Hundreds of classic car enthusiasts will enjoy a Royal send-off in this year's London to Brighton Veteran Car Run.

Special permission has been granted to allow the 400 cars scheduled to take part, to drive in front of Buckingham Palace after setting off from Hyde Park on November 2.

Instead of chugging straight out of the gates of Hyde Park and around Hyde Park Corner the vehicles, all built before 1904, will drive towards Buckingham Palace and turn into Birdcage Walk.

International Motor Sports organises the run to commemorate the ending of a rule which said a man with a red flag had to walk in front of all powered vehicles.

It said that after passing the Palace, participants on the 107th run will go towards Westminster Bridge and make their way to Sussex down the A23.

They drive through south London, Croydon, Purley and Redhill before reaching Crawley for a coffee stop.

Shortly after Crawley, they will turn off the A23 onto the B2114, which takes them through Handcross Hill and Hammer Hill before rejoining the A23 at Pyecombe, north of Brighton.

Entrants that have made it up and down the Sussex hills without any mechanical hitches will then enter Brighton via Preston Park.

It is a short drive to the seafront to collect a medal at Madeira Drive.

The first cars will leave Hyde Park at 8am and are expected to arrive on Brighton seafront from 10.30 am.

To qualify for a finisher's plaque, drivers have to arrive in Brighton by 4 pm.

In previous years, more than two million people have lined the route to cheer on the veteran cars, some with celebrities on board.

Andrew Coe, chief executive of International Motor Sports, said: "The London to Brighton Veteran Car Run is a grand tradition and we have had a fantastic response again so far this year, with over 400 entries.

"As ever, we are committed to giving the drivers the best possible experience by combining the traditional elements of the route with new additions to keep it fresh and exciting."