We would have posted this days ago, but producing prints from those Edwardian cameras takes rather longer than digital.
Vauxhall’s 1904 6HP is one of London to Brighton’s best-known entrants and had its 55th outing last weekend.
Vauxhall’s former MD, Percy Kidner entered the same car in the very first London to Brighton Run 90 years ago
It has only failed to complete run on two occasions in last 90 years
This is one of earliest Vauxhall’s in existence; first cars produced in 1903.
Vauxhall 6HP built in Vauxhall, South London, with a 1-litre engine; two forward gears; tiller steering; 28mph top speed; and an impressive 38mpg.
Everything is counter-intuitive to the modern motorist: it steers with a tiller, at the end of which is a hand-throttle, which you literally have to throttle back when the engine starts on full revs (this is from where the name ‘throttle’ derives, apparently). The gear shift also resides at the end of the tiller, and while there’s a clutch pedal, it operates in reverse (ie., push down to go).
