Racing up the Tianmen Mountain in China is a death-defying feat in itself.
A fearless driver needs to master no fewer than 99 hairpin bends with drops of more than 4,000 feet on the other side for just over seven miles of treacherous tarmac.
A specially adapted Ferrari supercar had previously set a time of 10 minutes and 31 seconds in September 2016 – but that’s been thoroughly obliterated in the last few weeks… and by a Range Rover you could use on the school run.
Tongtian Highway, also known as the ‘Dragon’s Road’ because of the tail-like twists and turns, is widely regarded as one of the deadliest routes on the planet, making it prime for against-the-clock attempts to set record times.
The vehicle that’s just taken the title isn’t a specially-crafted lightweight racer – it’s a 2.3-tonne souped-up Range Rover Sport SVR you can buy in showrooms today.
Piloted by Panasonic Jaguar Racing’s Formula E driver Ho-Pin Tung, the supercharged 4X4 set a new record by reaching the finish line at the peak of the seven-mile road in 9 minutes and 51 seconds.
