35 Years of INFINITI: Why The G35 is a Cult-Classic
The INFINITI G35 is a car you should know. Of course, many of you will be well-versed in this cult-classic, but for those unfamiliar with this sporty coupe here’s why it — and by extension INFINITI — have earned the respect of gearheads.
Given that INFINITI is marking its 35th birthday, it’s a good time to look back at how the brand took on the luxury-car establishment and became the automaker it is today. The first story in our series looked back at the spectacular (and spectacularly under-appreciated) J30, but this episode looks at what might be INFINITI’s most iconic car of all time: the G35.
Y2K in Detroit
35 Years of INFINITI: Why The G35 is a Cult-Classic
35 Years of INFINITI: Why The G35 is a Cult-Classic
35 Years of INFINITI: Why The G35 is a Cult-Classic
It was Y2K in Detroit, January, just after everyone realized the turn of the millennium was just another year and not some kind of computer apocalypse. There, under the bright lights of the Detroit autoshow floor, INFINITI unveiled a radical new machine worthy of the new millennium. The INFINITI XVL Concept sport sedan was a dead-ringer for what would become the 2003 G35 sedan and G35 coupe.
A Proper Chassis
The G35 was to be a proper sports sedan/coupe, but to do that INFINITI needed a rear-wheel drive chassis with good weight balance and sharp handling. Luckily, in Japan, Nissan had just such a rear-drive chassis underpinning the V35-generation Nissan Skyline. For North American drivers who’d always pined after the legendary Skyline — which was typically a Japanese Domestic Market or JDM model, forbidden fruit — the G35 finally offered them a chance to get behind the wheel.
The FM (or Front Midship) platform pushed the engine — a 3.5-liter DOHC 24-valve V6 — further back in the chassis, improving weight distribution and the car’s overall proportions. The V6, known in nerdy circles as the VQ35DE, was strong out of the box with around 280 horsepower. (As countless amateur teenage tuners would find out, however, the motor responded extremely well to turbocharging and could easily produce the kinds of power that would make parents nervous. Needless to say, tuners loved it.) Not only that, but INFINITI offered it with a manual six-speed gearbox. Combined with the longer wheelbase, rear seats and increased refinement over the smaller two-seat Nissan 350Z, INFINITI had all the makings of a cult-classic on its hands.
Carving Out A Niche
With the ambitious new G35, INFINITI had BMW’s venerable 3 Series in its sights; so much so that INFINITI actually imported both U.S. and Japanese-spec 3 Series to test against prototypes during the G35’s development.
INFINITI didn’t want to copy anybody’s homework though. Simply making a car as good as the 3 Series wouldn’t be enough to put this brand on the map. INFINITI was, to put it mildly, still searching to define its own space within the sports car segment in the late 1990s. The G35 changed all that.
“Rather than going head-to-head with the driving feel offered by competitors, INFINITI engineers knew they needed the G coupe to deliver a distinctly unique and rewarding feel,” according to the company’s official history.
Master driver Hiroyoshi Kato joined Nissan in 1976 and has helped define the way almost every INFINITI drives. He put in a lot of miles on the G35’s development. “In any given week, this meant he was driving approximately 3,250 km or more, in either the G35 development vehicle, or a competitor evaluation product — at speeds up to 200km/hr on the high-speed circuit,” the company explained. Kato remembers INFINITI engineers set a target of delivering “nimble handling and with explosive response,” and wanted to, “create a wow feeling for drivers.”
The G35 promised excitement, and the engine (and chassis) both delivered. Finally, INFINITI carved out its niche. As the launch of the G35 drew near, however, some within the company were worried the car’s steering feel was too aggressive or “too direct for the tastes of luxury coupe buyers.”
A Classic Is Born
INFINITI executives need not have worried. The G35 raked in awards from all the glossy car magazines: Motor Trend Car of the Year 2003, a nominee for North American Car of the Year, and a member of Car and Driver’s Ten Best List in 2003 and 2004. The acted like a gateway drug into the world of luxury sports cars and tuning for generation of gearheads. And that’s why, all these years later, it’s still a cult-classic.
