TG GP 09: the full 18 hours

Top Gear’s secure underground garage, somewhere in West London, 3.15am. Several million pounds’ worth of the world’s greatest fast cars gather in preparation for the ultimate performance showdown. Click through for highlights of the epic 18-hour drive...

Read the full story of Stig's supercar showdown in the September issue of Top Gear magazine - on sale now. 

First off, a dawn raid across Central London, and the SLR Stirling Moss is leading the way, 641bhp of sleek, silvery speedster heading a pack of 11 performance cars straight through Piccadilly Circus. 

Read the full story of Stig's supercar showdown in the September issue of Top Gear magazine - on sale now. 

The Nissan 370Z tails the Stirling Moss. We’ve invited a few more affordable performance cars to join our elite band of Ferraris, Porsches, Lamborghinis and McLarens, but every car here shares the same total dedication to going fastness and having a bloody good time doing it. 

Read the full story of Stig's supercar showdown in the September issue of Top Gear magazine - on sale now. 

Oh yes, that’s a Lamborghini Murcielago SV leading the SLR SM and Porsche 911 GT3 through a tunnel. That’s a whole load of noise and horsepower right there. No surprise, then, that we had more than a few amicable conversations with the Metropolitan constabulary that morning… 

Read the full story of Stig's supercar showdown in the September issue of Top Gear magazine - on sale now. 

It’s not often a V12 Vantage looks subtle or understated, but in such devastating company, the 510bhp Aston was a virtual sleeper. At least until that 5.9-litre V12 wound up towards 7000rpm and scared the living daylights out of the local pigeon population. 

Read the full story of Stig's supercar showdown in the September issue of Top Gear magazine - on sale now. 

Murcielago SV. Piccadilly Circus. Dawn. This is the stuff that dreams are made of. Good dreams. Loud dreams. 

Read the full story of Stig's supercar showdown in the September issue of Top Gear magazine - on sale now. 

After exiting London in the most spectacular style possible – on which more next week, but if you’ve already bought the September issue of Top Gear magazine, you’ll know exactly what we’re talking about – we enter deepest Essex, our fleet of fast cars stretching their legs amidst yellow fields of rapeseed beneath big skies. 

Read the full story of Stig's supercar showdown in the September issue of Top Gear magazine - on sale now. 

Inevitably, it rained. It had to, didn’t it? The 4WD Murcielago and Audi R8 V10 struggled off the biblical downpour, but the slick-tyred 911 GT3… well, suffice to say it was lively. Though not quite as lively as our 300bhp KTM X-Bow… 

Read the full story of Stig's supercar showdown in the September issue of Top Gear magazine - on sale now. 

Creative Director Charlie ‘Darren’ Turner refuels the Clio 200. There was much refuelling in our 24-hour marathon. If you tried to buy some premium unleaded in the south of England that day, our apologies. We took it all. 

Read the full story of Stig's supercar showdown in the September issue of Top Gear magazine - on sale now. 

The Z attempts to squeeze past the Lotus Evora on a narrow Essex lane. The Lotus was an absolute revelation over pockmarked, pitted back roads, but how would cope in the hands of the Stig later in the day? 

Read the full story of Stig's supercar showdown in the September issue of Top Gear magazine - on sale now. 

It’s another B-road here, this time the Ford Focus RS. The 300bhp double-hot hatch taught the supercars a few lessons around the twisty lanes… and carried most of Top Gear’s camera gear at the same time. God bless hot hatches. 

Read the full story of Stig's supercar showdown in the September issue of Top Gear magazine - on sale now. 

From Essex to the Top Gear test track with our illustrious fleet. Matt Master takes on the role of stablehand, buffing the thoroughbred Evora to a lustrous sheen before handing it over the Stig for a hot lap of our test track. 

Read the full story of Stig's supercar showdown in the September issue of Top Gear magazine - on sale now. 

Look! It’s a photo of photographer Justin Leighton… taking a photo! It’s postmodern and stuff. Hell of a collection of cars, though, innit? 

Read the full story of Stig's supercar showdown in the September issue of Top Gear magazine - on sale now. 

Top Gear’s finest staffers watch Stiggie doing something smoky, sideways and unspeakable to the Ferrari 599. Our tame racing driver had to be physically restrained from doing the same that poor white truck. 

Read the full story of Stig's supercar showdown in the September issue of Top Gear magazine - on sale now. 

Tom Ford does his best impression of the Angel of the North as he’s jacked up high above the test track. He wanted to see if he could see France. He couldn’t. 

Read the full story of Stig's supercar showdown in the September issue of Top Gear magazine - on sale now. 

Bill Thomas downloads Stig’s thoughts on the R8 V10. Via USB cable. It’s a little-known fact, but our white-suited mechanoid is fully compatible with all modern hardware. And Casio digital watches from the 1980s. 

Read the full story of Stig's supercar showdown in the September issue of Top Gear magazine - on sale now. 

The emergency services wait patiently as Stig rags another supercar to within an inch of its life. He didn’t need them. He never does. 

Read the full story of Stig's supercar showdown in the September issue of Top Gear magazine - on sale now. 

That’s the Top Gear TV production office, where all the telly magic happens. In front it, that’s the Ferrari 599 HGTE. And the KTM X-Bow. And the Murcielago SV. And the Evora. 

Read the full story of Stig's supercar showdown in the September issue of Top Gear magazine - on sale now. 

With the telly boys filming another episode from Series 13 in the hangar opposite, Jeremy and Richard popped out to take a look over the Stirling Moss. Not quite literally, in Richard’s case. 

Read the full story of Stig's supercar showdown in the September issue of Top Gear magazine - on sale now. 

Hammond liked the R8 V10. But not as much as the 911 GT3. You could’ve guessed that, right? 

Read the full story of Stig's supercar showdown in the September issue of Top Gear magazine - on sale now. 

Generous souls that we are, we even allowed members of the Top Gear telly audience to sit in our cars. And fiddle with the switches. And drive them. OK, we didn’t let them drive. 

Read the full story of Stig's supercar showdown in the September issue of Top Gear magazine - on sale now. 

Strange fact about that camera on the back window of the 370Z: it appeared to be wired into the Stig’s left buttock. No idea why. 

Read the full story of Stig's supercar showdown in the September issue of Top Gear magazine - on sale now. 

Piers Ward records detailed tester’s notes on the GT3. “Buy milk… pay gas bill… sack web caption editor…” 

Read the full story of Stig's supercar showdown in the September issue of Top Gear magazine - on sale now. 

… while Stiggie destroys another innocent set of tyres. 

Read the full story of Stig's supercar showdown in the September issue of Top Gear magazine - on sale now. 

It’s an uncompromised, hardcore speed machine… driving the SLR Stirling Moss. Stig was told to take it easy in the ultra-rare, £650,000 speedster. He didn’t, obviously. And we'll have video next week to prove it.

Read the full story of Stig's supercar showdown in the September issue of Top Gear magazine - on sale now. 

The industrial cherry picker set a frankly disappointing lap time, even getting lost around the Hammerhead. 

Read the full story of Stig's supercar showdown in the September issue of Top Gear magazine - on sale now. 

Audi, Porsche, Aston, KTM… it’s another yawn-inducing afternoon commute down at the TG test track. 

Read the full story of Stig's supercar showdown in the September issue of Top Gear magazine - on sale now. 

And that’s a wrap, boys and girls. After a full day of city, country and test track, the Big Top Gear performance test is over. Still want more? You’d better get yourself a copy of Top Gear magazine, then. Oh, and check out our awesome videos of Stig’s hottest laps… 

Want to see some video?

Web editor Paul Regan checks the state of the tyres on the Ford Focus RS. The machine simply reads ‘Stigged’. 

Read the full story of Stig's supercar showdown in the September issue of Top Gear magazine - on sale now.