On April 23 rd 1900, 65 cars set out from London on a drive to Edinburgh to demonstrate that the Motor Car was the future of personal transportation. The run took in major cities of the UK and after a gruelling nineteen day adventure, some 35 cars arrived back in London. Amongst these was a Wolseley built in Birmingham with much design input from its intrepid driver : one Herbert Austin.
It is for this reason that the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs has been organising Drive It Day since the inaugural event back in 2005 and the day is always the nearest Sunday to April 23rd.
St George has long been the Patron Saint of England : in fact since the Middle Ages he has been associated with noble chivalry and the slaying of dragons . He was martyred on April 23 rd which is the day we still celebrate.
St. George Swapped his Horse For Our Stag!
So St George is inextricably linked to those pioneering days of motoring and to the founder of the Austin Motor Company.
Quite what the ancient saint would have made of the motor car is of course anyone’s guess…but any Gilbern owners taking part in Drive It Day this weekend, may want to cover up the badges on their car to safeguard against the risk of ghostly assaults from a noble but misguided warrior.
Happy St George’s Day from all of us!