'Oldest' surviving Rolls-Royce to return to UK roads

A Rolls-Royce believed to be the world's oldest surviving model will return to British roads for the first time in decades at the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run.

The 1904 vehicle is due to appear at the St James's Motoring Spectacle in London before joining the annual 60-mile (96.56km) event on 1 November.

Chassis 20154, as the car is known, has recently undergone a three-year restoration which returned it to its former glory, said the Royal Automobile Club.

Duncan Wiltshire, chairman of the organisation, said the car's participation was "particularly significant" because it is the only known pre-1905 Rolls-Royce eligible for the car run.

The car's owner, Terry Bramall, acquired it more than three years ago.

He said he had carried out painstaking research in order to restore the Edwardian vehicle.

"The time spent on research was extensive and it really was as near as we could get in terms of every detail," he said.

"It's been a real thrill and the result is very pleasing."

Bramall said it had been "a privilege" to own "such a special vehicle".

The vehicle, built just months after the partnership between engineer Henry Royce and businessman Charles Rolls was formed, is one of only 17 models of its type produced.

It is regarded as one of the most historically significant cars of its marque.

The London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, first held in 1896, celebrates the pioneering vehicles that helped shape the early days of motoring.

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