Thousands flock to central London for new St James

Published: 03/11/2024

The Royal Automobile Club celebrates the very best of motoring past, present and future with amazing Pall Mall showcase
 
The exciting new St James’s Spectacle has been hailed as a great success by organisers, exhibitors and most importantly the more than 10,000 visitors who flocked to Pall Mall in central London to enjoy it on Saturday 2 November.
 
The sparkling Spectacle more than lived up to its name, winning many admirers of all ages. Organised by the Royal Automobile Club, the single day, free-to-attend show was staged right outside the organisation’s historic Clubhouse on one of the capital’s most prestigious thoroughfares, closed to through traffic for the duration.
 
The widely welcomed new event was officially opened by Robert Rigby, the Lord Mayor of Westminster accompanied by Duncan Wiltshire, Chairman of the Royal Automobile Club, and showcased a spectacular timeline of motoring from pioneering veterans from the Victorian era right up to the futuristic supercars paving the way for more sustainable eras to come.
 
“It’s a fantastic initiative,” said the Mayor. “I congratulate the Royal Automobile Club. In my position I get to go to lots of events and this is without doubt one of the best. It’s wonderful to see the heritage and history of motoring here on the street outside the Royal Automobile Club. I’m delighted that Westminster City Council gave its approval and I’m hoping this will be the first of many years for the Spectacle on Pall Mall.”
 
“We are absolutely delighted to hold the St James’s Motoring Spectacle here,” added Duncan Wiltshire. “It’s been an ambition of ours for many years and we are extremely grateful to Westminster Council for allowing us to put on what is a true spectacle, covering the entire history of motoring from the veteran cars of the beginning right up to the very latest hypercars. There really was lots for everyone to see and savour.”
 
Others present among the thousands of onlookers enjoying the amazing array of eye-catching cars on Pall Mall included HRH Prince Michael of Kent, President of the Royal Automobile Club, and actor Rowan Atkinson.
 
Taking place on the eve of the RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, the Spectacle starred more than 70 of the extraordinary pre-1905 vehicles, and their period dressed drivers and passengers, that will depart Hyde Park at dawn on Sunday heading for the Sussex coast. They were all participating in the St James’s Concours, the world’s most prestigious beauty parade for vehicles of that pioneering period.
 
An expert judging panel including TV personalities Edd China and Alan Titchmarsh handed out an array of awards – plus magnums of Piper Heidsieck champagne – to the winning entrants. This year’s Veteran Car Run honours the 120th anniversary of the Ladies’ Automobile Club, and  a special prize for ‘embodying the spirit of the original pioneers of the Club’ was awarded to Andrea Holden. She will be driving a 1902 Thomas specially imported from Australia for her to drive to Brighton on the world’s longest running motoring event.
 
The Overseas Award went to Herman Layher whose 1894 Benz is the oldest car participating in this year’s London to Brighton, while the Historic Award was presented to Rob Walton, new owner of the rare 1903 Mercedes Simplex 60HP Roi des-Belges, a car owned by the Harmsworth family for 121 years from new in 1903 right up to its record-breaking sale for $12,105,000 (£9,508,287) earlier this year.
 
The overall winner, however, was the recently restored 1901 Panhard et Lavassor of Bill Wood. “If you look at this car its history shrieks out at you, but so does the amount of care that’s been lavished on it over the years,” enthused Titchmarsh.
 
Drawing crowds to the other end of Pall Mall, and bringing proceedings right up-to-date, was a stunning collection of state-of-the-art hypercars. Putting the spotlight on cutting-edge design and the latest low-carbon technologies, highlights among these were an Aston Martin Valkyrie, Pagani Huayra Roadster, Koenigsegg Regera, McLaren P1 and a Porsche 918 Spyder in evocative Martini racing colours. Any one of these cars is a vanishingly rare sight on today’s roads.
 
Other crowd-pleasers included an Aston Martin DB12 Volante, a Mercedes-Benz W196R streamlined grand prix car, plus a rare UK opportunity for visitors to relish a Porsche 963 prototype from this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. One of the gadget-laden Aston Martin DB5s built to promote the James Bond movie Goldfinger was another huge draw.
 
Very aptly, one of the eye-catching displays set between the very old and very new cars at either end of Pall Mall was a special timeline of vehicle propulsion. This took visitors on a journey from the eras of horse-drawn transport and bicycles via early steam and electric vehicles right up to the latest, fast-charging Nyobolt battery technology.
 
Celebrating their own 125-year-old histories, both Fiat and Renault had their own brand timelines taking visitors through their respective company’s heritage from veteran times to the current day and, in Renault’s case, beyond; its dedicated display included the new, all-electric Renault 5 to be launched in the UK early next year.
 
Fiat also flaunted its newest electric 500 as well as its legendary 16.2-litre Fiat 130HP, one of the greatest racers from motorsport’s early days at the start of the 1900s. The big red chain-driven Italian leviathan – winner of the 1907 French Grand Prix – will be the most powerful car to have ever participated on the Veteran Car Run.
 
Another display paid tribute to 50 years of the Volkswagen Golf, a game-changer that has championed the hatchback sector over the past five decades.
 
For all those inspired by the amazing array of cars on show, an educational zone focused on sustainable technologies and the future of motoring, with interactive exhibits and career guidance for those seeking a career in the automotive sector. Opportunities in many disciplines were being demonstrated, from restoration and heritage skills to working with the latest battery technologies. Those exhibiting included Imperial College, the Royal College of Art, Oxford Brookes University, the Association of Heritage Engineers, the National Transport Trust, the Heritage Skills Academy and the Worshipful Company of Coachmakers.
 
Low-carbon fuels like those now powering increasing numbers of veteran cars on the London to Brighton Run were also being championed by brand leader SUSTAIN.
 
The hugely successful St James’s Motoring Spectacle comes at the end of the Royal Automobile Club’s busy London Motor Week. This has included anniversary dinners, awards presentations, the Art of Motoring Exhibition and the prestigious RM Sotheby’s London Sale that took place in The Peninsula London nearby. The week reaches its zenith on Sunday when 400 veteran cars leave Hyde Park at daybreak and head off to the Sussex coast on the 2025 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 and 2020 during the global Covid-19 pandemic. The Royal Automobile Club has managed the Run, which celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2021, with the support of the Veteran Car Club of Great Britain since 1930.
 
For more information visit: www.veterancarrun.com  

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) and the RAC Foundation while promoting its own motoring events including London Motor Week, the new St James's Motoring Spectacle and the RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run.

The 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.