Apologies to some younger visitors who may only have seen him in the Olympics Closing Ceremony, but the Pink Floyd drummer is a huge name in the classic car world.

He has bought a 1901 5 litre Peugeot to participate in his 27th London to Brighton run, on the grounds that it has about the biggest engine of any car of the time, so it should be able to get up the hills with greater ease than cars he has previously driven.

Mason owns the cars through his company Ten Tenths, and his collection includes a McLaren F1 GTR, a Bugatti Type 35, a Birdcage Maserati and a Ferrari 250 GTO (current value of the 250 GTO: approximately £20 million). He has competed in many races, including the Le Mans 24 Hours.

After 18 London to Brighton Veteran Car Runs, Nick Mason has a down-to-earth view of the event. He says: “I suspect I was, like most people, guilty of assuming the run was mainly an excuse for dressing up, but experience has taught me that considerable skill is required to keep these brutes going in a straight line, let alone coaxing the gearbox into surrendering another gear. Entering Madeira Drive in Brighton gives you as great a sense of satisfaction as a chequered flag. It’s just a shame that the most important event for veteran cars is held in November. The Panhard’s picnic hampers seem rather extraneous on a bitterly cold morning when the wind chill factor makes you extremely glad you’re wearing those funny goggles and half a hundredweight of animal pelts.”