2016 marks 13-years since production started for the Infiniti G35. The popular sports coupe/sedan brought the luxury-brand of Nissan back into the limelight so-to-speak. Based on the same, Z33 chassis as the 350Z, the Infiniti version sold well, and certainly has a home in the import car culture. Whether in coupe or sedan form, the G35 has a large fan-base, which of course leads to many, many modified versions running around the globe.
The problem with such popularity, and such a long production life, is that things start looking the same after time. G35 coupes are more popular than the sedans, and with their big rear and cavernous wheel wells, they take well to the whole, “slam it low and fill it with wide wheels,” treatment. Wide-bodies suddenly became standard, and before long, people were shaving, tucking and detailing the incredibly tight engine bay. It seemed like everything that could be done, had been done to the G35 chassis, which doesn’t help when you’re trying to stand out in the show field in the Infiniti class.
When you think of really ground-breaking G35s, a few come to my mind; Edgar Lozoya’s purple coupe, Randy Riggs’ wide-body masterpiece, and bringing it home in the sedan category, Marcus Cooke. Between those three, and a few others, it’s almost all been done, but every now and then, someone has to come along and shake things up, and teach an old dog new tricks.
Alex Delatorre from Houston, Texas, has always been a fan of the G35 chassis, and has been working on his 2005 coupe for four years now. In that time, he has changed quite a bit, and has really been creating quite a stir in the show scene down south. Subtlety wasn’t the goal here. This car grabs your attention straight away, and keeps you sucked in looking for more.
I’m going to delve into this car starting in an unusual place for SN, and that’s the engine. Obviously, we like to focus on a car’s stance, but I really think the highlight of Alex’s G35 is the engine. There are three key words to his engine; polish, chrome, and gold-plate. I’ve seen plenty of detailed engines in my time as an automotive journalist, and this one is certainly up there. When I first saw the pictures, the engine, and the bay, are what made me say, “wow!”
With everything that he could get his hands on either polished, chromed, or gold-plated, Alex had to free up some real estate in his engine bay to really make the motor shine. G35 engine bays are pretty cluttered from the factory, so it always impresses me to see a simple bay like this one in these cars. Alex’s bay has been fully shaved, and the wire harness completely tucked away, so all of the attention is on the engine. What’s impressive, is that the bay work was done by Alex and his friends in his garage.
Moving our attention away from the engine and bay, the next thing that grabs you is the car’s presence. It’s wide, and it’s aggressive. Much like the engine bay, there’s no subtlety here. The white, gold, and polished theme continue on the outside as well. The start of the body upgrades began with a full custom, metal wide-body, with the rear arches and front fenders receiving some generous girth, and snazzy vents. There’s also a generous helping of carbon fiber assorted throughout the exterior as well, breaking up the white and gold.
Bringing the car onto the ground is a custom air suspension system based around AirForce struts. What’s really trick is the install in the trunk which houses a pair of air tanks, a pair of Viair compressors, and the manifold. Hardlines seem to be the standard nowadays, with more and more intricate setups being showcased, and Alex’s install matches the details of the rest of the car perfectly.
Sitting underneath the widened fenders are an equally wide set of Work Meister M1s. Sized up at 19xBaDonk and 19xBaDonkaDonk, the classic 3-piece mesh wheel fills out the arches perfectly. Finished in matching white faces with polished lips and gold hardware, the wheels follow the theme of the car as well. Sitting behind the massive rollers is an equally massive Futura 8-piston/6-piston big brake kit. No use in having big wheels without having matching big brakes behind them.
Alex’s G35 is a fine example that there are still new ways to interpret an old design. Despite the G35’s successful run, not everything has been done just yet. Even though this G35 stands out, it doesn’t stand out in a way that elicits a negative reaction…it doesn’t stand out in a bad way.
With the G35-chassis reaching geriatric status in the car world, one has to wonder just how far the chassis can be pushed or altered. Even with the evolution to the G37, it still remains on the same platform, and the G37 hasn’t shared the same popularity in the aftermarket world as the former G35. The edges of the map have to be getting filled in, so-to-say, but I’m sure the envelope will still be getting pushed with this chassis. It just has all the right ingredients to be a highly modifiable platform. You indeed can teach an old dog new tricks, and Alex still has a few tricks up his sleeve for his G-coupe. Stay tuned…
