London’s Regent Street came to a standstill on November 1, but for once it was not as a result of traffic congestion in central London, but for the annual Regent Street Motor Show. Hundreds of cars and motorbikes were on public display – rather than bumper-to-bumper en route to their next destination.
From Piccadilly Circus to Oxford Circus, the English capital’s world-famous shopping street was closed to through traffic so it could host the annual Regent Street Motor Show, the UK’s largest free-to-view motoring extravaganza.
Last year, a record 400,000 visitors were able to pore over a huge variety of mouth-watering machinery embracing everything from motoring’s pioneers to the latest supercars.
This year, the exhibits included performance cars, family cars, eco cars and racing cars, and a trio of legends from the world of Grand Prix motorcycle racing – Freddie Spencer, Wayne Gardner and Christian Sarron – added some extra sporting sparkle to the show.
All three former World Champions were there to announce the creation of a major new European classic and racing motorcycle festival which has been inspired by hugely popular classic race meetings such as the Silverstone Classic and the Goodwood Revival. It will take place in Spain in 2015.
Also on display were some of the bikes that took these champions to racing glory, and punters snapped up the chance for autographs and ‘selfies’.
There were also 100 veteran cars on display, all ready for the annual Bonhams London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, which starts from nearby Hyde Park.
The veterans, all built before 1905, are also taking part in the prestigious EFG International Concours d’Elegance and hoping to take overall honours ahead of the 60-mile trial to the coast.
If the Toledo does win an award it will cap a hugely eventful year for the car. It triumphed in this year’s Pebble Beach concours in America where it won the Chairman’s Trophy, prior to re-enacting a trip the very same car made from Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon more than 112 years ago.
The car was bought as a restoration project by enthusiast Howell in 2004 and is believed to be one of only 14 steam-powered Toledos still in existence.
“I have rebuilt many veteran and vintage cars in the past but once I’ve got them running properly I tend to get bored with them. So about ten years ago when I started looking for another car to rebuild I chose a steam-powered car as getting one to run smoothly seems to be a never ending challenge!” said Howell.
He found the Toledo for sale at a farm auction in America in 2004 and in the course of delving into its history he discovered that its modifications – including a longer chassis and a larger than usual water tank – meant it was the very same steam car used by photographer Oliver Lippincott to make that pioneering drive from Flagstaff in Arizona to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
The car was made by the American Bicycle Company of Toledo, Ohio, in 1902 and took three days to cover the 67 miles to the edge of the Canyon.
After many years of sympathetic rebuilding – the car is remarkably original with only three small pieces of new wood needed to replace charred originals – the Toledo was invited to Pebble Beach.
And after its triumph there, it was shipped to Flagstaff for its second trip to the Grand Canyon.
Howell’s re-enactment over unmade forest tracks also took two days and due to poor weather turning the trail into a quagmire, the car had to be towed the last 15 miles. Remarkably, the same fate befell it in 1902, when it was dragged over the final few miles behind a horse as the weather turned.
Driving a steam car requires a very different technique to driving a petrol-powered car. For a start it takes about half an hour to build up steam before the car can move and then it needs around a gallon of water for every mile it covers.
“With our larger water tank we can carry about 43 gallons, so we needed to top up twice on the journey,” said Howell. Unlike Lippincott, who had to make detours to find water butts usually used by horses, Howell had the luxury of a back-up crew in large 4x4s to carry extra supplies.
The Toledo will need to take on more water when it drives the 60-plus miles from London to Brighton today, but if it makes it, Howell will be overjoyed. “We’ve attempted the Run in the Toledo for the last two years but failed to get to Brighton both times so we are hoping this year it will be third time lucky.”
And if it does run smoothly all the way to Brighton, Howell might start looking for another challenge. “We found a museum in America with an unrestored White steam car, a much more sophisticated machine than the Toledo. I might suggest a swap – they get a significant piece of American automotive history in full working order and I get my next test!”
First held in 2005, the Regent Street Motor Show attracts a large number of manufacturers keen to display their newest products to an audience made up of both car enthusiasts and the perhaps less interested general public.
“The Regent Street Motor Show is now recognised as a great day out for the family, whether they are car enthusiasts or just shoppers,” said Annie Walker, Director of the Regent Street Association.
“The huge variety of exhibits perfectly complements Regent Street, with an array of vehicles ranging from the horseless carriages to the cars of today all set in one of the world’s most prominent shopping streets. It adds a completely new dimension to a visit to the best shopping street in the West End. And best of all, it’s free!”
