The achievement unlocks when you hold a car's speed at or above 120mph for 20 seconds. Note that the achievement does not pop at the 20 second mark but unlocks after you reduce the speed below 120 mph after sustaining the required speed for 20 seconds. Many cars are not capable of that speed so car selection is important. Most people seem to be getting this achievement with the De'Leo Stiletto which I had not found yet at the time of this writing. Like
Zasta 360GameTV, I got this achievement very easily with a car that is always available--the Samson Opus that is found in Tickfaw Harbor.
Make sure the driving mode is set to normal and is NOT set to simulation!. If you are unsure, go into the options menu (as shown in the video below) and select "Game." The simulation mode is very difficult to control. In fact, the car slides so easily that the Samson Opus in simulation mode is an ideal car to get the Bordeaux Drifter achievement. You won't even have to make an effort. The car starts drifting as soon as you make a sharp turn. However, in normal mode, the car handles perfectly and its natural speed makes it one of the top candidates for this achievement.
This video demonstrates conclusively that
the Samson Opus does not have to be modified to reach speeds in excess of 120 mph. The achievement is unlocked at the beginning of the game before we are able to modify cars. The current mission is
A Taste of the Action where we learn how to set routes. Instead of going to Sammy's Bar in New Bordeaux as the game would have you go, we set a route to a garage in Tickfaw Harbor to pick up a Samson Opus. The Samson Opus is always available in the garage shown in the video.
The route to unlock the achievement starts at the bottom of a multi-lane road. Press
all the way to drive at max speed. Stay roughly on the center dividing line and make only subtle adjustments with
to steer and avoid traffic. Entering the tunnel, the car is able to sustain a speed greater than 120 mph. After maintaining this speed for 20 sec, once the speed drops below 120 mph, the achievement pops:
Continuing along the route at a high rate of speed, the road bends to the right. When the road straightens out, the car will go airborne as it climbs an incline. When the car lands, the following achievement will unlock for jumping in excess of 50 meters and landing upright: