The 2013 World Solar Challenge ended in Adelaide today – with the fastest car completing the 3000km road trip from Darwin in just 33 hours and five minutes.

Team Nuon from Delft University in Holland was pushed all the way by reigning two-time champions Team Tokai from Japan.

Cloud and rain greeted the solar cars on the arrival into Adelaide. It was Team Tokai who came off worst when they ran out of power on the final approach. They had to pull over about 60 kilometres from the finish and take what charge they could get from the grey skies.

The 2013 event will be a bad memory for some of the other teams – not just the British entry, forced to pull out before the race even started.

The American solar champions from University of Michigan were blown sideways by winds touching 80mph heading into Coober Pedy, damaging their car and putting them out of a top five finish.

Car Couture will be back to normal tomorrow – with a week-long UK road test of the Subaru Forester…