Man Walks Away From 168-MPH Nissan GT-R Crash

The Nissan GT-R has a well-earned reputation for launching like a word Samuel L. Jackson is particularly fond of using. If you’ve seen any movie he’s ever been in, you’ll know what we’re on about.

Godzilla also has a reputation for being one of the most tunable cars ever, and getting over 1,000 horsepower requires relatively little effort and money. But what happens when it all goes horribly wrong? One R33 GT-R owner found out recently at an annual Australian drag racing event called the GT-R Challenge.

This doesn’t often happen, for good reason. The GT-R is known for having loads of grip thanks to the intelligent 4WD system. The GT-R Challenge has been running at Cootamundra Airport for the last 14 years, and this is the first recorded crash.

The mind behind the wheel sat down for an interview with Motive Video recently. Mick Mansour explains how he climbed the drag racing ranks until he eventually became number one. Mansour, who owns a shop, has driven down the runway at least 150 times.

The car in question was built specifically for drag racing. It produces roughly 1,500 hp on E98 fuel, though it is capable of producing 2,100 hp. With that much power, the car was undrivable. You can skip forward to the four-minute mark in the video to get an idea of how wayward this GT-R is when 2,100 hp is sent to the wheels. It also proves that Mansour isn’t lacking when it comes to skill.

But even skill isn’t enough when a series of unfortunate circumstances collide at once.

Thankfully, the GT-R was prepped for drag racing, and Mansour wore all the required kit, including a funny car-rated racing helmet.

After losing control of the car at 168 mph, it touched a patch of grass, after which the front right tire exploded. You can see the result in the video above at around nine minutes. The car rolled 11 times and landed with its fat tires pointing to the sky. The turbocharger was hurled into the next county, but Mansour walked away from the accident with no physical damage. He was making jokes with the team shortly after it happened. They told him it would buff out when he asked how bad it was.

This video is highly relevant following a recent high-profile Tesla crash on a race track. In that video the driver wasn’t wearing a helmet, nor was he strapped into a proper bucket with a harness.

When you compare the damage to the two men, it’s clear why you need the right gear if you’re going to track your car.