THE new plug-in hybrid Range Rover Sports has become 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.
The Range Rover climb was even more impressive given it was done in a showroom spec model.
The P400e plug-in model– which twins a 295bhp engine with a 114bhp electric motor – only required one of its special off-road modes to get the job done.
Panasonic Jaguar Racing’s Ho-Pin Tung piloted the record attempt after hours of training to get the angles right.
The video shows the SUV taking on the daring roads up to the base of the staircase with tight hairpins just metres away from sheer drops.
Heaven's Gate: Facts and figures
- Heaven’s Gate was caused by natural erosion and is a cave 60 metres long, 131 metres high and 57 metres wide.
- Located within Tianmen Mountain National Park, Zhangjiajie, in the northwestern part of Hunan Province, China.
- The height of Tianmen Mountain is 1,518 metres.
- 999 steps lead to the top of Heaven’s Gate.
- It features the longest and highest cable car in the world at 7,455 metres long.
- Winding roads that head up to the base of Heaven’s Gate total 11kms (6.8 miles) with 99 bends.
Once it gets to the foot of Heaven’s Gate, the car is flicked into the Terrain Response 2 system in Dynamic mode.
And it’s then able to skip effortlessly up the ancient stairs through the misty cloud – being careful not to lose power and risk crashing back to earth.
Ho-Pin Tung said: “I’ve experienced Formula E, Formula 1 and won at the 24 Hours of Le Mans but this was without doubt one of the most demanding driving challenges I’ve ever faced.
“The Range Rover Sport PHEV performed brilliantly as it inspired real confidence on the mountain road and climbed the stairs up to Heaven’s Gate effortlessly.”
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The Dragon Challenge is the latest in a series of adventures completed by the Range Rover Sport after the PHEV model made its debut in a race against two-time open-water swimming world champion Keri-anne Payne and endurance athlete Ross Edgley in Devon, UK.
Previous exploits include a record-setting hill-climb at Pikes Peak, a record crossing of the “Empty Quarter” desert in the Arabian Peninsula and a 2,170m descent of the legendary Inferno downhill course in Mürren, Switzerland.
Phil Jones, Land Rover Experience expert, said: “This was the hardest Range Rover Sport challenge I’ve ever been involved with because, until we reached the top, we couldn’t categorically say we would succeed.”
