Without a doubt that's the case- The newest 2cv's in those days really were brand new of course. Now the "newest" ones are 21 years old. I don't think club members are any less enthusiastic than they ever were, but there are still lots of people out there who don't participate, and in recent years I'll include myself in that category. Trouble is that in coming years, if the decline continues, events like the L2B will become too expensive to put on relative to the support. And yes, those who park outside Hove Park in order to avoid the entry fee should be ashamed of themselves.

Partially,but not necessarily . How many does the 'real mini' version attract?

I used to attend national scooter rallies in the early 90s ,they had gone down in attendance from many 1000s in the 1980s to 4-500 , now they are back up in the several 1000's in some cases ,yet while there are some modern vespas currently in production a big amount of the scooters involved are from the 1960s and 70s.
So its probably just a 'club scene' thing where a lot of people into that particular thing have got older and can't be arsed at the moment ,or perhaps are just bored of that particular event.

I assume Brighton is a bit of a Mecca for scooters/Mods, due to this film:

So I expect that a Brighton event is a BIG event in their calendar?

Yes and no, there are factions of the 'mod' thing that have a weekender down there on August bank hol while the big one is on the IoW ,and there are plenty of day trip only events that go there i suppose .
But it's a bit like assuming all 2cv drivers are hippies or teachers and wear corduroy jackets with elbow patches

I've always wanted a jacket with elbow patches, even before I got my van... maybe it was a sign...

No stereotype offence intended
I had a French teacher who owned a red Special and would sport cords and patched jacket, that is three out of four.

Final clutching of straws: Are there more A series Citroens in the north than the south of this country? If there's more north then Brighton is a long way to come, so fair play.

None was taken, i was just creating an analogy
Must admit, there are now plenty of mid-life crisis types squeezing into parkas and tight suits so the stereotype thing is easily done

I enjoyed it this year as always, and especially like the Ace Cafe start. Attendance was very noticeably down this year though, but I think that's largely due to the combination of high fuel costs and a busy calendar of events this year competing for the same funds.

The only criticism I have is of the crib sheet for the route: it needs to be MUCH clearer and easier to follow, and it's a shame that I failed to notice the key route changes this year. Better still would be if a downloadable SatNav route for the two most common models, (Garmin and Tom Tom) could be made available in advance.

I've also long wondered whether starting from Richmond Park would be worthwhile? It would enable a nice 20mph circuit of the park in formation (not an illegal "convoy", of course ) before leaving and shortens the route a little. As we would just be a group of friends who all happen to own similar cars meeting before we all drive down to Brighton and on to Hove it might be possible to avoid any fees, and although we couldn't expect exclusive use of one of the car parks the start is early enough that we could expect to get one mostly to ourselves. From there we'd need to avoid the awfulness of traffic confusion which Kingston provides, so could leave by Richmond Gate, turn left and downhill, then right at the lights and left across Richmond Bridge. From there we could pass through Twickenham and into Teddington heading down and through Bushey Park (another 20mph non-convoy with a nice big car park to re-group in if desired) and then it's out through Hampton Court and along the traditional route thereafter.

Thanks as always to those who organised the event, and I made a point of personally saying so at both the start and on arrival at Hove Park, and the cars which park outside deserve to have the air let out of their tyres! Or perhaps just a nice rogues gallery in the Club mag. But maybe some did pay at Hove and then chose to park outside

Its not challenging enough. London to Brighton in an 1898 car is a challenge in a 2CV its a day out.

Now a London to Brighton Solex race...now that would be a challenge.

Why don't london 2 brighton and Registers day combine? Obviously find a bigger site down south, then drive to the registers day event, making the whole parking in a park a bit more involved...