The latest generation of the Range Rover Sport SVR has set a new record on the Tianmen Road in China. The sports SUV was piloted by Jaguar Panasonic Racing’s reserve driver Ho-Pin Tung for the mountainous ascent, which set the time 9 minutes and 51 seconds on the 11.3km road.
The record is unofficial, however, but beats the previous best time over the 99 turn run – which was set by a Ferrari 458 Italia in 2016 – by forty seconds.
The new SVR boats a 567bhp supercharged V8, that produces 516lbf.ft. It reaches 60mph from a standstill in 4.3 seconds and at top speed will reach 174mph.
Work has also been done on the chassis, altering the damping hardware to create more mid-corner grip and body control. These were changes that helped Tung in the record run.
‘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.’
Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations have given the SVR lighter, custom seats, and a redesigned front bumper offers more brake and engine cooling. A new carbon fibre bonnet is also a new addition on the SVR, which is priced from £99,680.
