The Nissan GT-R is nearly 10 years old as of 2016, but that didn't stop it from setting a new world record. The Japanese brand has just announced that the GT-R->ke1592 has set the Guinness World Record->ke1948 for the fastest ever drift. The new benchmark was achieved with a speed of 304.96 km/h (189.5 mph) and a 30-degree angle, using a specially-tuned, 2016 Nissan GT-R. The record car was driven by Masato Kawabata, the Japanese drift champion and title holder for the Japanese drifting series. Kawabata clinched the top spot from former record holder Jakub Przygonski during a special event that took place at Fujairah International Airport in the United Arab Emirates.

Developed in Japan with support from Nismo specialists and GReddy Trust, the record-setting GT-R was tuned to 1,380 horsepower, 815 horses more than the standard 2017 GT-R. Besides the highly modified 3.8-liter V-6, the special GT-R also used a Recaro driver seat, bespoke lightweight wheels supplied by Rays, and drift rubber specifically designed by Toyo Tires for this stung. The Fujairah International Airport was chosen for its three-kilometer (1.86-mile) long airstrip, which enabled Kawabata to drift at more than 300 km/h (186 mph), a first for the tire-shredding sport.

This isn't the first world record set by the GT-R. In 2011, Nissan's affordable supercar->ke177 set a new benchmark for the fastest 0-60 mph acceleration by a four-seat production vehicle. In its Nismo racing suit, the GT-R is also the fifth fastest production car on the Nurburgring->ke999 track, having lapped the German course in only 7:08 minutes, only 11 seconds slower than the Porsche 918 Spyder, in 2015.

Updated 04/08/2016: Nissan finally dropped the video showing its 2016 GT-R smashing world record for fastest drift.

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Why it matters

Granted, the car used to set this world record has very little in common with the production model as far as drivetrain components go, but it's still an impressive feat for a GT-R. A long-time favorite among tuners, the GT-R can also brag about being the quickest road-legal, non-NHRA vehicle on the drag strip with a quarter-mile time of 7.44 seconds. Sure, it's not the kind of performance you can use on the road, and taking a GT-R's to more than 1,000 horsepower is expensive and ruins the supercar's affordability, but these numbers will live on no matter how many naysayers will complain about the excessive use of turbochargers and slick tires.

What matters here is that Kawabata's record is a huge improvement over the previous benchmark, which was set at 217.97 km/h (135.44 mph) with a 1,000-horsepower Toyota GT86. Nissan's new record will be hard to beat and will require more than just a handful of enthusiasts and a good driver.

2016 Nissan GT-R

Read our full review on the 2016 Nissan GT-R here.