The need for the man on foot to carry a red flag had actually been abolished in 1878, but the Locomotive Act was still widely known as the 'Red Flag Act' and a red flag was symbolically destroyed by Lord Winchilsea at the start of the 1896 Run.

The 1896 event was a demonstration that the automobile had come to stay. The organisers' instructions stated: "Owners and drivers should remember that motor cars are on trial in England and that any rashness or carelessness might injure the industry in this country."

Only 14 of the 33 starters reached Brighton, although it was hinted that one car was taken by train and covered with mud before crossing the finishing line!

Not all early Runs were to Brighton: Richmond, Southsea and Oxford were among the destinations. In 1930, the Royal Automobile Club -as Britain's senior motoring club -took over the organisation. With the exception of the war years (and 1947, when petrol rationing was in force), it has run annually ever since.
More interest than usual was aroused in 1971, when Her Majesty the Queen entered (but alas did not drive) a 70-year-old Daimler once driven by her father, King George VI, and originally owned by her great grandfather King Edward VII. It was he who, in 1907, commanded that the Automobile Club of Great Britain & Ireland should be known as the Royal Automobile Club.

H H Prince Michael of Kent, President of the Royal Automobile Club, (seen on the left driving the VCC's 1902 Wolseley in 1984) is a regular participant. He has driven a variety of vehicles, including a 1900 Daimler, a 1903 De Dion Bouton, an 1899 Wolseley, a 1903 De Dietrich, a 1904 Mercedes and a 1903 Napier Racing car. For Prince Michael's other activities -

The Brighton Run now ranks as one of Britain's biggest motoring spectacles and attracts entrants from around the world, eager to take part.

The London to Brighton Veteran Car Run prior to 2004 has been organised by RAC, Motor Sports Association (MSA) and the International Motor Sports (IMS). The organisation for the Run in 2004 and the next 5 years has been given to Motion Works UK Ltd.

Only cars built before 1 January 1905 are eligible to take part, with the option for the organisers to invite a small number of vehicles out of period.

The Run attracts entrants from all over the world, with the biggest overseas entry coming from the United States, followed by France

The oldest car to partake in recent years (2000) was the steam "car" belonging to the Bristol Industrial Museum, the "1875 Grenville Steam Carriage", it completed the run in pouring rain, in approx. 9 hours.

Veteran car owners are rightly furious if these fine old vehicles are referred to as 'old crocks'.