It seems almost inconceivable that, since joining C&SC in 1996, I have never done the Brighton Run. I've been at the start a few times or moseyed down to Streatham to watch it stream through amid that uniquely curious mix of spectators, those whose day is just starting and those on their way home after a big Saturday night.
Come to think of it, I have never even driven a Veteran and rarely been a passenger in one. It doesn't mean I don't adore them, or that I don't acknowledge their significance, but for some unaccountable reason, this has never come to pass.
So, conscious that this oversight needs to be remedied, when the stunt to announce the launch of this year's London to Brighton Veteran Car Run was unveiled, you couldn't keep me away.
Veterans were to take to the roads to promote the LBVCR – not that the already full run really needs it – not wending their way down to Brighton as is traditional, but battling the clogged streets of the West End.
Brilliant, just my sort of challenge. And what fun it was.
The funny thing is, the traffic played into the Veterans' hands: meaning any speed differential between them and the modern traffic was instantly wiped out.
