With the automotive market being so competitive these days, manufacturers are bending over backward to do everything they can to generate just a little bit of extra consumer interest in the vehicles they produce. One prime example of this is pushing to break or set various records. And, I’m not just talking about speed records for production cars either – for the record, that’s still held by the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport at 258 mph – but other weird records too. Just recently, a new record for the first “blind” J-turn was set by stuntman Paul Swift in a Nissan Juke.

So what’s a “blind” J-turn? Well, that’s a J-turn that takes place using only the onboard camera for a line of site. All windows were completely blacked out, leaving Swift with only the small infotainment display to see where he was going. He managed to execute a complete J-turn in between two lines that were just 18 cm wider than the length of the Juke itself. Of course, it didn’t happen on the first try, but he did eventually pull it off.

When speaking of the maneuver, Swift said, "Looking at the 360-degree view on the dashboard screen – rather than over my shoulder through the rear window – was strange at first, but I quickly adjusted. The AVM cameras gave me a clear view of the track, so I was confident of staying within the lines."

The stunt took place at Nissan’s Manufacturing plant in Sunderland. And, for the record, this isn’t the only record now held by the Juke. It also holds the record for the fastest mile on two wheels. Nissan seems to think that the completion of this stunt is a demonstration of its brand promise (innovation that excites,) but what do you think? Is it cool or just another way to advertise the funky little Juke?

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Why it Matters

To be quite honest, this new record really doesn’t matter at all. Nissan blacked out the windows of a Juke and paid a stunt driver to execute a J-turn using just the onboard camera. To me, this is nothing more than a ploy to advertise the reversing camera and get more word out there about the Juke. There’s no real purpose to the stunt. Someone who owns a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport can boast the fact that they own the fastest production car in the world, but I doubt any Juke owner will proudly stand up and say that the Juke’s camera is good enough to do a blind J-turn. To be honest, I’m more willing to tip my hat to Swift for being willing to take on such stunt and actually being able to execute it.