Morgan Technical and Other Topics Blog: Don't Drive It Day

In the summer of 1899, the Automobile Club Secretary (Later to become the RAC), Claude Johnson, conceived the idea of a trial, to be in the form of a rally rather than a race, which was banned on the highway in Britain.

The trial would be a series of daily runs of up to 100 miles that would be used to test the drivers patience and skill.

More importantly the design, construction and reliability of the cars would also be tested.

There would also be exhibitions in the main towns along the way to try and convince the population of the pleasures and reliability of the motor car and overcome the prejudices that introduction of the motor car had generated.

The 1000 Mile Trial Route Map.

On the 23rd April 1900 the original 1000 Trial had been organised and the participants set out from Central London.

They followed a route through to Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester, Derby, Kendal, Carlisle, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Leeds, Sheffield, Nottingham and back to London.

There were 83 entries of which 65 actually started. By Edinburgh 51 were still running and 35 vehicles made it back to London.

Each year the motoring fraternity celebrate the Motor Car on the Sunday nearest to 23rd April by getting their cars out for their 'FBHVC Drive It Day' journey.

Here in 2020, in the midst of the 'Covid 19' (Corona Virus) pandemic, with its essential 'Lock Down' and the banning of non essential movements of people and motoring journeys, 'Drive It Day' has been cancelled.

T celebrate our own Centenary Roadster 100 Register event on this day, members were asked to bring out their Morgans and photograph them for presentation here.

Cars are sequenced in order of photographs arriving.