An easy day today with all the cars now out of the giant warehouse and rolling across Peking to the Shangri La. The hotel car park is packed with the most mouth-watering selection of Pioneer, Vintage and Classic cars. They are causing quite a stir.

A few engines needed coaxing into life after travelling half way round the world to get here. On the road, the oldest car of the bunch, the 1903 nine-litre Mercedes of Tim Scott (above), stopped to receive road-side help with a fuel-feed problem. More major, a gearbox rebuild in the warehouse by The Banhams, their first service-job of the event was fixing new gear selectors to the 1950 Chevrolet Bel Air of Phillip and Yvonne Haslam.

Its been a bright, sunny, hot day here in Peking as packing and final fettling goes on in the car park outside.

Scrutineering checks under the eagle eye of the FIVA Steward goes on tomorrow and some crews have been running round town buying mud-flaps...everyone is agreed that now the cars are all together, we can't wait to hit the road.

Syd Stelvio