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London, England - Mercedes-Benz likes to make a point of its position as the "original" car company.
Although the debate about what constitutes the first passenger car will in all likelihood rage for ever, the UK's Royal Automotive Club is giving a classic Merc the position of prominence in its 2011 London to Brighton veteran car run.
As the sun rises over London on Sunday, November 6, at precisely 7.02am, the oldest vehicle participating in the run will be the first to depart from Hyde Park in the city centre.
NO DRIVING LICENCE
Curiously, at the wheel of the 1.1kW 1894 Benz Velo will be one of the youngest drivers to steer a vehicle along the historic 144km route as the event celebrates its 115th anniversary year.
Adopting the famed No.1 start plaque for the world’s longest-running motoring event, the 1894 Benz Velo will be driven by 17-year-old Oliver Wright from Skipton, North Yorkshire. Though yet to pass his driving test, Oliver will head the 500-strong entry of pre-1905 vehicles joining to celebrate the anniversary event which this year honours Germany as the celebrated country, with event sponsors Mercedes-Benz and Bosch both marking 125 years in 2011.
Believed to be the oldest Benz Velo in existence, the car is part of The Ward Collection, jointly owned by brothers Daniel and Toby Ward. Thought to be the first four-wheel model to be built by Benz, this particular 1.1kW, single-cylinder Velo has an intriguing history.
A HISTORY LIKE NO OTHER...
It was one of three cars shipped to Italy in 1894, apparently for the Marconi family. It was then imported to the UK in a packing crate in 1900 when the family moved to southern England and the car stayed in the same crate until 1980 when it was disinterred and sold by Sotheby’s at auction in Bristol in 1981.
Robert Holmes à Court fully restored the car for the London-Brighton Veteran Car Run and the Benz Velo travelled around the globe, from Australia to America, before it was acquired by The Ward Collection in 2001. It is one of seven stunning veteran vehicles entered by The Ward Collection for the 115th anniversary Run.
Oliver, a talented automotive student who has shown a flair for motor mechanics since a very early age, has been given the wonderful opportunity of commanding the magnificent Benz Velo as a Ward family friend on its first Veteran Car Run under its current ownership.
NOSTALGIC FINISH
Just two years after the Benz Velo was built, on November 14, 1896, 33 pioneering motorists set off from London for a drive to the Brighton coast in celebration of the recently passed Locomotives on Highways Act, signifying the birth of motoring innovation and laying the foundations for the world’s longest-running motoring event.
Young Oliver will follow in the tyre tracks of those Emancipation Run participants along the 144km journey which will take in much of the original 1896 route before the nostalgic finish on Brighton’s Madeira Drive.
To headline the world's oldest driving event, you simply must have the world's oldest car leading the field. It’s a veteran motoring principle and the Benz Velo is unchallenged in its position.
Although the debate about what constitutes the first passenger car will in all likelihood rage for ever, the UK's Royal Automotive Club is giving a classic Merc the position of prominence in its 2011 London to Brighton veteran car run.
As the sun rises over London on Sunday, November 6, at precisely 7.02am, the oldest vehicle participating in the run will be the first to depart from Hyde Park in the city centre.
NO DRIVING LICENCE
Curiously, at the wheel of the 1.1kW 1894 Benz Velo will be one of the youngest drivers to steer a vehicle along the historic 144km route as the event celebrates its 115th anniversary year.
Adopting the famed No.1 start plaque for the world’s longest-running motoring event, the 1894 Benz Velo will be driven by 17-year-old Oliver Wright from Skipton, North Yorkshire. Though yet to pass his driving test, Oliver will head the 500-strong entry of pre-1905 vehicles joining to celebrate the anniversary event which this year honours Germany as the celebrated country, with event sponsors Mercedes-Benz and Bosch both marking 125 years in 2011.
Believed to be the oldest Benz Velo in existence, the car is part of The Ward Collection, jointly owned by brothers Daniel and Toby Ward. Thought to be the first four-wheel model to be built by Benz, this particular 1.1kW, single-cylinder Velo has an intriguing history.
A HISTORY LIKE NO OTHER...
It was one of three cars shipped to Italy in 1894, apparently for the Marconi family. It was then imported to the UK in a packing crate in 1900 when the family moved to southern England and the car stayed in the same crate until 1980 when it was disinterred and sold by Sotheby’s at auction in Bristol in 1981.
Robert Holmes à Court fully restored the car for the London-Brighton Veteran Car Run and the Benz Velo travelled around the globe, from Australia to America, before it was acquired by The Ward Collection in 2001. It is one of seven stunning veteran vehicles entered by The Ward Collection for the 115th anniversary Run.
Oliver, a talented automotive student who has shown a flair for motor mechanics since a very early age, has been given the wonderful opportunity of commanding the magnificent Benz Velo as a Ward family friend on its first Veteran Car Run under its current ownership.
NOSTALGIC FINISH
Just two years after the Benz Velo was built, on November 14, 1896, 33 pioneering motorists set off from London for a drive to the Brighton coast in celebration of the recently passed Locomotives on Highways Act, signifying the birth of motoring innovation and laying the foundations for the world’s longest-running motoring event.
Young Oliver will follow in the tyre tracks of those Emancipation Run participants along the 144km journey which will take in much of the original 1896 route before the nostalgic finish on Brighton’s Madeira Drive.
To headline the world's oldest driving event, you simply must have the world's oldest car leading the field. It’s a veteran motoring principle and the Benz Velo is unchallenged in its position.
