Brighton seafront was turned into a racetrack with the arrival of some of the fastest cars and motorbikes in the world.

More than 200 cars raced against the clock at the world's oldest speed trials event.

Madeira Drive was closed as thousands of people packed the terraces to watch drivers and 50 motorbike riders compete in the timed quarter-mile sprint on Saturday.

The annual event is the oldest and only legal time trials held on a British public road.

Organised by Brighton and Hove Motor Club and sponsored by Frosts, it attracted entries from all over the UK.

One of the fastest was Jim Tiller, from Ringmer, who bought his orange Allard J2 for £270 in 1958. It is now worth £60,000 and is capable of reaching 197.3mph. He said: "It can be a monster to drive. You have to treat it with respect but even so I have had a few nasty moments over the years."

The car brought back memories for Steve Allard, a member of the family which originally built them. The company is now based in Gloucester and makes turbo chargers for lorries.

Mr Allard, from Shoreham, said: "I have not seen one race since I came to the speed trials in 1972. It is a fantastic sight to see one of our cars still going strong 50 years after it was built."

Rain delayed the start for an hour after Natalie Eden, one of the first to race, span out in her Austin A40.

The road was allowed to dry before Martin Pester, a publisher from Hove, put his converted former Metropolitan Police car through its paces.

The five-litre V8 Sunbeam Tiger convertible, finished in flame red, was one of six used in the Sixties to keep up with speeding motorbikes.

Dave Holland set a record on his motorbike by flying down the course in just 9.25 seconds, reaching 167mph.

All vehicles had to meet stringent checks before they were allowed to take part.