Infiniti used to make great — even unique — cars. Of course, we all remember the excellent G35/37, but there are other obscure machines that have faded into history: the Q45 flagship, the curvy J30, and the sports-car-masquerading-as-a-crossover FX. But Infiniti only had one model that it attempted to pass off as a Japanese muscle car: the M.
The M had something of an identity crisis because it never really seemed like Infiniti knew exactly what it wanted the car to be. Its first generation, basically a re-skinned Nissan Leopard, was sold in the U.S. as both a coupe and a convertible — but it was really only a holdover until Infiniti could introduce the J30 in 1992. It took a full decade before the M returned to the Infiniti lineup.
By the time the second-gen M hit the scene in 2002, it was a swoopy, handsome four-door sedan based on the JDM Nissan Cedric/Gloria. Infiniti wanted a second sport sedan in the lineup to battle against the BMW 5 Series the same way the Infiniti G35 lined up against the BMW 3 Series. But Infiniti didn’t just want any old sports sedan; it wanted a legit muscle car. And on paper, it had the recipe down right.
The second-gen M was a front-engine, rear-wheel drive machine with a big V8 up front. That alone is a great recipe for a muscle car, but Infiniti had even nailed down the small, sophisticated details. Apparently, Nissan asked Porsche for help in designing the car M45/Gloria/Cedric, though I couldn’t find exactly how much of Porsche’s engineering brilliance went into the car. Nissan and Porsche gave the U.S. a slightly different car than the model Japan received. The rear suspension, for instance, was similar in design to the one used on the 350Z. The M45’s engine is what really made it a muscle car.
Infiniti threw the same 4.5-liter V8 that was used in the Q45 into the M. That engine made a stout 340 horsepower and 333 lb-ft of torque, and it was paired with a five-speed automatic.
That kind of power in a sedan weighing just 3,900 pounds meant this thing was pretty quick. Independent testing from various publications shows it could hit 60 mph in 5.5 to 5.7 seconds. This meant it could rival other four-door muscle cars of the time, like the Chrysler 300C and Dodge Charger R/T. It was also just as fast as other V8-powered luxury sedans in the same segment at the time like the Mercedes-Benz E500 and BMW 545i; only the Northstar-powered Cadillac STS was slower.
But Infiniti really played up the Japanese muscle car aspect of the M45, so much so that the brand released a short film about it. In 2003, the brand released a 6:38 second short film entitled “Born Again Muscle Car.”
The film takes place in some part of Los Angeles and portrays an M45 owner who comes across what looks to be a 1969 Dodge Charger and a 1969 Chevy Camaro SS at a stoplight. All of a sudden, the area slightly changes into a race course, and all three battle it out. It’s great stunt driving and of course, the M45 whips the old muscle cars, with one of them wiping out while having a look on his face like, “What the hell is this car?”
It ends with the M45 crossing the finish line. But then you realize that the whole race was just a daydream by the M45 driver. He smiles before it ends, with Infiniti describing the M45 as “The Muscle Car With Brains.” Unfortunately, this generation of the M lasted just two years before it was redesigned for 2005 and became just another big luxury sedan that wasn’t nearly as good or unique. It’s too bad we’ll never see anything like it from Infiniti again.