The world’s longest motoring event looks to the future as the Royal Automobile Club teams up with SUSTAIN.
With all the entrants dating back to the dawn of motoring, the RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run is the world’s greatest celebration of automotive history.
This year’s event, however, not only hailed the life-changing advent of motorised transport after centuries of horse-drawn carriages but also showcased the future with all four venerable pre-1905 vehicles owned and run by the Royal Automobile Club running on innovative sustainable fuels.
The initiative was significant and successful, too, with all four cars, which included Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust’s 1900 and 1903 Daimler and the Club’s 1901 Mors and 1905 Cadilac all successfully completing the hallowed 60-mile route from capital to coast.
There is nothing new, of course, about veteran cars being propelled by non-petrol engines – some of those regularly seen on the London to Brighton are powered by electric and steam engines, as well as early traditional combustion engines.
This is the first time, though, that veteran cars have pioneered fuels from SUSTAIN on the annual trip from Hyde Park to Madeira Drive. Sustainable fuels not only offer a low-carbon outlook for much-loved historic vehicles but also provide a convincing alternative to the widespread introduction of electric motors, which are likely to be only part of the overall solution.
Developed by fuel specialist Coryton, the leading supplier of bespoke fuels, SUSTAIN replaced traditional fuel in the tanks of all four entries with no technical modifications needed to their respective engines or fuel systems.
“SUSTAIN’s support has been wonderful, and the fact we are running the Club’s cars on sustainable fuels is a very powerful message for the future,” asserted Duncan Wiltshire, Chairman of the Royal Automobile Club, who was driving the Club’s four-cylinder, 10bhp 1901 Mors. “This is how we are going to keep yesterday’s cars on tomorrow’s roads for the years to come; thus, this was a perfect opportunity to showcase these emerging fuels.”
Ben Cussons, Chairman of the Royal Automobile Club’s Veteran Car Run Steering Group, was equally impressed driving the 1903 4-cylinder, 14bhp Daimler. “The car ran really, really well on the SUSTAIN fuel,” he confirmed. “It’s been powering up the hills with absolutely no noticeable difference between this sustainable fuel and pump petrol – if anything, it’s better!
“The fact that you can dial in these fuels to work with early engines makes them a winner in every sense. I think the name SUSTAIN is absolutely right – it will help to sustain our very old cars on modern roads. Sustainable fuels must be the key to the future.”
Racing driver and broadcaster Amanda Stretton was aboard the even more venerable 1900 2-cylinder, 6bhp Daimler, which, like Cussons’ car, is loaned to the Club by the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust. “The car was fantastic and the engine didn’t miss a beat,” she reported at the finish after sharing the car with fellow historic car enthusiast and racer Katrina Kyvalova.
The fourth of the Club’s quartet of finishers was the 1905 single-cylinder Cadillac tourer driven by Malcolm Barber of event partner RM Sotheby’s.
SUSTAIN prides itself on providing a more sustainable future for much-loved vehicles from yesteryear, and last summer introduced the UK’s first publicly available plant-based petrol specifically designed for classic vehicles – the SUSTAIN Classic range. Its latest involvement in the veteran car sector is an extension of this programme, which also includes high-performance, sustainable petrol for motorsport.
“We’d like to congratulate the team behind RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run on another fantastic event,” said SUSTAIN’s New Business Director, David Richardson.
Adding, “We’re delighted that our sustainable fuel played a part in this year’s success. As the crowds go to show, there’s a real appetite for celebrating our rich motoring history here in the UK. By powering the Royal Automobile Club’s fleet for the event with SUSTAIN, we hope to highlight the role sustainable fuel can play in the future of vintage vehicles, reducing our reliance on fossil fuel and securing a brighter future for the sector and our planet.”
As well as providing a ‘drop-in’ sustainable fuel for the Club’s four London to Brighton entries, SUSTAIN was present at the previous day’s St James’s Motoring Spectacle on Pall Mall in central London.
Here, Richardson had the opportunity to present the many benefits offered by sustainable fuels to the show’s 10,000 visitors, including Duncan Wiltshire and Councillor Robert Rigby, the Lord Mayor of Westminster.
Full details of the 2024 RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run are available on the event website at www.veterancarrun.com.
For more information on SUSTAIN, please visit https://sustain-fuels.com/.
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