Vintage Style Gets Mobile: London to Brighton

[All images my own].
The other week (before my home internet died and I was forced to resort to blogging in my lunch hour) I went to see the annual London to Brighton vintage car and bike rally. Basically if you own a vintage vehicle, you can register to take part, though usually some of the really old and knackered ones don't make it the whole way - this year there were 5o who didn't make the finishing line. It's always a fun event and I couldn't resist fashion-spotting at the same time. Here's my first candidate, appropriately dressed for the dodgy weather in a wax jacket and matching hat.

This car gets extra points for effort as they have retro luggage on the roof. You might notice that a lot of the participants wore hats, and I don't know how the bare-headed ones did it, as it was freezing.

Here's a look at one of the cars up close. It's been kept really well and restored to its former glory, with leather upholstery.

Another vehicle shot, this time looking very much like Cruella DeVil's four wheels in 101 Dalmatians. The driver wisely decided not to go for any fur, but instead went for all black to match the exterior.

It's the blokes that make the real effort at this event, as you can see above. Several cars had co-ordinating drivers and passengers, which looked great and added to the flamboyance of the day. It felt so different from a normal Sunday outing. These two even have goggles to complete the look.

Best costume has to go to the moustachioed pair in sheepskin jackets. In order to keep their scarves flying backwards permanently, they had small strips of wire (yes, really), and I even though they were wearing wings at first. The facial fuzz was the icing on the cake.

Retro vs. modern transport - the old cars clearly look much sharper and more interesting, even if they go at half the speed of our chunky buses.

The ultimate accessory for a vintage rally participant has to be a wicker basket, as seen here. Useful for storing your lunch in, and it's classy too.

I loved seeing how much effort people had gone to when preparing for the London to Brighton run, and it was really entertaining to watch. Next year I'm going to try and get in touch with one of the drivers (some of them were solo and looked a bit lonely in the cold) and hitch a lift. 1940s tea dress and victory rolls in my hair would be obligatory, obvs.