NOVEMBER MIST FAILED TO DETER MANY THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE FROM TURNING OUT TO WATCH THE ANNUAL LONDON BRIGHTON RUN OF VETERAN CARS... THE "OLD CROCKS RACE". AT BRIGHTON, BRILLIANT SUNSHINE WELCOMED THE DRIVERS AFTER WHAT WAS GENERALLY AGREED TO BE AN EASY RUN.

NEARLY 250 CARS STARTED THE 53-MILE (85 KILOMETRES) RUN FROM HYDE PARK. THE YOUNGEST CAR WAS SIXTY YEARS OLD BUT MANY OF THE VEHICLES WERE BUILT BEFORE THE TURN OF THE CENTURY.

PRIDE OF PLACE AT THE START WENT AN 1892 BREMER - BRITAIN'S OLDEST EXISTING CAR. UNTIL LAST YEAR THE CAR HAD NOT BEEN ON THE ROAD SINCE 1903. BUT WITH LESS THAN A QUARTER OF THE JOURNEY COMPLETED, IT WAS FORCED TO RETIRE WITH A BROKEN CRANKSHAFT.

A LOW TRAILER HAD FOLLOWED THIS GALLANT OLD CAR, AND IT WAS TAKEN TO BRIGHTON TO SHOW THE MOTORING ENTHUSIASTS THERE ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING VEHICLES OF ITS TYPE.

FIRST OVER THE LINE AT BRIGHTON WAS A 1904 CENTURY TANDEM DRIVEN BY MR. BASIL DAVENPORT OF CHESHIRE. HE BOUGHT THE CAR TEN YEARS AGO FOR FIFTY SHILLINGS AFTER IT HAD BEEN RUSTING FOR YEARS IN THE GARDEN BEHIND A SMALL RESTAURANT.