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RM SOTHEBY’S BECOMES TEN-YEAR TITLE PARTNER TO
HISTORIC LONDON TO BRIGHTON RUN
LONDON, ENGLAND – January 30, 2020 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – In an exciting new partnership with the Royal Automobile Club, RM Sotheby’s has become the title partner to the annual London to Brighton Veteran Car Run for the next decade.
Maarten ten Holder, Head of Europe & Chief Auctioneer, RM Sotheby’s (left above) and Ben Cussons, Chairman of the Royal Automobile Club, announcing the RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run.
Staged on the first Sunday every November, the world’s longest running motoring event will be renamed as ‘RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run’. Open to vehicles built before 1905, the Run is the world’s largest and most evocative gathering of veteran cars, attracting hundreds of entries from all round the globe.
The event marks the anniversary of the original ‘Emancipation Run’, held in 1896 to acclaim the recently passed Locomotives on Highways Act. The legislation raised the speed limit for ‘light locomotives’ on roads from 4 to 14 mph and abolished the need for a man to walk ahead waving a red flag. To celebrate this new freedom, 33 intrepid motorists set off after breakfast from the Metropole Hotel in Whitehall, heading for the Sussex coast.
A shorter Commemoration Run was subsequently organised before a full London to Brighton revival was introduced in 1927. Other than a break because of World War Two, the Run has taken place every year since.
RM Sotheby’s also boasts a truly international footprint. Worldwide clientele can take advantage of its unrivalled scope of services ranging from auctions and private sales to estate planning and restoration. For the past six years (2014-2019), its worldwide auctions have not only sold an unsurpassed number of high value cars but also established RM Sotheby’s as the world’s number one auction house in total value of cars sold.
RM Sotheby’s long-established London sale will now be held on the eve of the Veteran Car Run in conjunction with the partnership. A staple on the global collector car calendar, the London sale welcomed bidders from more than 30 countries last year, and will celebrate its 14th year in 2020.
“We are delighted to partner with the Royal Automobile Club to present the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, a unique and historic event that is known the world over and which is an institution for owners and lovers of veteran cars,” said Maarten ten Holder, Head of Europe & Chief Auctioneer, RM Sotheby’s. “RM Sotheby’s has enjoyed entering a team in the Run for many years, and we look forward to playing a larger role in 2020 and the years to come. Hosting our London sale on the eve of the London to Brighton and during the Regent Street Motor Show will align two international brands for an incredible classic car weekend in London.”
Sharing its deep-seated passion for the Run with the veteran car community, RM Sotheby’s will also be providing all those reaching the Brighton seafront with memorable hospitality at the finish line on Madeira Drive.
“It is a great pleasure to welcome RM Sotheby’s as our new title partner for the Run,” enthused Ben Cussons, Chairman of the Royal Automobile Club. “This important new ten-year partnership with the world’s leading automotive auctioneer will allow us to develop a truly global audience for the world’s longest running motoring event. RM Sotheby’s clearly shares the Club’s passion for all things motoring, with some of the finest veteran vehicles regularly appearing in its auctions and a long-standing enthusiasm for our event. This new partnership will raise the profile of the Run to a new level.
Full details of the newly retitled RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run are available on the event website at www.veterancarrun.com. Additional information on RM Sotheby’s and its upcoming London auction are available at www.rmsothebys.com.
Image: Maarten ten Holder, Head of Europe & Chief Auctioneer, RM Sotheby’s (left above) and Ben Cussons, Chairman of the Royal Automobile Club.
Image: The annual Veteran Car Run, the world’s longest running motoring event.
About RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run
With its unique atmosphere and camaraderie, the RM Sotheby’s Veteran Car Run from London to Brighton (staged specifically as a non-profit making event) commemorates the Emancipation Run of 14 November 1896, which celebrated the Locomotives on the Highway Act. The Act raised the speed limit for ‘light locomotives’ from 4 to 14 mph and abolished the need for these vehicles to be preceded by a man on foot waving a red flag.
The first commemoration of the Emancipation Run was held in 1897 with a drive to Sheen House in Richmond Park. Then, in 1927, the inaugural re-enactment followed the original Brighton route and has taken place every November since, apart from the war years and 1947 when petrol was rationed. The Royal Automobile Club has managed the Run with the support of the Veteran Car Club of Great Britain since 1930.
For more information visit: www.veterancarrun.com
About the Royal Automobile Club
The Royal Automobile Club was founded in 1897 and its distinguished history mirrors that of motoring itself. In 1907, the Club was awarded its Royal title by King Edward VII, sealing the Club’s status as Britain’s oldest and most influential motoring organisation.
The Club’s early years were focused on promoting the motor car and its place in society, which developed into motoring events such as the 1000 Mile Trial, first held in 1900. In 1905, the Club held the first Tourist Trophy, which remains the oldest continuously competed for motor sports event. The Club promoted the first pre-war and post-war Grands Prix at Brooklands in 1926 and Silverstone in 1948 respectively, whilst continuing to campaign for the rights of the motorist, including introducing the first driving licences.
Today, the Club continues to develop and support automobilism through representation on the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), Motorsport UK and the RAC Foundation while promoting its own motoring events including London Motor Week, which features the free-to-attend Regent Street Motor Show on Saturday 31 October and the RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, which takes place on Sunday 1 November 2020.
The Royal Automobile Club also awards a series of internationally recognised trophies and medals celebrating motoring achievements. These include the Segrave Trophy, the Torrens Trophy, the Simms Medal, the Dewar Trophy and the oldest trophy in motorsport still being competed for today: the Tourist Trophy.
2019 also saw the inaugural Royal Automobile Club Historic Awards, presented at a dinner at its Pall Mall clubhouse in November.
About RM Sotheby’s
RM Sotheby’s is delighted to partner with the Royal Automobile Club as the title sponsor of the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. The renowned auction house will host its annual London sale—a staple of the global collector car calendar—on the eve of the Veteran Car Run, offering more than 70 cars for auction with an emphasis on Brass and Veteran Era motoring.
With offices in Europe, Canada and the United States, a global team of nearly 30 expert car specialists, and no less than 12 live auctions held in seven countries each year, RM Sotheby’s is the world’s largest collector car auction house by total sales. With 40 years of proven results in the collector car industry, RM’s vertically integrated range of services, from auctions and private sales to estate planning and financial services, coupled with an international footprint, provide an unsurpassed level of service to the global collector car market. RM Sotheby’s is currently responsible for six of the top ten most valuable motor cars ever sold at auction. In February 2015, RM formed a strategic partnership with Sotheby’s, uniting the two companies for the full calendar of future automobile auctions.
For further information including details on how to consign a car to RM Sotheby’s London sale, or to register to bid, visit rmsothebys.com.
Contacts:
For RM Sotheby’s media enquiries:
Peter Haynes, Public Relations Manager, RM Sotheby’s Europe
Tel: +44 (0) 7738 883259
E-mail: [email protected]
Meghan McGrail, Director of Public Relations, RM Sotheby’s
Tel: +1 519 437 3061
E-mail: [email protected]
For Run media enquiries:
Jonathan Gill at the Veteran Car Run Media Office
Tel: 01372 414120 or 07860 563000
E-mail: [email protected]
For Run sponsorship enquiries:
Chloë Turrall at Goose Live Events
Tel: 01483 524 437
Email: [email protected]
For more information:
Visit the event website www.veterancarrun.com/ or www.rmsothebys.com
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