The more hardcore among us may add forced induction, modify engine internals and develop a custom tune for a particular track or event. Few enthusiasts would go the extremes (or expense) that a Nissan Patrol driver in Dubai, UAE, reportedly did for added performance.
Dubai police recently impounded a heavily-modified Nissan Patrol after it was involved in a street racing incident and subsequent chase. According to a report cited by GulfNews (via GT Spirit), the SUV had been converted to run on jet fuel and sported an engine with an additional pair of cylinders.
In all, the modifications (which also included a custom, programmable ECU) reportedly cost some Dh 210,000, the equivalent of around $57,200 in the United States.
We’re not sure how much of the story is true versus internet myth, but if we wanted to produce a fast piston-engined SUV, jet fuel (which is similar to diesel fuel) isn’t the way we’d go. Likewise, we’d drop in an existing V-8 or V-10 engine, rather than going through the trouble of building our own from scratch.
Other reports had the Patrol clocked at speeds up to 350 km/h (over 217 mph), which only adds to our skepticism. While we suppose that a 200 mph, custom-engined Nissan Patrol fueled by Jet A-1 is possible, it falls into the category of sasquatch, UFOs and honest politicians; we’ll believe in them when we see one with our own eyes.