One of the seminal events in motoring history is to be recreated exclusively for veteran, vintage and pre-war cars.
What is believed to be the first-ever modern attempt to revive the 1903 Paris-Madrid Race sets off on 24 May 2013, 110 years after the original.
Organised by H&H Classic Rallies with a route set by John Brigden, the reliability trial will stay as faithful to the original event's route as is possible given 110 years of changes to the roads and landscape.
Entrants will compete for the Charles Jarrott Trophy, commemorating the pioneering English racer who was seeded number one to win the controversial 1903 event that claimed the life of Marcel Renault (below) among others.
In 1903 more than 300 cars were entered and the spectacle of the start – with Jarrott, who would eventually finish fourth aboard his De Dietrich, leading them off – was enjoyed by more than 100,000 spectators with millions more viewing it on the planned three-day route.
The race ended prematurely in Bordeaux, though, after a litany of accidents involving participants and the public, and for many sounded the death knell for road-racing in the Veteran era and the birth of modern motor sport.
