First Car Busted for Speeding Featured at U.K. Show
Mercedes dealer Walter Arnold was traveling 8 mph, four times the speed limit, and was chased down by a policeman on a bicycle. The law at the time limited cars to 2 mph and required a man waving a red flag walk ahead of them.
The first car to ever get a traffic ticket will be showcased at this year’s U.K. Concours of Elegance.
The 1896 Benz Motor Carriage, famously the first car in the world to be cited for speeding, will be at the Hampton Court Palace car show Sept. 1-3.
History documents that driver Walter Arnold was traveling 8 mph (13 km/h) – four times the speed limit – and was chased down by a policeman on a bicycle.
The law at the time limited cars to 2 mph (3 km/h) and required a man waving a red flag walk ahead of them.
Arnold, driving through Paddock Wood in Kent, was doing neither. He was convicted of speeding and fined a shilling plus costs. That’s £5.31 ($6.84) in today’s money.
The U.K.’s MoneyWeek magazine reports Arnold may not have been too unhappy with the publicity his case generated.
He was one of the region’s first car dealers, selling Benz cars from Germany. Between 1896 and 1899 his company made its own cars, the Arnold Motor Carriage, based on the Benz.
Later in 1896, the need for a red-flag bearer was abolished and the speed limit raised to 14 mph (22 km/h).
In celebration, cars raced from London to Brighton in a so-called Emancipation Run. It still exists to this day, in the form of the Royal Automobile Club’s annual Veteran Car Run, in which pre-1905 cars recreate the journey from London to Brighton.
Joining the Benz Motor Carriage at the show, 12 miles (19 km) southwest of central London, will be a parade of cars built before 1905. The run to Brighton covers 44 miles (70 km).
At the other end of the scale, the event will feature speed machines such as the Le Mans-winning Jaguar XJR-9 and the Harrods-livered McLaren F1 GTR, both capable of more than 240 mph (384 km/h).
For the first time at the Concours of Elegance, many of the cars on display will take part in moving parades over the weekend, including a trip to the event’s new central stage.
The stage will feature commentary and interviews with some of the world’s top motoring experts, and serve as a focal point for the event.
Entry costs from £17.50 ($22.55) to £25 ($32.21) and the event is open to the public Friday, Sept. 1, a day usually reserved for the owners of the displayed cars.
Organizers say entries are selected by a team of authoritative historic car experts.
Proceeds from the event go to charity.
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