A visitor to a South African national park captured video of the moment an adult lion attacked a car in an apparent attempt to impress its intended mate.

Mark Williams-Wynn, 29, whose video was posted to YouTube by Kruger Sightings, said he was driving on the H12, near Skukuza in Kruger National Park, when he came upon some vehicles watching a male and female lion in the road.

He said the lion repeatedly attempted to mate with the lioness, but was rebuffed with a "fierce growl" each time.

"After the umpteenth attempt, all of a sudden, he walked away from her and started staring at the occupants of the closest car," Williams-Wynn wrote.

He said he quickly got out his video camera to capture what happened next.

"Luckily I started the camera rolling, as, quick as a flash, he had attacked the car and turned back to the female, as if to say, 'Look how brave I am.' There was nothing that the occupants of the vehicle had done wrong, and luckily they had their windows up, as it could have otherwise ended in disaster. They just happened to be the closest vehicle to the lion when he lost his mind. The shaken tourists in the vehicle drove off shaken but unharmed."

Williams-Wynn said the action calmed down for a time, but the lion eventually set his sights on another vehicle -- an open-top safari vehicle.

"Thankfully the game guide driving this vehicle had lightning reflexes. As soon as the lion locked eyes with him, he started the vehicle and was already moving when the lion attacked," he wrote.

He said the driver likely saved some lives by fleeing the second attack, which Williams-Wynn did not catch on video.