At last, Britain could join the rest of the world in relatively unfettered use of the new-fangled motor-car, although a notional limit of 14mph did remain.That so many veteran cars survive at all is surprising. The London to Brighton Run celebrates the passing of the The Locomotives on the Highway Act (1896), which abolished the 4mph speed limit for self-powered vehicles, although the requirement for a man to walk ahead with a red flag had been dropped a while before. But this 1903 5hp Vauxhall is far from alone in its survival. Today it's joined by 505 other cars built before the end of 1904, a good number of them powered by steam, and all attempting to drive from Hyde Park to Brighton's Madeira Drive on the seafront to celebrate the liberation of the motor-car from the backward-looking prejudices of the Victorian establishment.You could argue that similar prejudices exist today, especially in Ken Livingstone's London, but they have evaporated this morning as all thoughts turn to the emancipation of the machine that would change the world. It's the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, an event of fabulous eccentricity and fantastic spectacle Last year, I took part in an ancient Vauxhall. This is what happened. It is a strange feeling, climbing aboard a diminutive, ultra-lightweight car that has been on this Earth for 101 years.

This Sunday, Hyde Park's early-morning misty peace will be interrupted by an extraordinary sight and sound. Hundreds of veteran cars will gather there before setting off for Brighton to celebrate a blow for motoring freedom, as they do every year. It's 11 years since trucks raced at Brands and it promises to be a spectacle.The Truck Superprix, with the final rounds of the 2005 British Truck Racing Championship, is at Brands Hatch, Kent, on 5 and 6 November. And barriers are more likely to withstand a 100mph impact than a 130mph one.Next time Steve and Max drive at Brands Hatch will be at the championship finals. One little nudge sounds so loud you think you've ripped your wagon in half. But when you get out it's only a scuff."Race regulations limit top speeds to 100mph "The windscreens are so big they'll blow in," explains Max. Up to 23 trucks from both classes race together and although it's not meant to be a contact motorsport, "it gets a bit hairy out there"."They'll be two or three abreast," says Max, "and your wheels are usually rubbing their side panels as you're going through.

And you can't compete on a small budget."Truck racing is cheaper than most forms of car racing. Teams tend to be connected with the haulage trade and, with modest sponsorship, can race for less than £1,500 a season. "It's not a poor man's sport but you don't need to be mega-rich," explains Max, an HGV fitter from Skipton.A typical truck race lasts around 20 minutes or eight to 12 laps depending on the circuit. Water-cooled brakes, race shocks and sticky-slick tyres help keep all that monstrous momentum in check. And moving the engine block backwards, to redistribute weight and improve grip, is a popular trick."It's like a big go-kart really, because the engine's in the middle," says Max. A go-kart with the driver's seat suspended more than a metre from the ground...Less extensively modified than Steve Horne's sophisticated ERF Class A truck, Max's is a Class B "My engine's got high-lift cam, injectors, turbo. Then you've what they call a 'Ted Rogers' diff, a 3-2-1, which gives you 100mph at 2,000 revs," says the former British Class B champion."To build one like mine from scratch you're talking maybe £20,000.