Nissan->ke62 Middle East is known for its record-setting endeavors, so when a new opportunity presented itself, the dealership went ahead and took it. After all, this is the same group that used a Nissan Patrol to haul a 170.9-ton cargo plane for more than 164 feet at the Sharjah International Airport in the United Arab Emirates in 2013. This time around, Nissan Middle East opted to use a Nissan 370Z->ke3043 -- two of them, in fact -- to set a new Guinness World Record by successfully performing the longest twin vehicle drift, covering a distance of 28.52 kilometers (17.7 miles).

The stunt was pulled off at the Nissan 370Z Drift Experience launch event held in Dubai where onlookers got the special treat of seeing two silver Zs go sideways until breaching the record mark. It was also the perfect spectacle to highlight the 370Z Drift Experience event that was launched by Nissan Middle East->ke3761 and Prodrift Academy to teach participants the art of drifting.

Turns out, drifting’s a pretty big deal in that part of the world and according to Nissan, these tire-burning events routinely attract over 15,000 people at a given point and time. That’s a big reason why Nissan Middle East wanted to leverage the sport’s popularity in the region to showcase the 370Z, a car it says is well-suited for these kinds of escapades.

Nissan Middle East Managing Director Samir Cherfan said as much, describing the new record as proof of Nissan’s capability to build record-setting vehicles, including the 370Z. “The Nissan Z is a very popular car in the drifting scene, and this new record is yet another proof on the ability of this car to make drifting look so easy,” Cherfan added.

Seeing as it just accomplished a pretty impressive world record, it’s hard to argue against Cherfan’s point.

Click past the jump to read more about Nissan's new record.

Why it matters

Records are always fun, especially if you’re the one doing the breaking. In this instance, setting the world record for the longest twin drift in the world is awesome because it’s a really unique record. It’s not like anybody can just hop on a car and just start banging twin drifts like nobody’s business.

A record like this takes a lot of time, not to mention a lot of preparation. It also obviously needs two drivers who know how to drift and two identical cars that they can use to try to break the record. The logistics alone are a nightmare, much less pulling off the stunt itself.

So we tip our hat off to Nissan Middle East for putting the right people in right place to do it, and accomplishing its goal with the amount of fanfare a record-breaking event like this deserves. The fact that this new record is certified by the Guinness Book of World Records is the cherry on top.

Nissan 370Z

The Nissan 370Z has been proudly waving the rear-drive sports coupe flag for Nissan since the car made its debut in 2009 as the Fairlady Z in its home soil of Japan. But the 370Z’s lineage didn’t just begin in 2009. In fact, the 370Z is the sixth generation of Nissan’s Z-Series, which traces its history all the way back to 1969 when Nissan introduced the 240Z.

The 370Z arguably has one of the richest history of any sports car made in Japan. The current iteration is a long ways away from the 240Z, but it's still capable as ever, featuring a 3.7-liter, V-6 engine that combines 332 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque with nimble handling and a smooth ride.

The sports car’s output allows it to sprint from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.5 seconds and cover a quarter-mile in just 13.3 seconds. Those numbers are impressive but not as impressive as the car’s top speed of 155 mph. For a compact sports car, that’s about as impressive as it gets.

The Nissan 370Z is priced from $33,120 in the U.S.