Surrey recorded the County Championship's highest run chase in 98 years as they scored 501 to beat Kent by five wickets at Canterbury.
Dom Sibley scored the competition's slowest ever century as he steered the visitors to the eighth highest first-class chase on record and second highest in championship history.
They missed matching the championship record by one run, with Middlesex chasing 502 to beat Nottinghamshire by four wickets at Trent Bridge in 1925.
What threatened to be a pulsating final day instead turned into a one-sided procession as Sibley and Ben Foakes batted mercilessly, eclipsing Surrey's previous highest chase of 410, made at this venue in 2002.
Foakes made 124, while Sibley finished on 140 from 415 balls after reaching his century in 511 minutes and 368 deliveries. And Sibley saw the job through as he eased Surrey home with Jordan Clark after a magnificent feat of concentration and endurance
Three days of momentum swings, luck, individual brilliance and human error had left the match almost perfectly poised at the start of day four, with Kent needing seven wickets and Surrey 238 runs.
The final day, however, offered almost none of the drama of the previous three. Needing under three an over, the reigning champions homed in on the target slowly and carefully.
The morning session was almost ideal for Surrey. Foakes and Sibley saw off the new ball and scored predominantly in singles, at one point going 10 overs without a boundary. Foakes survived an lbw appeal from Wes Agar but they were otherwise unthreatened.
Kent were convinced Hamid Qadri had Foakes, on 73, caught behind, but the wicketkeeper survived.
Sibley finally reached three figures when he drove Joey Evison for four, beating the previous record for the slowest ton - understood to be Jason Gallian's 453-minute century for Lancashire against Derbyshire at Blackpool in 1994.
Foakes took two from Jack Leaning in the next over to bring up a relatively quickfire hundred from 198 deliveries.
With the target now under 100, Surrey slightly upped the aggression. The 130th over went for 20 but Foakes was caught by Matt Quinn on the boundary off Joe Denly, ending a partnership of 207.
It was 452 for four at tea and the smattering of Surrey fans by the Old Dover Road entrance were savouring every minute.
Will Jacks was out for 19, caught by Agar off Arshdeep Singh, but by then just 40 were needed.
Clark sealed the win with a single off Denly and Surrey exited the field to a fully deserved ovation from home and away fans alike.
