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The fuel cut-off system is built into every production automobile available. An electronically controlled sensor detects when the engine speed reaches a specific point preset by the factory. When it is hit, the mechanism simply forces a cease of fuel delivery, continuously and rapidly, much like the anti-lock braking system. This point is generally marked just after the start of the red-line.
It is fairly safe for an engine to reach this point, even several times within its lifespan. Modern engines are tested prior to production to see how well they can put up with long-term, high speed endurance. Usually, they are held at dangerously high RPMs for hours upon end. The fuel cut-off point is always set at a safe point, so that the consumer may never run into the REAL danger zone. However, I still wouldn't recommend missing shifts on a regular basis, intentionally or not. Heavy wear and tear will break down any machine, but it is OK to use the latter section of the powerband every now and then.
Own example:
My Nissan 200SX was purchased new in 1995 and was sold in 2000. It was properly and delicately run in for the first 5,000 miles, but the next 110,000 miles were a totally different story. So you picked up that it clocked in 115,000 miles in 5 years? I've heard worse, but that's still pretty harsh considering that this rate is nearly double the standard average. By 1998 the rate was actually triple the average, but I calmed down much after that. There was a 3-year chunk in the middle of my ownership where the car would hit the fuel cut-off system or red-line every single day (the start of the 200SX's red-line is where the fuel cuts off). Burn-outs became regular. On a few days, I would cold-start the motor and hold it at fuel cut-off in neutral for 30-40 seconds just to watch the temperature gauge rise. There are other stories about pushing this Nissan beyond its limits such as breathing the car for two years off only an air horn, and not changing the oil for 10,000 miles, but I just wanted to share the bulk of this message to show that pushing the motor is acceptable in most instances. I sold the car in 2000 and to that day, I never had a single problem with the motor.
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