Oh well. We didn't manage 32hrs 57mins (and certainly not 32hrs 7mins - a time you might want to Google by the way). We didn't even manage the 'revised' target of 36 hours. So NO BLOODY GOOD THEN.

Frankly, I'm a bit despondent because, free of roadworks, we were able to comfortably maintain the averages we'd need all journey long. But that meant 32 hours of 87mph plus and we managed it only for the last five, including a session through LA traffic about which, now the adrenalin is seeping out of my body, I'm kinda terrified about.

We missed getting banged up twice - Pat's incident with the three police cruisers, Tom's with the handcuffs - and I don't think it would have been three-times lucky had I been hauled last night/earlier this morning. Bit silly that, but destination fever had taken over.

Pat's just said, "I think we did brilliantly, considering the only prep we did was to buy a case of Red Bull and a bag of apples." (Very few of which got eaten, although we did get a banana down Tom - his first ever.)

He's right, we went in to this horribly unprepared and kinda put all our faith in the Jag getting us here, which it absolutely would have done had we been less shambolic.

It's an awesome car the XKR. Jag says it's just like the 4.2 only more so and I get what they're saying, but it's more than that. The extra bhp - 40 per cent extra - just makes the whole thing more muscular. They've beefed up the steering and the brakes and the ride - not that it feels anything other than spectacularly comfortable.

Pat did 11 hours at the wheel and said he had no complaints from his usually iffy back. He's also just said he'd rather have done that trip in the XKR than a DB9 - the Aston would have just been hard work. He's right. This car is THAT good.

Anyhow, I really have to have another drink now and then get on a plane to San Francisco to drive the Bentley Continental GTC and then have to try to figure out how to get 3,000 miles, the ramblings of four over-excited writers and more pictures than you would ever imagine into a magazine you should be able to buy from September 20.

Tom/Wookie/however you want to be known, thank you for blogging these last two days. Hope you've enjoyed all this - we're all too shagged to think that just yet, but pretty convinced we'll become TransAm bores in fairly short order.

Goodnight/good morning wherever you are in the world. I'm not very sure where I exactly I am right now.

Michael Harvey