Disabled Motoring UK - Disabled Motoring UK is the charity for disabled drivers, passengers & Blue Badge holders.

Jim Rawlings visits the 2009 London to Brighton Veteran Run for a look at some classic vehicles from the early days of motoring.

Contrary to popular belief the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run (LBVCR) is not a race. 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. This 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. Over 30 vehicles commenced the first run in 1896 run but only 14 completed the journey. One, it is alleged, was taken by rail and covered with mud before crossing the finishing line. The next run was staged in 1927 and has been held, war and petrol rationing permitting, every year since. Continue reading »

2008 saw the 60^th anniversary of the launch of the Morris Minor, and 2009 marked a very happy 50^th birthday for the Mini. Jim Rawlings raises a toast to two British classics.
Few cars engender more genuine love and devotion in their owners than a Morris Minor. The development of the  Minor has given rise to many stories, some apocryphal but some more reliably documented. Sir Alex Issigonis’ own recollections are particularly interesting. He described the final refinements of the design process thus: “I wasn’t very happy with the final version, so I went to the shop one evening and told the mechanics to cut it in half!” The original prototypes were 57 inches wide, but Sir Alex ordered the two halves to be moved apart until he felt the proportions were right. This added four inches to the width of the car – and a reminder of this decision can be seen on all Morris Minors, in the flat strip that runs down the centre of the bonnet. Continue reading »