A 46-year-old English driver has survived a terrifying Italian Job-style crash after his yellow Lotus sportscar flew off a mountain pass in Italy.

The crash happened on the 6,000-foot-high Sella Pass through the Dolomite mountains between Trentino and South Tyrol in northern Italy.

The car, reportedly a GBP 100,000 British Lotus Exige, plunged 13 metres (42 feet) down a sheer drop after the driver apparently lost control coming out of a bend.

The driver, an unnamed 46-year-old British national, survived with unspecified injuries.

He was taken to hospital in Cavalese on 27th August after the police, firefighters and medics rescued him from the wreckage, according to local media.

Firefighter photos of the crash show how the car’s fall was cushioned when it hit a thick forest of pine trees growing up through a ravine.

Rescue snaps show the badly battered sports car being winched back up to the road.

The driver is said to be in stable condition, according to Italian media.

There have been no further updates on his condition.

It is currently unclear how much damage the car sustained.

The Lotus Exige was first built in 2000 and boasts a larger, more track-tuned engine than the famous Lotus Elise sports car.

The Series 1 of the Lotus Exige came with 177 bhp and a top speed of 219 kph (136 mph).