Nissan's all-new GT-R roared into the New York International Auto Show late last month with one of the splashiest relaunches of the entire event.
Now, it's breaking records. Guinness World Records, to be exact.
The automaker reported Thursday that its GT-R set the Guinness World Record for the fastest drift of all time, revving up to 304.96 kilometers per hour, which calculates to 189.49 miles per hour, at a 30-degree angle. This wasn't just any GT-R, either. Already a supercar, Nissan used a specially-tuned MY16 GT-R with 1,380 horsepower — more than double the 565 horses with which the specimen on wheels comes equipped.
Nissan also tabbed Japanese drift champ and current title-holder for the Japanese drifting series Masato Kawabata to get the job done behind the wheel.
"Once again, Nissan has broken a Guinness World Records title and has made international history for the fifth time in the Middle East," Samir Cherfan, Nissan Middle East managing director, said in a company press release statement. "The Nissan GT-R is one of the world's most iconic supercars, proving time and again the incredible breadth of its capabilities, and has clearly demonstrated its performance leadership by beating the best drift cars out there."
The record was set at the Fujairah International Airport in the United Arab Emirates, which was strategically chosen for its 1.86-mile-long airstrip, more than enough real estate for the supercar to drift at blazing-fast speeds.
"We had to set up a workshop in one of the airport's hangars and had just five days to get everything ready, including the specially tuned MY16 Nissan GT-R, spare parts, tires and all the other equipment which required stringent security checks and processes," Cherfan added.
As thrilling as it must have been for Kawabata to get behind the wheel of this beast and for Nissan to set the Guinness World Record with the fastest drift, it's a scintillating, edge-of-your-seat experience just to watch this customized GT-R rev all the way up to set this incredible mark.
It's truly an awesome sight to see. Knowing that the work that went behind this task was able to see its fruition makes it all the more special.
