Monday, September 28, 2026
Sunday, September 27, 2026
oldest surviving Rolls Royce will be at the London to Brighton Veteran Run
The 1904 vehicle is due to appear at the St James's Motoring Spectacle in London before joining the annual 60-mile event on Nov 1st
Chassis 20154, as the car is known, has recently undergone a three-year restoration which returned it to its former glory, said the Royal Automobile Club.
Duncan Wiltshire, chairman of the organization, said the car's participation was "particularly significant" because it is the only known pre-1905 Rolls-Royce eligible for the car run.
The vehicle, built just months after the partnership between engineer Henry Royce and businessman Charles Rolls was formed, is one of only 17 models of its type produced.
It is regarded as one of the most historically significant cars of its marque.
The London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, first held in 1896, celebrates the pioneering vehicles that helped shape the early days of motoring.
RAF Flying Officer Leslie Valentine played a vital role on D-Day, when he who was 24 at the time, flew his Boston bomber at 50ft over the Normandy landing beaches to lay thick smoke to protect the invading forces from enemy fire, on D Day, to cover the invading forces.
Aviation artist Michael Turner captured the mission in his painting Friendly Smoke, and incredibly Mr Valentine's son, who was unaware that it was his father's aircraft depicted in the picture, bought him a copy.
"The eventual realization resulted in the artist visiting and signing the print: 'Thanks for posing for my painting!'."
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