The Royal Automobile Club (RAC) London to Brighton Veteran Car Run is a prestigious event which is the oldest one of its kind in the world, still in existence.
The start is from Hyde Park, then through the Wellington Arch and along Constitution Hill past Buckingham Palace, The Mall, Trafalgar Square, Whitehall, over Westminster Bridge, then through South London to the sea at Madeira Drive in Brighton for 60 miles in all.
The Run is strictly limited to pre-1905 machines, including petrol, electric and even steam cars, attracting an entry of 400 or so. In 2017, the RAC invited veteran cycles to participate in the Run recognising that early cycles make an interesting, appropriate, and popular contribution. Due to an abundance of entries, the organisers have increased the cycle entry to 25 machines which are selected in a ballot.
Entries are now closed for this year’s Run. The 2026 Entry List and Programme can be viewed here.
A Registration scheme was introduced by the Veteran-Cycle Club to authenticate machines for the Run to ensure that machines met the official entry criteria, that is, made before 1905. To this end the Club established an Authenticating Committee in order to:
- Organise a Registration/authentication process for anyone seeking to enter a cycle for the Run from 2026 onwards.
- To issue a Certificate, Badge and Logbook for each authenticated machine.
- To simplify the application process for prospective entrants who need now only show a valid V-CC Authentication Certificate as proof of a machine’s eligibility.
Guidance Notes for Registering Machines with the V-CC Pre-1905 Scheme are here.
There is an administration charge of £20 to register a machine with the V-CC. Apply here. This administration charge is not payable by members of the V-CC or in respect of Legacy Machines (see the Guidance Notes on the link above). However, if you are the owner of a registered Legacy Machine and wish to enter the Run in future you will need to apply to the V-CC to receive a valid Certificate for which there is no charge.
Post Registration the owner will be supplied with a Certificate, a Badge and a Logbook for a fee of £45. Apply for these here.
Club members are covered by the Club’s public liability insurance. Join here.
If your machine has previously been Registered or ridden in the London to Brighton Run by a former owner please complete our Transfer of Ownership form here. Completion of the form will help prove the machine’s provenance and could allow a Certificate to be issued as a Legacy Machine.