the first of it's type where a large and important collection of antique vehicles was disbursed like that. Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted November 4, 2017 Share Posted November 4, 2017 Thanks Terry, One great event I've only been able to follow in books & magazines. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Roth Posted November 5, 2017 Share Posted November 5, 2017 (edited) Our friend from Kenner, Louisiana will once again drive the London to Brighton, probably with his 1900 De Dion-Bouton Vis-à-Vis Or maybe he has the 1903 Oldsmobile Curved Dash: Congratulations, and safe travels, Edited November 8, 2017 by Marty Roth (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4Hud Posted November 5, 2017 Share Posted November 5, 2017 It would be difficult to surpass the sights, sounds and smells that this event offers. Was fortunate to attend the auction, the Regent Street Motor Show and the start from Hyde Park of the London to Brighton run a few years ago. If you go, get there early while the cars are getting into place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
playswithbrass Posted November 5, 2017 Share Posted November 5, 2017 Just to say there was a serious accident this year involving the 1902 Benz. Not many details available Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted November 5, 2017 Share Posted November 5, 2017 Prayers going out for full and speedy recovery of all involved in that crash. You would think the modern cars would share the road. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne sheldon Posted November 6, 2017 Share Posted November 6, 2017 As a long time hobbyist, and a dreamer that has watched from far away, the London to Brighton Run for a few decades now, my heart goes out to those involved in the crash. It is a sad fact that it is virtually a statistical certainty that such things will happen occasionally. Fortunately, it does not really happen often, but it does from time to time. We all need to be careful when driving our ancient vehicles. Another simple fact is, that living life always involves some risk. And doing things above and beyond what most people can accomplish also will always increase that risk. I sincerely hope that the injuries are not severe (reports say two people in the Benz are serious?), and that full recovery can be swift. Unfortunately, I do not know any details yet. Google has provided two reports, one hidden I could not easily access, and one that didn't give many details beyond that the accident had happened and that two people were seriously injured. There apparently were three modern cars and the one veteran involved. I have had the Bonhams site bookmarked on my computer for a few years now, but was unable to gain access there either. For what it is worth, this is a common problem for me. It appears to be a site problem, but I have no way of knowing which side of the pond the trouble is on. I often check their site late at night (California USA time), which puts London time in the early morning hours. Perhaps they sometimes have their site down at that time for routine updates. Just passing along what I know so far, which is little more than nothing. And hoping to see more details myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted November 6, 2017 Share Posted November 6, 2017 It was apparently a pretty bad crash.... http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-surrey-41879353 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Bond Posted November 6, 2017 Author Share Posted November 6, 2017 Sad that such tragedy had to mar one of the greatest motoring events in the world on such a nice day! It's amazing that these early cars have to navigate around modern traffic. There does not seem to be much effort to control traffic at all. I hope those injured are going to be ok and that we'll learn more about what happened. Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcr Posted November 7, 2017 Share Posted November 7, 2017 difficult to see how this automobile ended up in a pile before a modern road hog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
playswithbrass Posted November 7, 2017 Share Posted November 7, 2017 Something went wrong with the Benz apparently, coming down the hill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted November 8, 2017 Share Posted November 8, 2017 First of all I wish every a speedy recovery, it would be interesting to know how this accident happened. Was the Benz moving or stopped on the side of the road? If this accident blocked the road how did it effect others on the Run, I believe there is a time limit or set arrival time at Brighton. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Bond Posted November 8, 2017 Author Share Posted November 8, 2017 Very little info seems to be coming out. Only the canned BBC news article seems to be available. Yesterday the RAC official website carried a news item about it and requested witnesses to come forward to aid with their investigation. Not sure what happened but hopefully additional information will surface. All I've heard was that the Benz experienced some difficulty so looking at the photos, it may have indeed been along the side of the road. Still amazing that these veterans must compete for highway space with modern traffic. Even other vintage cars that are just along for the fun. I've heard it's a rather "exciting" experience navigating the traffic. I did see a report that indicates traffic was diverted around the accident site so that must also have included run participants. Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Moskowitz Posted November 8, 2017 Share Posted November 8, 2017 Terry, there is also a report that the Benz was having some difficulty and was out of control with the passenger trying to stop it. It is one report I got. Cannot verify that it is true or not. We all know that touring in one or two cylinder cars comes with some risk, small or not. There have been other horrific accidents over the years and most of these cars offer little safety for the occupants. Thankfully these incidents are very rare. Just horrible to see what happened to this car and to know people sustained serious injuries. I hope their recovery is speedy. Hopefully the RAC is able to find out what happened and they can make the event safer for all (if that is possible given its nature!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Roth Posted November 8, 2017 Share Posted November 8, 2017 A friend who drove the London-to-Brighton just advised in the following quote: "No information yet about cause. Very unusual, and stressful Run, but still much fun. Our friend who keeps my" .......... "here said last night that 3 of the 4 MB occupants are out of the hospital, with the other still in, but expected to recover. That one had been airlifted from scene. Much reckless driving by veteran car drivers. But don’t know if that was causative. What have you heard? Did you see photo from scene? I’ll send it. Sickening." (He sent the same photo which was published , above in Post #10) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C Carl Posted November 9, 2017 Share Posted November 9, 2017 From the R.A.C. as quoted by the BBC : "....................... identify any lessons which can be learnt from this accident." O.K. then. Take this lesson. These and all old cars , just as in new cars , were intended to be used and cruised at less than their max speed capabilities. I always recommend that one should never gear or repower an ancient car to cruise in excess of intended design velocity. In fact , it seems logical to be further conservative these days in light of any potential wear or fatigue issues on top of the fact that we realize how poorly these cars respond in an emergency situation. When you add the vulnerability an occupant has due to total lack of safety engineering , take extreme care , and be grateful these death traps have not yet been legislated to the garage or museum. Anyone reading this who is not an AACA member , please join us. There may well come a day when AACA will be the only hope to let us drive these cars at all. I am greatly relieved to read that all injured parties are expected to recover. It is not always so. - Carl 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Bond Posted November 9, 2017 Author Share Posted November 9, 2017 Don't like to speculate about any part of this. I believe this is a photo of the 1902 Benz involved in the accident. If so, it has been a long-time run participant, so driver inexperience shouldn't be a factor. It's a 10hp car so should be a good runner. I'm well aware of the capabilities of my Model T (it's bone stock), but need also to be aware that others on the road don't understand I can't stop on a dime, or stomp on a gas pedal to squeeze through a yellow traffic light. There will always be risk involved and whether it's the unexpected and catastrophic failure of some component, improperly prepared vehicles, inexperienced operators, or modern traffic issues, I'm sure there will be lessons to learn. I just hope that everyone is going to be ok and that wonderful historic vehicle will be returned to it's former pristine condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franklinman Posted November 9, 2017 Share Posted November 9, 2017 I count my one time opportunity to participate and drive a car in the London to Brighton Run as one of the highlights of my many years in the hobby. For anyone that appreciates these early vehicles it is a not-to-be missed event if you ever have the chance to go. With that said, it obviously is not an inexpensive undertaking and a lot is involved in the preparation. The run itself, as well as all the other associated events, are great fun and the people are super as well. Having a number of friends that had made the run in the past gave us a great deal of help and advice prior to our trip. The two things that were impressed on me were the importance of making sure our car was adequately prepared and the importance of maintaining good awareness at all times while driving the run itself. The traffic is substantial, especially the first half of the run getting out of London proper and most of the way to the half-way stop in Crawley. After that you are more or less out in the country until you start to approach Brighton, where there is even a short stretch of running on one of the 6-lane motorways to contend with. For the most part the modern drivers were courteous, but the numerous "roundabouts", driving on the "wrong" side of the road, and the unbelievable number of spectators lining both sides of the road can combine to make it a challenge for the unexperienced. Fortunately our run was unmarred by any problems, our car ran flawlessly and all involved had a wonderful experience. Whatever happened to cause the accident this year, and there could be any number of issues involved, was certainly horrific and our hearts and prayers go out to all involved. Hopefully, when all the dust finally settles, we will all learn what happened and possibly learn how to avoid a repeat in future runs. Having participated in may tours over my ;years, I can say that there is always the chance for such an occurrence and we all owe it to the hobby and our fellow participants to seriously maintain our cars and drive as carefully as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MochetVelo Posted November 9, 2017 Share Posted November 9, 2017 Sadly, word from the Veteran Car Club of Great Britain says that the driver, David Corry, has passed away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne sheldon Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 Shoot. My deepest condolences to all his friends and family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C Carl Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 This is particularly heartbreaking. I am very , very sad. - Carl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilgrim65 Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 Very tragic , god bless him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 Very sad, thoughts and prayers going out to his family and friends. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Roth Posted November 13, 2017 Share Posted November 13, 2017 On 11/9/2017 at 5:52 PM, MochetVelo said: Sadly, word from the Veteran Car Club of Great Britain says that the driver, David Corry, has passed away. We were made aware of this last week, but asked that their privacy be respected so that they could inform family members and come to terms with the news: Dear Veteran Car Run participant, The Royal Automobile Club is deeply saddened to learn that the driver of the veteran car involved in the accident during the Veteran Car Run on Sunday 5 November, has died as a result of his injuries. We have offered his family our deepest condolences and whatever support we are able to provide at this difficult time. The family have requested that their privacy is observed so that they can inform family members and come to terms with the news. The other three passengers are on the mend and will hopefully make a full recovery. The organisers are liaising closely with the appropriate authorities and assisting the Police with their accident investigation. If you witnessed the accident or have any other information you think may be valuable, please contact the police on telephone number 101, quoting incident reference number P17279402. Kind regards VCR Organising Team The Bonhams London to Brighton Veteran Car Run supported by Hiscox motoring event is organised and promoted on behalf of The Royal Automobile Club by Goose Live Events. Goose Live Events Ltd. Sweetapple House, Catteshall Road, Godalming, Surrey, GU7 3DJ t: +44 (0) 1483 524 433 www.goose.co.uk vcradmin@goose.co.uk www.veterancarrun.com Registered in England No: 5113167 VAT Registration No.827 1280 37 Registered Office: Priory House, Pilgrims Court, Sydenham Road, Guildford, Surrey GU1 3RX Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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