In the last edition of Rare Rides, we discussed Infiniti’s early-00s product makeup and introduced ourselves to the Japanese-market Nissan Gloria. It was that middle-market sedan which formed the basis of Infiniti’s sporty new midsize.
Today we cover the changes Infiniti made to the Gloria to prep it for its big North American debut, where the automaker hoped to take on BMW’s 5 Series.
The people at Infiniti borrowed the 4.5-liter V8 from the flagship Q45 and sandwiched it into the Gloria’s smaller engine bay. Serving two simultaneous goals, the larger engine added prestige and credibility to the new model, while helping spread out some of the development costs for the 4.5-liter V8. A brand new engine for 2002, its main purpose was use in the low-volume Q45.
The power available in the Q and M was nothing to sneeze at in the early ’00s: 340 horsepower and 333 lb-ft of torque move through the rear wheels via the five-speed auto.
Other Gloria alterations included swapping the part-amber rear lenses for solid red ones, and replacing the front clip with an Infiniti-designed version. The interior was also reworked and upgraded, evidenced by this image of a standard Japanese Gloria’s interior. Infiniti’s designers implemented what was basically a scaled-down Q45 interior to make the M45 suitably luxurious. The suspension was also reworked — the new rear multi-link setup was similar in design to the contemporary 350Z.
Despite all this, the somewhat narrow body (for American tastes), frameless windows, and angular styling did not appeal to consumers in the way Infiniti planned. Sales were low, and the model was dropped at the end of 2004, after just two years in Infiniti’s lineup.
The M name would go dormant again for another year, until it was revived starting in 2006. That year saw a combination of sorts. The Q45 was in its last year, and the M badge was applied to Nissan’s new Fuga model. This larger sedan was a size up from the Gloria and a size down from the Nissan President-based Q45. From then on (continuing until today) the M maintained flagship sedan status in Infiniti’s showrooms (it’s now called Q70).
Today’s example is in excellent condition, with just under 84,000 miles on the odometer. The owner maintained it well, keeping everything original and staying away from winter weather. Shiny red paint covers the tan interior, which is an uncommon combo. Almost as if by design, the M45 asks a Crapwagon Garage-approved $7,400 before negotiation. The seller indicates he’s leaving the country, so there’s assuredly some time limit on this sale as well.
Someone go grab it.
[Images: seller]
I always thought this car looked like what a unibody Ford Crown Victoria could have been if given a new lease on life. Not quite large enough, but the proportions and styling were right.
To me the styling made me think: “What would a Pontiac Catalina have looked like in the early 00s?”
Its what the Ford 500 should have been, RWD with decent power output. What we got was a cheaper Volvo.
And you know what? If the Five Hundred had been the car it became – the ’08 Taurus – at the time of introduction, it’d have been far more successful. But, man…that 3.0 and the CVT.
(Barfs)
340 HP from the 4.5 V-8, not 240.
Don’t know how that happened. Fixed.
Buy it Corey.
Live the dream. You’ll never find another this nice.
I like it, but not enough to trouble myself with three cars again.
One of the unloved stepchildren has to go to make room for a new hot redhead.
All the cool kids have three or more Corey. When did you become, uncool?
Always I have been super uncool.
Well, I could always take a certain M37 off your hands which frees up room for this more unique M.
Oh I can solve that. I’ll look after it well for you, and keep piling miles on it so you don’t have to worry about keeping it too nice for resale value.
LOL
If I had one, it wouldn’t be a daily, but it would see some use.
Edit, I concur with 28. Make way for the older hotness and you won’t loose it in a parking lot as easy.
DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT!
I almost bough one of these a few years ago. Really a fantastic car, one of the best Oldsmobiles ever built. I was scared off by the complexity (lots of electrical options) and the cost of parts and repairs. That being said, a beater M45 is a lot cheaper to fix than a beater from Germany.
While I am sure this is a very nice car for being a Nissan, but that is a crack pipe price. You’re basically at LS430 pricing which is a superior car with a better motor.
You’re not considering the rarity factor in pricing.
Also the 03 LS430 now looks like Avalon garbage.
I dont think rarity equates to value necessarily, otherwise many of Mitsubishis 90’s products would have an absurdly high value.
Umm, Mitsubishi was successful in the 90s, and the rare ones are somewhat valuable (top spec AWD performance versions of sedans and coupes).
Besides, just because a Mirage DE isn’t valuable, it doesn’t mean a rare Japanese luxury car that happens to beheavily based on a JDM sedan we otherwise didn’t get in impeccable condition with low miles is worth Maxima money.
Meh, I’ll take the LS430 Sport looks over this thing.
I have a better idea, buy an Infiniti Q45 and save a few bucks. You get the same engine in a nicer body.
“with a better motor.”
In terms of durability? Probably.
In terms of noise and power? No
Don’t worry, last article, it was an Avalon that was far superior. I guess the old M is moving up in the world.
Yes, this car will do burnouts.
that car needs to be in a state where front license plates don’t exist.
that front plate ruins it!
I remember seeing ads for this in the car magazines back then. It said “A muscle car with brains” and the picture was it racing a 69 Charger off a stop light. Always thought it was pretty cool – but apparently not enough lol
This car looked dated instantly when the E60 5 series came out in 2004.
Yeah, but the E60 looks like, well, an E60.
I have a question, why would I buy this over a cheaper Q45?
The Q looks nicer (if blatantly a Mercedes copy), costs $1k-$2k less on average, and it uses the same engine while more than likely providing more space around it.
The Q45 is less unique, and looks like a large Altima.
It’s also far more focused on ride quality over driving dynamics than this is, but then this is the guy who thinks this car is a worse take in the Toyota Avalon, or an Avon lady.
The only problem I had with this car when it came out was that most were sold in black, and thus looked pretty much like a cheaper Mercury Marauder.
I’ll go ahead and wait for the Panther brigade to jump me now.
It’ll outrun a Marauder too, maybe by just .90 of a second but it is quicker and I can only assume handles better.
I just wish the Marauder was as fast as the M45.
I kept up with a then-new Marauder through the top of second gear in my stickshift 2004 TSX (naturally aspirated 2.4-liter four). They weren’t quick.
Like we said at GM Powertrain in the 80s.
G*d in his infinite wisdom made all animals rear drive.
Epitomises the generic object humans call “car”. Picture suitable for use in dictionary or front page of auto parts catalog. Not trying to be overly critical, but before I read the text, that was my immediate reaction. At least the 5 Series tried.
This could be a Shed of the Week contender on PistonHeads UK. It’s shiny and would make a wonderful Q-ship, invisible to the Jacks, Mr Plod or the Rozzers, although not with LHD. Absence of apparent driver would be a bit of a dead giveaway. “Hello, hello, hello! What have we got here then?” JDM model required for Blighty.
The first thing I’d do would be to find some Gloria taillights with the amber turn signals. Why did Infiniti think that taking them off was a good idea?
Oh the memories! I worked for Nissan North America’s corporate office during this period and had one of these for several months. Pretty smooth riding but horrible in rain and snow given its light weight, sporty tires and powerful engine combo. Surprisingly limited headroom and tight back seat legroom when drivers seat in my 6’6” position. The early v8 engines was known to burn oil quickly. I still like the looks and thought it was a total sleeper for the time period.
Would it be nice if Oldsmobile and Pontiac had a afterlife in Asia like Kodak, Polaroid, Xerox, Volvo, Buick and other bankrupt American brands. Nissan would build them profitably just for kicks. Same car with slightly different sheet metal. I always liked not your father’s Oldsmobiles especially Aurora (if ignore quality and GM engineering of course).
As much as I have LOVED this car ever since it came out, truth be told, the proportions (especially at the rear) have NOT aged very well. If it were my money I’d look at something like this
https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/731567639/overview/
I look at it and think “not bad”. Then I look at an SC300/400 and realize the infinity just doesn’t look good.
These always turn my head, and i’ve been intrigued by this generation for a long time. So rare around here that I never see one for sale. I do, however, see a fair number of the following generation M45s, which go for absurdly lower prices than comparable ‘Mercs and BMWs, or Lexus. From what I can tell, they have an expensive and unrepairable issue with driver’s seat frames. I still think Nissan should have brought the 8th-gen Cedric to North America.
Show me some examples of this unrepairable seat frame issue. I’ve looked at lots of the third generation M, and have owned one now since 2013. Haven’t seen what you’re referring to.
Apparently a tubular support breaks at the weld and the seat falls down towards the console. Lots of references in the Inifiti forums. Glad you’ve had good luck with your M35, I still wonder why it depreciate so much more than it’s Lexus competition. M35s are dirt cheap around here, even with low mileage.
That sounds like a safety issue, and something that would be a forced recall. Can’t be safe in an accident, if that tube breaks under normal usage.
I think the depreciation is from a couple of reasons:
-Badge not as good as Lexus.
-Mostly forgotten.
-Blocky styling isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
-Build quality is not as good as GS.
-Refinement not as good as GS.
Edit: From a quick search, it looks like the people having this seat issue have 2006 and 2007 examples. Wonder if they changed something quietly for the 2008 refresh.