Seventy-three superb classic cars will be preparing for the start of their 1,600 mile classic rally to Lisbon at Hampton Court, near London on Saturday 14 October - the first time a competitive rally will have started from a British Royal Palace. Anyone wanting to see the cars off will be able to view preparations from mid-morning, with the first Touring Trial car due to be flagged away at 12.30pm.

The excellent variety of cars means there will never be a dull moment. The two oldest cars in the competitive Touring Trial both start from London: the 1934 Talbot AV105 of John and Anita Hill, and the Singer Le Mans 1.5 litre of Elizabeth Heyer and Martin Hunter.

The wonderful Christine Laidlaw Ferrari 250GT SWB Berlinetta and Lady Pauline Harris's ex David Seagal-Morris works Austin Healey 3000 MkII, both from the early 1960s, rub shoulders with more modest cars such as a Volkswagen Beetle and Renault Dauphine. Another recent French import, Peter Goldsborough's 1967 Renault Alpine, will also be worth keeping a lookout for.

After a warm-up drive to the channel crossing on P&O's Portsmouth-Bilbao service on Saturday, London starters meet up with those who have opted to begin at Bilbao. The main Spanish and Portuguese legs of the event begin from Bilbao's fantastic modern Guggenheim Museum on Monday 16 October. Among the 51 due to start from here is Robert Ashworth's Bentley 4.5 litre Le Mans, an AC 16/60 Open Tourer and a 16/80 Earl of March AC Tourer - plus two more Ferraris.

Ahead of the crews lie seven days of driving through the invitingly quiet yet challenging rally roads of Spain and Portugal. For several crews on the competitive Reliability Trial it will be an opportunity to think about preparations for the 15,000 mile Inca Trail - starting from Rio de Janeiro just a year after the London - Lisbon Classic Rally.

An advance information handout on the London - Lisbon Classic Rally, including full start list, can be obtained by contacting HERO, and enclosing a large self-addressed envelope. Write to HERO, The Town House, Leigh, Worcester, WR6 5LA.