Man Dies After Driving 116-year-old Vintage Car on Highway, Colliding With Truck

An elderly man has died after the 116-year-old vintage car he was driving collided with a truck on a highway.

The 80-year-old man had been taking part in a classic car rally when the 1903 Knox Runabout Old Porcupine he was in crashed along the M23 in Surrey, U.K. on Sunday morning.

He was killed after the vehicle collided with a truck near the southbound carriageway near Hooley, Surrey, at around 10 a.m., a Surrey Police spokesman confirmed to Newsweek.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after the collision while a female passenger was taken to hospital by ambulance with serious injuries, police said. Surrey Police confirmed the man's next of kin has been notified.

A spokesman for the Bonhams London to Brighton Veteran Car Run confirmed to Newsweek that the vehicle involved in the crash had been entered into the rally.

The spokesman said the car had left the race's designated route when the crash occurred. He added that the female passenger injured in the crash is expected to make a full recovery.

"The police are investigating exactly what happened, but the car had left the route, which follows the A23, and was on the M23 when the collision occurred," the spokesman said.

"The driver died in the collision and the passenger was swiftly evacuated to hospital by the emergency services. We are pleased to report that she does not have serious injuries and should make a full recovery."

The spokesman added: "We will continue to support the family and friends who are with her and work with the police to determine exactly what happened as safety is our highest priority."

Surrey Police urged anyone who witnessed the collision involving the 1903 Knox Runabout or has any information, including dashboard camera footage, to contact them.

Knox automobiles were manufactured in Springfield, Massachusetts between 1900 and 1914, according to Bonhams. Four-wheel models from 1902 had cylinder barrels studded with two-inch pins which gave the cars a prickly look, leading to some adopting the "Old Porcupine" nickname for the vehicles.

Almost 400 vintage cars had gathered in London's Hyde Park at sunrise on Sunday morning to take part in the Veteran Car Run. This year, almost 90 percent of competitors made it to the finish line before the 4.30 p.m. deadline to claim a finishers' medal, organizers said in a news release.

The race's 60-mile route sees cars dating back to before 1905 travel past iconic London landmarks including Buckingham Palace and Parliament Square before driving down the A23 highway to finish in Madeira Drive in Brighton, East Sussex.

The Veteran Car Run's commemorates the Emancipation Run, which took place in 1896 to celebrate the Locomotives on Highways Act. It raised the speed limit of "light locomotives" from four to 14 miles per hour and abolished the need for a man to walk ahead of moving cars waving a red flag, according to run organizers.