The Forgotten Skyline That Hides 350Z DNA Under Boring Sedan Styling
For any true JDM fan, the Nissan Skyline nameplate represents decades of performance heritage, motorsports dominance, and tuner-friendly power. It evolved from its early roots as a capable sedan to the fire-breathing GT-R variants that eventually became a separate nameplate when the R-35 rewrote the supercar rulebook. And despite being on the market for an incredible streak of 69 years, the Skyline name never actually made it to America.
However, in the early 2000s, a sleeper sedan that debuted alongside the Nissan 350Z sports car in America carried every bit of that beloved Skyline DNA and heritage without most people knowing. It was built on the same platform as the 350Z and the 11th-generation Nissan Skyline and shared the same legendary V6 engine under the hood. Looking back, it’s easily one of the coolest entries in the Skyline bloodline, and yet, it remains dirt-cheap on the used market and largely overlooked by newer generations of buyers.
Why The Nissan Skyline Never Came To America
The Skyline story started in 1957, as a small luxury car built by Prince Motor Company, which eventually got its first performance model with the second-gen Skyline 2000GT in 1964, when the company went racing in Japan’s Grand Prix. It wasn’t until Nissan acquired Prince in 1966 that the Skyline became a Nissan, and in 1969, the third-gen Skyline got its first GT-R version, built for Japanese touring car races with a rev-happy 160-hp S20 inline-six under its hood.
The fourth-generation Skyline – nicknamed the “Kenmeri” – kept the S20 as its top engine in the GT-R trim but introduced a new fastback design clearly inspired by American muscle cars. It’s one of the best-looking Japanese cars ever made. However, the global gas crisis put a stopper on the GT-R for a decade and a half. In 1980, the fifth-gen Skyline became Japan’s first turbocharged car ever by including a L20 turbo four-cylinder into the lineup to fight emissions regulations, and by 1982, the sixth-gen R30 once again made the Skyline name a motorsports icon, dominating Japan’s Super Silhouette touring races with turbocharged four-pots.
Seventh-gen R31 Skylines marked the introduction of the legendary RB-series turbo inline-six engines, before the R32 combined them with the ATTESA AWD system to absolutely dominate Australia’s Touring Car Championship, taking home Bathurst 1000 classic titles in 1991 and 1992, earning the nickname “Godzilla.” The Skyline legend continued to evolve with the R33 – all models used inline-six engines and delivered serious performance, while the GT-R secured the world’s first sub-8-minute Nürburgring lap in 1994, beating Porsche on its own turf. The final true “Godzilla” to carry the Skyline name was the R34, cemented as a pop-culture icon with Paul Walker behind the wheel in the Fast and Furious franchise, and thanks to popular video game titles such as Gran Turismo. Thus ends the legend of the Nissan Skyline. Or does it?
See, while Nissan decided to separate the Skyline nameplate from its sports sedan lineup after the R35 GT-R debuted, the brand still continued to make and sell Skylines in Japan alongside the 350Z sports car (known as the Fairlady Z), which shared its platform. For American buyers, though, Nissan decided to take a different approach. The brand marketed a more unique, redesigned sports sedan that combined the 350Z and Skyline’s DNA that most people seem to have completely forgotten existed.
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The Infiniti G35 Went From Hero To Zero
That’s right, the eleventh-generation Nissan Skyline – the V35 – debuted in America alongside the Nissan 350Z in 2003 as the Infiniti G35. This was a deliberate move to bring Skyline technology to a broader American audience under a more luxury-focused name. With standard rear-wheel drive (and optional AWD), plush cabins, and serious power under the hood, the G35 was an immediate success the moment it hit the streets. In fact, Motor Trend even named it Car of the Year 2003.
2003 Infiniti G35 Sedan Engine Specs
|
Displacement |
Power |
Torque |
|
3.5 Liters |
260 HP |
260 LB-FT |
Perhaps more importantly, with a $27,645 MSRP, the 2003 Infiniti G35 undercut luxury sedan rivals like the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4 in pricing, while still offering incredibly precise cornering thanks to its 350Z-shared FM platform, a near-perfect 52/48 weight distribution, and a massive 260 hp from the naturally aspirated 3.5-liter VQ35DE V6.
That meant an impressive 35-hp advantage over BMW’s fastest non-M 3 Series – the 330Ci – and 40 hp more than Audi’s top-tier 3.0-liter Quattro A4 sedan. In period testing, the G35 sedan recorded a 6.2-second 0-60 mph run. Still, to appeal to more buyers, Nissan (Infiniti) also offered the G35 in a two-door coupe trim, which was tuned to 280 hp and could launch to 60 mph in an even more impressive 5.7 seconds with a six-speed manual – quicker than an ‘03 Mustang GT.
Nissan didn’t stop there. In 2005, it gave the G35 a significant facelift, better brakes, and roughly 40 more horsepower with the six-speed manual transmission option. The extra power came from a complete engine redesign Nissan called the “Rev-Up,” featuring stronger connecting rods and main bearing caps, lightweight pistons, new valve springs, ECU calibration, and a 400-rpm higher redline. Aimed strictly at enthusiasts, these changes only applied to manual-equipped G35s, while automatics only got a 20-hp boost.
By 2007, every G35 redlined at a screaming 7,500 rpm, with both transmissions routing the same 306 hp and 268 lb-ft to the rear wheels. Still, manual cars were arguably quicker, posting 5.1-second 0-60 mph runs compared to the automatics’ 5.3 seconds in period testing. What many enthusiasts missed, though – and continue to miss today – is the fact that this G35 is one of the coolest and most tuner-friendly Skylines hiding in plain sight. One that an average Joe can get their hands on for cheap. Here’s why.
What Makes The G35 So Special
The 11th-generation Skyline’s FM platform – short for “front-midship” – was a breakthrough, with the engine shifted rearward for balanced handling that made the Japanese Skyline V35, Infiniti G35, and 350Z feel agile and planted. All three cars were built in Nissan’s Tochigi plant in Japan, and all shared the same suspension architecture, brakes, and even limited-slip diffs (only featured on manual G35s). Of course, the VQ35DE V6 was still the star of the show, boasting smooth power delivery all through its rev band.
More importantly, the Japanese V35 Skyline and America’s Infiniti G35 were virtually identical, save for the badging, styling, and some comfort features. Both stretched the wheelbase about 8 inches longer than the 350Z’s 104.3 inches for rear-seat room and a more composed highway ride. And while most of the running gear was the same, the 350Z did get hotter cams, freer-flowing intake/exhaust, and slightly more peak power in earlier years.
Another thing that made all three cars so special is the VQ35DE’s legendary toughness. It wasn’t clear in the early 2000s, but gearheads today revere it as one of the most reliable naturally aspirated six-cylinders ever made. Not only is the all-aluminum block perfectly balanced thanks to clever crankshaft counterweights, but the crank itself is forged steel. It also uses a heavy-duty aluminum ladder-frame bedplate instead of an open-bottom oil pan design for minimum flex.
Many unmodified VQ engines easily crest 300,000 miles with just basic maintenance, though modded ones are everywhere. That’s because the VQ loves boost. Its compact design makes it easy to fit into almost any car and even easier to add forced induction. Bolt-ons such as a cold air intake and a cat-back exhaust immediately wake it up. Serious builds hit 370+ wheel horsepower with mostly stock internals but with more aggressive cams and individual throttle bodies. A supercharger is a popular solution for Stage 2 builds, but turbos provide the highest power potential: With supporting mods such as intercooling, transmission, and fuel system upgrades, and ideally stronger connecting rods, owners claim turbo VQ setups can easily push over 450 hp at the wheels.
Meanwhile, the shared platform between the 350Z and its Japanese sibling means massive aftermarket support for the G35 sedan. We’re talking turbos, intakes, coolers, body kits, suspension arms, coilovers, LSD swaps, and more. Both the 350Z and the V35/G35 are popular drift car choices in Japan. The 350Z earned part of its notoriety through Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, while V35s are still incredibly popular in Japan’s drift scene. The G35’s longer stance offers more stability and predictability at big angles, making it a favorite for pros like Calvin Wan, who raced in Formula Drift in G35s.
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What Happened To The Infiniti G35
By 2008, the well-established and beloved G35 was replaced by the updated G37, which took everything that made the G35 great and made it better. It debuted with a brawnier 3.7-liter VQ37VHR V6 pushing 330 hp and 270 lb-ft that still pushed BMWs and Audis around, and it was actually quicker with a six-speed manual, hitting 60 mph in 5.3 seconds. Then, in 2014, Nissan completely overhauled the nameplate by introducing the Q50 sedan and Q60 coupe.
2007 Infiti G35 Engine Specs
|
Displacement |
Power |
Torque |
|
3.7 Liters |
330 HP |
270 LB-FT |
These Q models started out with the proven VQ engines before transitioning to new twin-turbo VR engines for more power and efficiency. With time, the G35 faded from everyone’s memory, and used examples have become notoriously affordable. Nissan also recently confirmed that an all-new Skyline will be coming to America in 2028, with familiar classic lines and most likely a lot of power under the hood.
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Buying And Driving An Infiniti G35 Sedan Today
The fact that the G35 is so affordable and overlooked today has a lot to do with its ubiquity, but it’s nothing but great news for JDM fans on a budget looking to score one of the best Skylines for mods. Classic.com puts the average price of first-gen G35s at just $10,785, with not much variance regardless of the model year. And in fact, not a single sedan that fetched over $10k in the last ten years is registered on the site.
Used car hubs such as Edmunds are packed with examples with over 200,000 and even 250,000 miles, which proves just how relentless these cars are. These high-mileage models are also dirt-cheap, in many cases posted for just a couple of grand. The most desirable G35s are almost exclusively manual-equipped coupes, but among sedans, the cleanest automatics cost about as much as those with a stick – roughly $10,000 to $12,000, most of them with roughly 50,000 miles on the clock. Still, if they carried a Skyline nameplate and a slightly more aggressive demeanor, it’s hard to imagine they’d still be such bargains.
Sources: Nissan, Infiniti, Classic.com, Motor Trend, The Piece US, Fastest Laps
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