The London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, Motoring’s Most Stylish Tradit – Mister Miller

The RM Sotheby's London to Brighton Veteran Car Run and the Enduring Style of the Bakerboy Cap

There are motoring events, and then there is the RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. Less a race, more a ritual. Sixty miles of open road, engines that wheeze and chug into life like Victorian kettles, and an unspoken understanding that the pace is not really the point. Style is.

Every November, Hyde Park fills with the soft haze of oil smoke, polished brass, heavy wool overcoats and the unmistakable sound of machinery from another age finding its rhythm once again. Drivers tighten leather gloves, goggles are adjusted, engines splutter awake, and slowly, elegantly, the procession begins its journey south towards Brighton.

It is one of the rare occasions where the atmosphere feels almost untouched by modern life.

A Motoring event unlike any other

The event first ran in 1896 and remains the world’s longest running motoring rally. Over 400 pre 1905 vehicles take part each year, many of them astonishingly rare survivors from the earliest days of motoring. Some are worth fortunes. Others have been painstakingly restored by families who have cared for them across generations.

All of them carry character modern vehicles could never imitate.

There is something deeply reassuring about the entire spectacle. Nothing feels hurried. Nothing feels disposable. The event rewards patience, craftsmanship and eccentricity in equal measure.

And naturally, style follows closely behind.

The Style of the Veteran Car Run

The London to Brighton Veteran Car Run has always been about more than engineering.

People arrive dressed for the occasion in a way that feels increasingly rare now. Tweed coats softened with age. Heavy scarves folded instinctively rather than perfectly. Driving gloves worn smooth with time. Bakerboy caps pulled low against the cold morning air.

The elegance comes from authenticity rather than performance.
No one is trying too hard. That is often what makes it so stylish.

Unlike modern motorsport, there is very little aggression to the atmosphere. The mood is quieter. More thoughtful. The silhouettes feel softer and more individual. Even the cars themselves seem to move with a certain theatrical dignity, rolling through villages and countryside roads like moving pieces of history.

It becomes very clear, very quickly, why the Bakerboy has endured for so long.

A good cap belongs naturally in this world.

Not because it feels theatrical or nostalgic, but because its proportions still work beautifully today. The soft crown, the relaxed structure, the balance it creates around the face and shoulders. It carries a kind of confidence that feels lived in rather than styled.

The best hats do not overpower a person. They settle into them.

Mister Miller x RM Sotheby’s Veteran Car Run

This year, Mister Miller was invited to become part of the occasion.

We created a limited run of artisan caps for participating teams, each one individually numbered and lined with a commemorative print by artist Anna Louise Felstead.

Celebrating 120 years of the Ladies' Automobile Club

Her artwork celebrated 120 years of the Ladies’ Automobile Club, honouring the women who took to the wheel long before it was fashionable, expected or, in some places, even properly accepted.

There was something fitting about that connection.

A Limited Edition Collaboration

The Veteran Car Run has always quietly celebrated individuality. People who love old machinery tend to appreciate character in all forms. The same instinct that preserves a century old motorcar often values craftsmanship, personal style and objects made with care.

The caps were designed with that spirit in mind.

Comfortable enough for long hours behind the wheel. Soft enough to feel naturally worn from the first outing. Elegant enough to move easily from the driver’s seat to the Brighton seafront afterwards.

Because while the engines may belong to another century, the atmosphere around the event still feels surprisingly alive.

Why Driving Caps Still Matter

A good driving cap changes more than people realise.

Partly, it is practical. Protection from wind and weather has always mattered in open top motoring. But more than that, it changes the silhouette of the person wearing it.

The right Bakerboy softens an outfit naturally. A simple coat feels sharper. Knitwear gains character. The whole look feels more complete without appearing overstyled.

That is why so many people who once believed hats “weren’t for them” are often surprised once they find the right shape.

Especially with softer oversized Bakerboys, where the fuller crown feels relaxed and instinctive rather than rigid.

The best caps do not disguise personality, they sharpen it.

The Bakerboy has managed to do that for generations because it never relies on trend alone. It survives because it continues to feel relevant wherever individuality, craftsmanship and understated confidence still matter.

And few places celebrate those qualities quite like the road between London and Brighton on a cold November morning.

Because here’s the thing: while the engines may be old, the spirit is alive and revving. The Veteran Car Run isn’t just for petrolheads—it’s for those who appreciate the poetry of motion, the elegance of engineering, and the fine art of dressing for the journey.