How odd would it be for rally fans to see a Nissan, let alone an Infiniti, getting its tires dirty in the world of rallying? The Japanese automaker isn’t exactly a name synonymous with rally racing, so you might need to excuse us for being a little apprehensive when word broke out that an Infiniti G37 S Coupe would be part of the Spanish Rally Championship.
Turns out, though, the G37 S Coupe will not be doing any rally racing of its own. Instead, it has been tapped as the official rally-spec safety car of the SRC. Color us surprised with this bit of news.
To cope with the rigors of the rally world, the G37 S Coupe’s chassis and suspension were strengthened. Among the new additions to the car’s make-up include new Bilstein dampers, upgraded brake pads, its very own light bar and siren, a roll cage, a new set of Sparco race seats and harnesses, a fire suppression system, and high-performance Michelin tires.
Other important features added to the rally safety car include a GPS navigation system and a plethora of communications equipment developed to assist the car in case of an emergency.
In terms of powertrain, the G37 S Coupe safety car will have the same output coming out of the standard 3,696cc 24-valve V6 engine – 320 horsepower – and will be mated to the standard six-speed manual transmission.
Infiniti may not be all that known in the world of rally racing, but if the company ever needed to get its feet wet in the often dusty and muddy world of rallying, this could be the first step in doing so.
When it comes to getting a little "bling-bling," some people go way out of their way to make their cars look extreme. Take this Infiniti G37 Convertible, for example. This golden G37 Convertible was presented in a jewelry store in the city of Nanjing in Jiangsu Province. The whole exterior was draped in 24K gold adding crazy amounts of weight and undoubtedly slowing down the Infiniti’s performance time drastically.
We don’t know what it is about covering your vehicle in gold or diamonds, but it simply does not make sense. The owners are literally putting a big sparkling sign on their car that says, "Steal me!" Remember that older Porsche 996 Turbo covered in gold that was stolen, recovered, then stolen again? It’s not the owner’s fault, but there is a thing called being cautious and these owners need a lesson or two in it.
Hit the jump to check out some more golden models ready to blind you the first chance they get.
Infiniti found the perfect way to promote their latest IPL G Coupe: put it to race again a helicopter. So, the recipe is like this: take one IPL G Coupe, put former IndyCar driver Scott Goodyear behind the wheel, find a closed race track and a helicopter and "hit the road!"
We will not ruin the surprise and reveal who won the race, but we will tell you this: Scott Goodyear was very impressed about the car. And after all why not? The ILP G Copue is powered by a 3.7-liter V6 engine that delivers a total of 348 HP and 276 lb-ft of torque. it comes equipped with a dramatic front and rear bumper/fascia design with integrated fog lights and black finishers, sculpted side sills, rear spoiler, chrome exhaust tips, but also exclusive 19-inch IPL split 7-spoke graphite-finish wheels.
Nissan’s Infiniti brand is poised to introduce the new 2012 Infiniti G37, including a coupe variant that’s scheduled to be launched to the market around 2012. The move to release a new G37 isn’t all that surprising considering the brand’s apparent intention in building cars that are more aesthetically pleasing to the eye in today’s car market. There have been talks that the G37, specifically the coupe version, will be designed using the Infiniti Essence concept that was debuted by the company at the Geneva Motor Show a year ago.
Though nothing has been confirmed yet, we’re expecting nothing less from these guys considering that if they really are using the Essence concept as a peg for how the new G37 looks like – just so you know, we were totally smitten over the Essence when we saw it in Geneva – then it’s safe to say that the G37 is poised to definitely knock our socks off when it is officially unveiled.
In 2010 Infiniti offered a new front fascia for the G Coupe, so some would figure that the 2011 model would come bearing no changes whatsoever because that’s how the auto world typically rolls. That wouldn’t entirely be true. The 2011 Infiniti G will be offered with a new Sport Package on their all wheel drive model and a Navigation Package that joins the Premium Package as standard on the Sport 6MT model. In addition, there are new 18-inch and 19-inch wheel designs. What will stay the same is the fact that the 2011 G Coupe will be offered in four models, with prices ranging from $36,200 to $42,400.
The new Sport Package add special sport-styled seats with thigh extensions and power adjustable torso and thigh bolsters for the driver, unique steering wheel stitching, and high-grip aluminum pedals.
Under the hood there is the same 3.7-liter VQ37VHR V6 engine with VVEL rated at 330 HP and 270 lb-ft of torque. The engine is coupled to a 7-speed automatic transmission with manual mode, downshift rev matching, Drive Sport (DS) mode, and Adaptive Shift Control (ASC).
UPDATE 11/29/2010: Infiniti has released two new commercials to promote their new Infiniti G37. Called the Magical Snowball and the Mischievous Snowball, these two commercials are, of course, a battle between the Infiniti and its German competitors.
