LONDON—Most antiques are bought only to be whisked away to the safe surrounds of their new owner’s home or gallery. However, two days after a 1904 six-passenger open landaulette failed to sell at auction, this antique joined 486 others in the 72nd annual London-Brighton Veteran Car Run (LBVCR), a 60-mile course of English town roads, country roads and highways. Held on the first Sunday in November, the run commemorates Britain’s raising of speed limits in 1896 from 4 to 14 miles per hour—as well as eliminating the need for a man with a red flag to precede the vehicle.

Organized by the Royal Automobile Club, the LBVCR has grown into a three-day event, beginning with an auction of veteran cars (manufactured prior to 1905) and automobilia at Bonhams, where CEO Malcolm Barber drives one of the three 1903 Cleveland-made Peerless known to exist. Barber says the record for a veteran car was nearly $2.68 million in July 1991 for a 1903 Mercedes. This year, a 1900 Phebus-Aster 3 1/2-hp “Automobilette” 606 sold for almost $50,902, while a 1904 Wolseley 12-hp Tonneau 704 brought nearly $177,935, making for a truly classic ride.