Engines roared, gears clanked and the seafront smelled of warm oil as the grand old dames of the road chugged into Brighton.

Clear skies, cool winds and hundreds of enthusiasts greeted the first gleaming arrivals crossing the finish line at Madeira Drive after the 57-mile London to Brighton veteran car run.

Averaging about 20mph, the vehicles, all built no later than January 1905, had been unwrapped from their dust-sheets by loving owners for the annual trip to the coast.

For every car sweeping elegantly along the seafront, another antique automobile caused drama with a burst tyre or blown gasket.

Of the 411 vehicles which entered, together worth about £40 million, 45 failed to start at Hyde Park in London.

Hurricane Starley from Hythe Road, Brighton, had to call in mechanics when his 1903 De Dion Bouton suffered a puncture on the way to the start.

His father, Lionel, experienced difficulties in a 1904 Star. A seized clutch meant he could only engage the gears by pushing the car up to starting speed. Both defied the odds and finished the race in about four hours.

First over the finish line, just after 10am, was Stuart Evison in a 1902 Mors.

Mr Evison, from East Yorkshire, said: "She's been very good today, turning left and right just when I asked her."

Chris Loder of Leonardslee, near Horsham, was the first Sussex entrant to finish, in an 1898 Peugeot.

His father, Robin, who has taken part in the run since 1964, arrived afterwards in a 1898 Fisson.

Mr Loder put down his success to new tyres, the first replacements fitted in the vehicle's history.

He said: "They were hand-made and cost £3,000 but if they last another 103 years it will be money well spent."

Soon afterwards Graham Bennett, from Heathfield, arrived in his 1904 Renault.

The Queen's chauffeur Joe Last drove a 1900 Daimler Tonneau along the historic route.

The run, always held on the first Sunday in November, was first staged in 1896 to celebrate the Locomotives on the Highway Act, which raised the national speed limit from four to 14mph.