IT took more than 10 hours and stretched nearly two kilometres.

And it means that the National Motor Museum in Hampshire has broken a world record for the biggest number of toy cars ever assembled in a line.

A total of 24,189 were placed end to end today throughout the museum at Beaulieu in the New Forest and around its grounds.

From mini Formula 1 Ferraris to tiny Model T Fords, there was every type of toy car imaginable on display.

Daily Echo:

Some were even signed by celebrities like racing driver Sir Stirling Moss and TV motoring presenters Quentin Willson and Vicki Butler-Henderson.

The line meandered around some of the museum’s more familiar historic cars like world land speed record breaker Donald Campbell’s famous Bluebird.

It completely smashing the previous world record – held by enthusiasts in the southern German town of Fussen – by nearly 10,000.

Models were donated to Beaulieu by customers at 21 Sainsbury’s stores, including the supermarkets at Southampton, Hedge End and Fareham.

Andy Ollerenshaw, a member of Beaulieu’s events team, said: “It is fantastic and we would love to do this again in the future.

“A big thank you to everybody who donated vehicles. It has been a tremendous response from the public and for the staff at Beaulieu it has been a lot of work but everyone has pitched in and helped.”

Now the toys cars will be sold in aid of Hampshire children’s hospices, Naomi House and Jacksplace, which care for seriously ill children and young adults.

Children from the hospices put the final cars in place before independent adjudicators counted them and checked they were all touching.