Range Rover Sport PHEV climbs 999 steps to Heaven's Gate

Land Rover isn't averse to using hills and mountains as locations for promotional stunts. In late 2016, Land Rover had The Stig of "Top Gear" drive down the Swiss Mürren Inferno ski race course, and this time a Range Rover Sport PHEV has tackled the famous Heaven's Gate rock arch in China. Only now, the SUV was going uphill, into the clouds.

With Le Mans winner Ho-Pin Tung behind the wheel, the over-400-horsepower P400e PHEV had 999 steps and 99 turns to negotiate, with a 45-degree climb. The first part of the challenge consisted of the 11.3 km Tianmen Mountain Road, which is also known as the Dragon Road. With 99 turns, it's surely a handful for the local buses taking tourists up the mountain. But it was the second part of the challenge that would make it difficult for a number of SUVs to succeed, as the steep 999-step staircase didn't leave much room for mistakes. Good that the driver in this stunt had his helmet on, just in case.

The #RangeRoverSport Plug-In Hybrid takes on our fiercest challenge yet, the #DragonChallenge. 99 hair-raising turns and 999 steps stand between our most dynamically capable vehicle and Heaven's Gate on Tianmen Mountain.
Will it make it? https://t.co/J4obIgEv9j pic.twitter.com/5AxBmXO6nj

— Land Rover (@LandRover) February 12, 2018

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." 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."

JLR says the Range Rover Sport P400e is the first vehicle to complete the climb successfully. See the full video here: