The feared Tongtian Highway in China is one of the most treacherous roads in the world with the highest point 4,265 feet above sea level.
BRITISH motoring engineering has triumphed over Italy’s legendary supercar in a death-defying race up the Tianmen Mountain in China.
A Range Rover Sport SVR piloted by a Formula E driver has beaten a record set by a Ferrari 458 Italia supercar on the terrifying route.
The Range Rover Sport being navigated up the treacherous mountain highway
The road is the most treacherous on the planet with no fewer than 99 hairpin bends.
Then there are drops of more than 4,000 feet for just over seven miles.
The previous record was set in 2016 by a specially adapted Ferrari 458 Italia supercar which set a time of 10 minutes and 31 seconds.
But now that amazing time has been busted by a Chelsea tractor.
6This view shows just how dangerous the road is and how difficult it must be to pick up speed
6The hairpin bends at speed means death can come suddenly
Tongtian Highway is also known as the “Dragon’s Road” because of the violent twists and turns which make one of the deadliest routes on the planet – and of course the best place for against-the-clock attempts.
The 2.3-tonne souped-up Range Rover Sport SVR that beat the record can be bought at your local dealer.
The driver, meanwhile, is a one-off – Panasonic Jaguar Racing’s Formula E driver Ho-Pin Tung.
6The road is seven miles long and twists and turns about a 1,519 metre high mountain in China with no fewer than 99 hairpin bends
6The 2.3-tonne souped-up Range Rover Sport SVR powering up the road
Tung’s superb skills piloted the supercharged 4X4 to a new record by reaching the finish line of the seven-mile road in a breathtaking 9 minutes and 51 seconds.
He said: “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.”
But what makes the record so remarkable is that it was some 40 seconds off the previous fastest time set by Fabio Barone, president of the Ferrari Club Passione Rossa of Italy, in a Ferrari 458 supercar less than two years ago.
In February the new plug-in hybrid Range Rover Sports became the first car to climb to Heaven’s Gate in China.
The luxury off-roader took on the 11.3km hike complete with 99 tight turns and finishing with the 999 steps.
The record-breaking journey included mind-boggling angles of up to 45-degrees along “Dragon Road”.
One of China’s most famous landmarks, Heaven’s Gate is a stunning rock arch that soars among the clouds in the Tianmen Mountains.