Delahaye 1897 on London to Brighton VCR 2009

• 2 cylinder
• 6 horsepower

The Joys of Being Mayor of Croydon For 2009/10, Croydon Council has elected Councillor Margaret Mead to serve as the Mayor of Croydon, with Councillor Russell Jackson as Deputy Mayor. One of the duties of the Mayor, is to greet the participants of the London - Brighton Veteran Car Run, as they pass through Croydon; seen here, early on a wet morning, with no spectators at the barriers. The photographer, to the left of picture, was on duty, in London, on the preceding day.

“The annual event takes place on the first Sunday of every November and commemorates the Emancipation Run of 14 November 1896 which celebrated the passing into law of the Locomotives on the Highway Act, which raised the speed limit for 'light locomotives' from 4 mph to 14 mph and abolished the requirement for these vehicles to be preceded by a man on foot. The law required the man on foot to carry a red flag but the requirement was actually abolished in 1878. However, the Locomotive Act was still widely known as the 'Red Flag Act' and a red flag was symbolically destroyed at the start of the Emancipation Run, by Lord Winchilsea. Over 30 pioneer motorists set off from London on the 1896 Run to endure the rough roads to the Sussex seaside resort but only 14 of the starters actually made the journey, and some evidence exists that one car was taken by rail and covered with mud before crossing the finishing line!