At sunrise on Sunday 1 November 2026, a field of cars built before 1905 leaves Hyde Park for the 54 miles to Brighton, at an average speed that may not exceed 20 mph. We think it is the whole case for owning a veteran car: these machines were built to be driven to the seaside, not parked on a lawn.
For an American owner, the 54 miles are the easy part. Getting the car to London takes about a month from New Jersey, and planning it in spring beats panicking in October.
Pre-war cars, and veteran cars above all, ride in a container. We would not put a 1903 car on an open deck or on a car carrier with modern SUVs. Wooden-spoke wheels and narrow beaded-edge tyres are poor anchor points, so the car is secured through the chassis and axles, braced, and loaded by hand at our own warehouse. Our own team loads every car and handles every document.
Carriers ask for as little fuel as the car will start on and the battery disconnected. Pack the spares, the crank handle and the tools in a labelled crate in the same container, not loose in the footwell. Ocean is the route the calculator prices to Southampton today; air is quoted case by case when a date is tight.
A car registered outside the UK, owned and driven by someone established outside the UK, can enter under Temporary Admission without paying import duty, per GOV.UK. HMRC may want prior authorisation at least 30 days before the car arrives, which is another reason to start early. The Run's overseas-vehicles page asks non-EU entrants for an overseas licence, the registration document and a Green Card for insurance, and says a customs entry is needed on arrival.
Two London details catch visitors: the Congestion Charge is GBP 18 a day and ULEZ GBP 12.50, and a veteran car is exempt from ULEZ only once it is registered for the exemption.
Keep the export record from the outbound trip. A car that returns without being improved abroad enters under HTS 9801.00.10 at a Free rate, and a car over 100 years old can also be entered as a collectors' piece or antique under 9705 or 9706, both Free. The Merchandise Processing Fee (0.3464%, minimum $34.58, maximum $670.86) and the 0.125% Harbor Maintenance Fee apply to formal ocean entries. In our view the return trip is where owners lose time, not money: book it before the Run, not after.
Run weekend is when a lot of these cars change hands. A pre-1905 car sits well past the 25-year line, and the base US duty is Free. The open question is origin: since July 24, 2026, CBP applies an additional Section 301 duty to UK-origin goods, and whether the Chapter 97 exemption covers a collectors' vehicle has not been confirmed. Ask the licensed customs broker filing your entry before you bid, not after the hammer falls. Our 1928 Bugatti Type 35B round trip shows how a pre-war car moves both ways.
Sunday 1 November 2026, starting at sunrise in Hyde Park and finishing on Madeira Drive in Brighton.
Cars manufactured before 1905, with a Veteran Car Club dating certificate or passport.
14-16 days from New Jersey, 12 days from Texas, 32-39 days from Florida and 29-40 days from California by ocean container, plus about 14 days for export documents, per the WCS rates table of October 26, 2026.
Not if it qualifies for Temporary Admission: registered outside the UK, owned and used by a person established outside the UK, and re-exported afterwards.
US goods returned unimproved enter Free under HTS 9801.00.10. Collectors' pieces and antiques over 100 years under 9705 and 9706 are also Free. MPF and HMF still apply to a formal ocean entry.
Planning the 2027 Run, or just won a brass-era car in England? We ship door to door, by ocean or air, from our own warehouses in California, Florida and New Jersey, covering all of the US for imports and exports. Get an instant rate with the WCS shipping calculator, read how we ship a collector car, see the UK shipping page, or send us the car's details.
It's your dream car. Let's bring her home.