London to Brighton 2026: back when steering wheels were brand new

On Sunday 1 November 2026, as the sun came up over Hyde Park, the first veteran cars set off on the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run – around 60 miles to the seafront, open to cars built before 1 January 1905. The run, organised by the Royal Automobile Club, remembers the 1896 Emancipation Run, which celebrated a new law raising the speed limit for motor cars to 14 mph.

Among the entries due to take part this year was an 1899 Benz delivery van, built under licence in London by Hewetson's, powered by a 3 hp engine and now part of the Mercedes-Benz collection.

From tiller to wheel

Look closely at the oldest cars on the run and you will see that many have no steering wheel at all. They are steered with a tiller, a bit like a boat. The round wheel only became common around the turn of the century, as cars got faster and heavier, and within a few years most new cars had one. It has been the driver's main point of contact with the car ever since.

Made in Devon, fitted by you

That is the part we care about. Every Shades of Tuning cover is cut to fit your wheel and its edges are stitched in our workshop in Devon – for classics such as the Land Rover Series and Cortina MK2 as well as today's cars, vans and trucks. You lace it on yourself with the needle and thread in the pack. Our fitting page shows how, and if your model is not in the shop, our measuring guide explains the two measurements we need.

Were you on the route this year? We would love to see your photos.

Sources: ianVisits – a 127-year-old delivery van returns to London's streets; Veteran Car Club of Great Britain – London to Brighton; Wikipedia – London to Brighton Veteran Car Run.
Image: Panhard & Levassor at the finish of the 2025 run in Brighton. Photo © Peter Trimming, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.