The cleanest G35 Coupe

I tend to dislike G35s…

Infinity made too many of them… in unexciting colors. G35s have lost all their value, which relates to them becoming cheaply-modified. And most of the G35s I run across seems to be clapped-out, riced-out, not maintained… riding on plasti-dipped wheels with cringy decals & hazy headlights. So as time passed… I just dismissed Infinity G35s altogether, and they kind of faded from my radar. Then, I made a local friend who owns a pretty clean example. He was beyond-passionate about G35’s, and Nissan altogether. And riding around town in his G35 coupe, I began to understand the G’s vibe.

In a tuner world filled with either hot hatches, domestic muscle, or pricey paddly-shifty sports cars… the G is a true ‘sports coupe’.

The Infinity G35 coupe is a little generic and/or lukewarm on the surface… but also pretty pure & timeless in its core ingredients as a driver’s car. It’s a clean-lined coupe with high door sills, a manual transmission option, crisp NA V6 sounds, serious durability, and RWD. I began to realize that there is perhaps a hidden gem underneath the fallen resale value of the G35.

Ray Prado was an Integra GSR owner when his wife went out and bought an Ivory Pearl G35 Coupe back in ’06.

Being the badass wife she is, she threw some coilovers, wheels, and a lip on it… and it made Ray a little jealous lol. So eventually, Raymond let his GSR go, and got a G35 of his own in 2010. And over the last decade, he’s just stayed true to it.

This G35 Coupe checks all the boxes…

This car is a perfect example a G35 in 2021, with perfect photos from Patrick Lauder to back it up. It’s all sooooo meticulously clean. Every nut & bolt has been polished & massaged, BUT NOT without having the power to back it up.

Ray’s running a Vortech V3 supercharger, putting down about 425 HP. And if I remember my facts correctly…

Vortech made a supercharger kit for this car back in the day, but then discontinued it a few years back, as demand weaned off & 350z/G35 purchase-prices fell to rock bottom. BUT MORE RECENTLY – there has been a weird & consistent resurgence of demand for the 350/G Vortech kit, which is a sign that the G/Z chassis is on an upswing. To meet the demand, Vortech has brought back a new version for the VQ!

Examples like Ray Prado’s G35 Coupe make me rethink some of the stereotypes that we associate with different driver’s cars/brands/chassis…

We all do it in our own way: whether it’s the stereotyped drift missile 240SX, the crowd-smashing Mustang, the ricer tin-can Civic, or the boomer Corvette. It’s not always like that. There are enthusiasts who see past the stereotype barriers. People who genuinely just think a certain car is cool… and want to make the most out of the platform. Personally, I think that’s bitchin’. Variety is the spice of life, right?

So next time you’re scrolling through Marketplace looking for your next potential project, don’t let ‘stigma’ sway your search so much…

Just because a car is cheap, doesn’t necessarily make it a bad thing. Do your research: Check the aftermarket potential, look up some photos of tastefully modified versions across the globe, and see if you get inspired. At the end of the day, the only opinion that matters is your own.