Range Rover Sport SVR Outshines Ferrari 458 Italia on Tianmen Road
The all-new Range Rover Sport SVR has just shown off its impressive power figures as it surpassed the Ferrari 458 Italia’s record on Tianmen Road in China.
Some people are just never satisfied, and from there arise the overachievers. But, trust us, we are not complaining. Apparently Land Rover was not completely satisfied with its previous trip to China’s Tianmen Mountain, where it had a world record climb up 999 stairs to the legendary rock arch called “Heaven’s Gate” (see second video below). The U.K. brand recently undertook an even more daring feat involving a bold and intimidating 7-mile road that winds up the side of a mountain.
For this challenge, the British automaker chose Le Mans winner Ho-Pin Tung who had previously taken on the incredibly massive staircase. Tung, once again, found himself behind the wheel of a Range Rover Sport on Tianmen Road. Only this time, he traded in a plug-in hybrid powertrain for the SVR’s supercharged 5.0-liter V8 engine.
Tung tackled the globally famous winding road with 99 corners in just 9 minutes and 51 seconds. He averaged a speed of 42.8 miles per hour while navigating road. This was enough to beat the record previously set by a Ferrari 458 Italia at 10 minutes and 31 seconds.
Many of you are probably wondering how exactly Ho-Pin Tung set a better record than a supercar.
The fact that the Range Rover Sport SVR has an all-wheel-drive advantage over the Ferrari does not quite explain the major difference in time. This is especially hard to do because of the significant weight difference; the 458 Italia is obviously much lighter than the Sport SUV. Well, according to him he was heavily focused and explained that this Range Rover was anything but your average SUV.
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According to the NY Daily News, Tung said:
"“I am used to the high speeds of racing but these 99 turns were something unique. Maintaining concentration was the biggest challenge as the road twists and turns constantly, with huge drop-offs to the side.“The consequences of getting it wrong would have been really serious so I focused on establishing a rhythm and the Range Rover Sport SVR made this easy – it may be an SUV but it has the performance and agility of a supercar and can take you to places a supercar can only dream of.”"
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Watch the video below to see Le Mans 24H winner Ho-Pin Tung setting a new record on the 99 turns of the Tianmen Road in China.
See below for a more in-depth video and a closer look at the “Dragon Challenge.” Ninety-nine dizzying turns and 999 daunting steps didn’t stop this guy and this Range Rover Sport PHEV.
Are you are stunned as we are? Isn’t this just a breathtaking, yet terrifying view? We definitely held our breaths at some points and breathed a sigh of relief at the end. Let us know your thoughts on both Range Rover’s performances below.