A 1900 Daniel Auge crosses London's Westminster Bridge, shortly after the start of the 2009 London to Brighton Veteran Car Run
Hundreds of vintage car drivers navigated through the strong winds and heavy rain for the annual London to Brighton Veteran Car Run.
Organisers of the Royal Automobile Club's 76th rally said around 450 of the 557 entrants were expected to reach the East Sussex coast after setting off in waves from Hyde Park at dawn.
Among the many motoring enthusiasts lining up were legendary British racing driver Sir Stirling Moss and drummer Nick Mason from Pink Floyd.
Singer Alvin Stardust and former stunt man Eddie Kidd also took part as passengers.
To be eligible to enter, cars must be of pre-1905 registration.
Organiser Jeff Carter said: "We have had some really awful weather today. It was coming down in stair rods around Crawley and it has affected the number of finishes.
"However, these cars were designed to go out on the road and their owners love it. We still had plenty of people out braving the elements, waving and cheering as the participants came down to give a nice end to a very wet day."
He added: "This is a quintessentially English event, it's eccentric and attracts people from around the globe. It's the longest running motoring event in the world."
The annual rally commemorates the first "Emancipation Run" in 1896, held to mark the passing of the Locomotives on Highways Act, which raised the speed limit for "light locomotives" from 4mph to 14mph and scrapped the requirement for vehicles to be preceded by a man on foot carrying a red flag.
The vintage motors, including early models of familiar makes such as Peugeot, Renault and Cadillac, crossed Westminster Bridge and followed the A23 via Croydon and Crawley, before travelling across country at a steady 20mph to Brighton.
