• New performance SUV beats supercar record at Tianmen Road in China
• V8 422kW Range Rover Sport SVR
• 9mins 51 seconds beating 10min 31sec set by a Ferrari 458 Italia
• Driven by Le Mans class-winner and Jaguar Racing test driver Ho-Pin Tung
Hunan Province, China – The latest high performance SUV from Jaguar Land Rover was not meant to outperform a supercar, but that’s exactly what happened when the new Range Rover Sport SVR took on a fearsome mountain road in China.
Average speed of almost 70km/h
Land Rover’s performance SUV, driven by Panasonic Jaguar Racing driver Ho-Pin Tung, has smashed the record for negotiating the 99 corners of the famous Tianmen Road.
The standard production Range Rover Sport SVR set a new, albeit unofficial, record of 9 minutes 51 seconds for the 11.3km ascent at an average speed of 68.8km/h, beating the previous best of 10 minutes 31 seconds – set by a Ferrari 458 Italia supercar in 2016.
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Coupled with changes to the chassis, the new SVR delivers more dynamic responses without compromising traditional Range Rover comfort. The engineers at SVO focused on controlling pitch under heavy acceleration and braking, and changes to the damping hardware have improved turn-in, mid-corner grip and body control.
Image: Newspress
Panasonic Jaguar Racing’s Ho-Pin Tung said: "I am used to the high speeds of racing but this was even more demanding. 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."
Land Rover says the optional exposed carbon fibre bonnet is one of the distinctive innovations introduced by the experts at Special Vehicle Operations and features a pair of large air vents to underline its performance potential. A revised front bumper provides enhanced brake and engine cooling while the 5.0-litre V8 supercharged engine produces 700Nm of torque.