The Nissan Patrol has staked its claim for the title of the world’s strongest car, breaking the Guinness World Record for the ‘Heaviest aircraft pulled by a production vehicle’.
The new-generation Y62 Patrol towed the 155.0-tonne (170.9-ton) Ilyushin II-76 cargo plane more than 50 metres at Shajah International Airport, United Arab Emirates, eclipsing the previous record set by the Volkswagen Touareg V10 TDI in 2006 by 14.4 tonnes.
The successful record attempt was the grand finale in the ‘Nissan Patrol Challenge’ publicity campaign, which asked fans in the Middle East to submit online challenges for the iconic four-wheel drive to take on.
The new-generation Nissan Patrol is available exclusively with a 5.5-litre V8 petrol engine, producing 298kW of power and 560Nm of torque. The Y62-series range launched in Australia in January priced from $82,690 to $114,490.
The previous-generation 118kW/354Nm 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6-powered Patrol is still available alongside the new model, priced from $53,890 to $60,390.
Nissan has sold 1598 Patrols in Australia so far this year, down 21 per cent compared with the same period in 2012. Its key rival, the Toyota Landcruiser, continues to dominate the segment with 5866 sales, though its sales have also dipped nine per cent from last year.