Sud Super sorta sums it all up.

Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp

After the perceived glamour of Retromobile Paris, it was time for a trip up the M40 to the NEC in Birmingham for the ‘Practical Classics Magazine’s Classic Car and Restoration Show’, an event that is more boiler suits than Armani suits but just as enjoyable. Unlike other classic car shows such as Retro, at the Practical Classics show the attendees manning the club stands are welding spanners rather than just drinking tea and chatting, while in Paris they sip wine; it is all very hands on and grass roots.

This Fiat, an 1899 2 cyl 3.5 hp Vis a vis, is owned by FCA but displayed at the National Motor Museum Beaulieu and driven by Doug Hill and Ian Staplefield. This is believed to be one of the first Fiats produced and is one of only three known to survive.

Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp

What a difference a day makes. The weather on Saturday had been terrible, with gale force winds and torrential rain for most of the day. It did not bode well for the London to Brighton Veteran car run taking place the next day.

Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp

Visible on the horizon, about 8 miles out from Brighton’s pebble beaches, is the new Rampion wind farm. It got me thinking of the progress that technology has made over the past 120 years or so.

Today, the 21st Century wind farm, the newly restored electric trams of the Volks railway, still clanking their way along Maderia Drive to the Marina, and the celebration of 19th Century automobiles that would soon to be parked on the sea front.

But has it changed all that much? In simple terms the wind Farm is just a lot of windmills that instead of grinding corn, make electricity. The trains that arrive into Brighton Railway station (which was first opened in 1883) today are still powered by electricity, and the cars we drive are still predominantly powered by internal combustion engines. And we—and the public, who line the streets to watch the event – are all just as crazy about cars.

Plus, VeloceToday has covered the Brighton Run for a few years now, so here is a list of links to previous articles on the subject:

Brighton Drivers
Story of Genevieve
2017
2016
2015
2013
2013 Part 2

With that, enjoy the photos below from this year’s event, and be sure to read “A Tourist at the Brighton Run” by Paul Wilson, with even more photos from 2018.

Albion dogcart, 1902 2cyl 8hp, British Museum

Achillies 1903, 1 cyl 8 hp, Peter Bartley

Darracq Tonneau, 1902, 1 cyl 9 hp, Graham Beckett

Darracq demi Limousine, 1904, Richard Ashby

Gladiator, 1900 1 cyl 3hp, Mr Jacque Pilla

Delahaye Tonneau, 1902, 1 cyl 8 ph, Dan Suskin

Deckert, 1902, 1 cyl 8 hp, Michael Dedman

De Dion Bouton, 1903, 1 cyl 8 hp, Serge Rinero

Darracq, 1901, Paul-Hoskins

Daimler Wagonette, 1899 2 cyl 8hp, Robert Abrey

Daimler Tonneau, 1903, 4 cyl 14 hp, RAC

Columbia rear entrance tonneau, Keith Stewart

Clement, 1900, Mr Milo Sewell

Berliet, 1903, John Bentley

Albion Wagonette, 1904, 2 cyl 16 hp, David Pain

Amedee Bollee, 2 cyl 10 hp, Jos Van Genugten

Lambert Rear Entrance Tonneau, 1902, 1 cyl 8 hp, David Collier

Lanchester Tonneau, 1901 2 cyl 12 hp, Michael Quinn

Left: White rear entrance Tonneau steam car, 1903, 2 cyl 10 hp, Mitch and Wendy Gross. Right: Gillet Forest, 1901, 1 cyl 7hp, Tobias Ward

Lelegante sports, 1903, 1 cyl 8hp, Peter Selby

Martini, 1903, 4 cyl 18 hp, Viscount Randal Dunluce