The Nissan GT-R really didn't need a new speed record to remind us that it's a lotta car for a little buck – we remember that every time we look at its specs. But, in conjunction with LAV Productions company, Nissan went ahead and brought a specially outfitted GT-R to one of the coldest, least hospitable places on earth – Siberia – and returned with a new ice speed record.
Something about watching the world's fastest, sportiest cars rip across raw ice spikes our pulse, so we decided to ignore the fact that Nissan's ice record only relates to Russia and not the entire world (does every cold country really need its own ice speed record?). Bentley famously grabbed the world record of 205.5 mph two years ago in a specially outfitted Continental Supersports convertible.
While the GT-R's final number wasn't as high as Bentley's, the fact that the Japanese supercar did it without modification is impressive. Bentley attempted to keep modifications to a minimum, but did use a specially designed roll cage and braking parachute to increase safety. The GT-R was completely stock, according to Nissan. Plus, if there's one region on Earth where you should feel proud to own a non-world ice speed record, it'd have to be Siberia.
With Russian race car driver Roman Rusinov and auto journalist Andrey Leontjev seated inside its cabin, the 540-hp 2012 GT-R rolling non-studded Bridgestone winter tires hit 183 mph (294.8 km/h), bulleting across the frosty surface of the world's deepest lake, Lake Baikal.
The GT-R reached that speed on a 1-km (0.62-mile) timekeeping section, wedged between 3.5 kilometers (2.2 miles) of designated acceleration area and 3.5 kilometers of braking zone. A specially formed committee of the Russian Automotive Federation and a group of four judges from around Russia oversaw the run.
It's easy to get caught up in numbers and formalities, forgetting that this feat was done on a deadly slick piece of solidified water that we wouldn't want to tip-toe across. The video below brings you back to the ice.
Source: Nissan