Over £5 million worth of supercars have set off from the London Hilton Park Lane for the inaugural Cannonball 2000 rally: a 2,000-mile odyssey across Europe to raise money for the Dreams Come True children's charity. Boxing champion Ricky Hatton started the race, waving a checkered flag alongside an obligatory posse of glamor girls. 50 supercars set off in grid formation, leaving London for the south coast where they will board a ferry bound for St Malo and then make their way to Barcelona.

From there, the supercars will drive to Monte Carlo and Milan before a grand finale awaits them in Paris after five octane-drenched days on the road. Notable entries for the latest Cannonball event include a DeLorean DMC-12, Lamborghini Gallardo LP570 Spyder Performante, Bentley Continental GTC, a 1999 Aston Martin DB7 Vantage Volante , Ferrari 430 and 360 Modena, Nissan GT-R and 350Z GT Roadster.