A new generation of enthusiasts is discovering the extraordinary pleasures of veteran car ownership – and 27-year-old Megan Casey is determined to encourage more young people to join them.

The Bedfordshire enthusiast has just bought a 1903 Humberette and is now preparing to take part in the RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run for the first time, having previously supported friends and fellow enthusiasts on the annual capital-to-coast celebration.

Having witnessed the spectacle from the sidelines, Megan has become captivated by the character of the pioneering cars, their fascinating histories and, above all, the camaraderie among those who share a passion for motoring’s earliest days.

“I followed my boyfriend Alex and a couple of his friends on a tri-tandem bike last year,” says Megan. “I love how the cars are all so different and their histories – these cars have lived extraordinary lives. It fascinates me to learn more about them.”

Megan was introduced to the world of traction and steam engines through her family before developing an interest in classic cars. She subsequently bought a 1967 MG roadster, which remains a much-loved part of her collection, but the influence of her boyfriend’s steam car prompted her to look further back into motoring history.

“I bought a 1967 MG roadster and absolutely love it to bits. My boyfriend Alex has a steam car, which made me think I’d like to get more into veteran cars. As a hobby it’s a really nice change from traction engines.”

The search for an affordable veteran car eventually led Megan to the Humberette – a diminutive machine with plenty of character and a remarkable history.

“We were looking at cars for quite a while and I didn’t have an enormous budget to spend. The Humberette has such a nice character about it – it looks like a veteran car should. Besides, it was a British car that needed bringing home.

“We did some research and discovered it was Kent registered, from close to where I was born and grew up, so that really sealed the deal.”

The 1903 Humberette had not taken part in the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run since the 1970s. After passing through various owners in Kent, it was sold in 1978 to a museum in Stockholm, Sweden, where it remained until Megan acquired it at auction.

Now, after more than four decades overseas, the little Humber is being prepared for a return to British roads – and its first London to Brighton Run for several decades.

Getting it ready has already proved an adventure in itself.

“It’s needed a fair bit of restoration. We’re getting a new fuel tank made for it and, being such a shaky car when running, lots of parts in the front axle had a lot of wear, so we’ve replaced most of those to make the steering easier.

“It’s had new tyres fitted and we’re in the process of looking at the gearbox internals.”

Megan has already taken the Humberette out for some tentative test runs around her local village, although she admits that mastering a 123-year-old car is very different from driving anything she has experienced before.

“I’ve driven it around the village a few times with varying degrees of success. It’s certainly a challenge! It’s unlike anything I’ve driven before, but it’s such good fun. It gives me a smile and I spend most of the time laughing.

“A bit more practice is needed before Brighton, but we will get there,” she vows.

That sense of adventure is precisely what Megan believes makes veteran motoring so rewarding – and she is keen to dispel any perception that veteran cars are only for experienced collectors or enthusiasts of a certain age.

“I would really encourage others to get involved. Veteran cars are so much more hands on to repair and rewarding to live with than modern cars. If anything goes wrong you don’t need to plug them into a computer! You simply open the bonnet, roll up your sleeves and try to work out what's the problem.

“It teaches you new skills, not least when you are driving it, as you really need to think on your feet. Part of the fun is that you’ve got to build a relationship with the car. It has its own character and characteristics which pulls you into being very attached to it – that kind of relationship is missing with a modern car.

“I’m already very attached to it.”

While many of the veteran cars setting off at dawn from Hyde Park for Brighton have been in families for generations and continue to be driven by more senior enthusiasts, the veteran movement is increasingly attracting a younger generation of owner-drivers.

For Megan, the social side of the hobby is just as important as the cars themselves. She is part of an online group chat with fellow younger enthusiasts where members exchange advice, photographs and stories about their cars.

“It is very easy for people to think, ‘That’s not for me’, but once you get into it, it’s such a great hobby and I’m so glad to be part of it.

“We’ve also got a group chat online with lots of us sharing advice and photos, which is really nice. I’d advise anyone of any age to have a go – it’s such fun.”

Now Megan is looking forward to experiencing the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run from behind the wheel rather than from the roadside – although she knows that completing the 60-mile journey in a 1903 Humberette will be an adventure. For her, that is precisely the attraction.

"As part of the team who have been encouraging younger enthusiasts into veteran cars, we are delighted to witness Megan’s journey and her enthusiasm for embracing this fun, and sometimes challenging, hobby," said Joy Tacon who sits on the Veteran Car Run Steering Group. "The achievement Megan will feel, just making it to the start line of the London to Brighton will be huge and any distance made on the Run in her 'new' 1903 Humberette is to be celebrated. We all wish her luck on for a smooth and uneventful maiden Run on 1 November."

The RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run takes place on Sunday 1 November, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the motorists who took to Britain’s roads at the dawn of the motoring age.

Megan and her Humberette will be among hundreds of veteran cars taking part in what is the world’s biggest celebration of motoring’s pioneering era – proving that the passion for these extraordinary machines is very much alive among a new generation.