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221 MPH Half-Mile Runs Is What 1,800 HP Nissan GT-Rs Are Made for

1800 hp Nissan GT-R 28 photos
Photo: YouTube screenshot
There was a time when seeing any Nissan GT-R on the drag strip demanded instant respect, and things haven't changed all that much since. The Godzilla ma have lost some of its teeth, but it still packs a decent bite.
However, there's only so much you can ask from a 3.8-liter V6 engine, be it one with two sequential turbochargers that ensure there's plenty of boost throughout the entire rpm range. In its most potent stock form, it develops a whopping 600 hp, which is both a lot, but also next to nothing compared to this build you see here.

Put together by an outfit called A9 Performance, the matte black and blue GT-R R35 puts out a claimed maximum power of 1,800 hp, and looking at the way it goes down the track, we see no reason to doubt that. After all, you don't fit slicks that fat and a braking parachute on something with considerably less power than that.

You can tell it's a serious build just by looking at the damn thing. Another very good indicator you're in the presence of something special is that it's not competing against any other car. The GT-R seems to have been there purely for demonstrative purposes, as well as to entertain the crowds with its lightning-fast 1/2-mile runs.

Sadly, we don't get to see the time for the car's best try, the one that finished with a 221 mph (356 km/h) trap speed, but an earlier one that seemed to be taken extremely leisurely (it crossed the line at just 169 mph (273 km/h) took 15.586 seconds. They weren't going for time, however, so it's speed we have to focus on ourselves.

If you look closely, you'll notice pieces of black duct tape all over the car. They use that to block every gap between the panes or windows to make the car as aerodynamic as possible. You probably also noticed the flat wing that sits on top of the parachute - it's there mostly to make sure the air flows cleanly over the back of the GT-R and doesn't make an aerodynamic mess because of the chute dangling there.

The A9 Performance build is still far from setting any records - it wouldn't even make the top 10 with this run. However, it should feel encouraged by the fact that said top ten is almost evenly split between Lamborghinis and Nissan GT-Rs, with a few Audi R8s poking their heads as well. So, with a little bit more work, it might break into the 250+ mph (402 km/h) very exclusive club one day.

(Best run at 2:45)

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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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