The Land Rover Range Rover Sport may have impressive on-road performance, but it’s still a Land Rover at heart. The two disparate disciplines were combined in a recent event, when Land Rover sent a Range Rover Sport across the Empty Quarter desert in Saudi Arabia. The result was the fastest recorded crossing of the 528-mile stretch of wasteland, the largest sand desert in the world.
According to a documentary released by Land Rover, the Range Rover Sport made it from Wadi Adda Wasir in Saudi Arabia to the United Arab Emirates’ border in ten hours and 22 minutes. The Range Rover Sport averaged 51.87mph across the barren desert. The vehicle used was a stock Range Rover Sport Supercharged, with a 510-horsepower V8. The only thing Land Rover added was a skid plate; the vehicle was otherwise straight off of the showroom floor right down to the tires. In the video, the Range Rover Sport encounters heat, rogue camels and massive jumps.
The driver, Moi Torralladona, is a Spanish off-road racer. He said, “The Empty Quarter was an incredible challenge and one that will live with me for the rest of my life. The Range Rover Sport was the ideal tool for conquering the desert and it is great to be able to relive the challenge through this short documentary. The Empty Quarter provided a unique test for a standard production vehicle and thanks to the ability of the Range Rover Sport we came out victorious.”
Two days after completing the event, the Range Rover Sport was displayed on the floor at the Dubia Motor Show. Check out Land Rover’s short documentary of the feat below.
