Coronation Street actor, Simon Gregson, to join the British Motor Museum on the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run

Published: 25/10/2024

The British Motor Museum is again participating in the famous RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, which is taking place on Sunday 3 November.

Actor, Simon Gregson who has played Steve McDonald on Coronation Street for over 30 years, will be driving a 1901 Wolseley 10hp tonneau. The Run starts in Hyde Park in London and ends by the seafront on Madeira Drive in Brighton. 

Simon’s co-driver is Paul Cowland, known for the series Salvage Hunters: Classic Cars, and a recognisable face in the world of classic cars. Also driving a car from the British Motor Museum, a 1904 Thornycroft 20hp tourer, is Mike Brewer, most famous for his many series of Wheeler Dealers.

The Museum has entered six veteran cars in total, including the Wolseley and Thornycroft.

Alongside them are a 1902 Albion A1 dog cart, a 1904 Rover 8hp (the oldest known Rover), and a 1904 Wolseley 6hp Phaeton. The final car from the Museum is the 1899 Wolseley 3.5hp voiturette, with its freshly stabilised wings following a fundraising campaign by the Museum. Affectionately known as 'OWL', the Wolseley voiturette has participated in the London to Brighton Run a staggering 38 times!

The RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Run is a premier event in the annual motoring calendar and has been running longer than any other in the world. It marks the historic day in 1896 when a group of pioneer motorists set out from London towards the seaside, in celebration of the ‘emancipation of the motor car’.

Stephen Laing, Head of Collections & Engagement at the British Motor Museum, said, “We are delighted that Simon is driving one of the cars from the Museum’s collection. The Run is one of the most exhilarating and exclusive motoring adventures in the world.

"These wonderful cars are all more than a century old and are some of the rarest and finest models from our collection. Watching 400 veteran cars take part in the Run is such a spectacle and we hope as many people as possible come and watch the  cars and their celebrity drivers in action.”

To find out more about the British Motor Museum please visit the website at www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk. For more information on the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run please visit www.veterancarrun.com