Cadillac #530 having rammed its front spring shackle into the glamorous tail-end of the main support vehicle, the Courier-Cadillac Roadster, the show got under way with a wave of a flag from Ron Hickman of Black & Decker Workmate fame.  After a clear early run, problems with major overheating struck less than three miles from the Eastbourne meeting point. 
    By the time the welcome party had waited for over an hour on the seafront to hear of some chance discovery of a simple solution to the trouble or a miracle cure, word came back that the problem - a 'dislocated' water pump - was rather more serious than first thought. In fact, suspicions that the challenge, sadly, could have come to an early and inauspicious end were on everyone's mind.
    Yet the day was far from over, and Ron Hickman's magnificent ex-Maharajah's 1931 V16 Cadillac was summoned to help pacify the press and give the Mayor, Cllr Miss Olive Woodall, a time-delaying ride around the town. When the this proved inadequate, the Mayor kindly agreed to drive to the edge of Eastbourne to meet Julian and #530 for a photo-shoot, while the necessary repairs were being carried out. 
    With the tireless dedication of two experts from nearby Perrot Engineering - summoned by the Veteran Car Club - and with the help of some local householders, Julian was back on the road in less than five hours, and drove into the Queens Hotel at around 10pm, well before that magic disqualifying hour of midnight. So, just as on the same day in 1903, when the steam omnibus in Sevenoaks drove into Cadillac #530 and smashed the left rear wheel, a near disaster became another impressive triumph of 'man and machine'.