2000 Infiniti G20 T 4-door 2.0l L4 Dohc 16v on 2040-cars

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1992 Infiniti Q45 with under 9,000 miles is a window into the glory days of Japan, Inc.

The 1980s saw Japanese auto boom in the U.S., while at home the "Bubble Economy" of the latter half of the decade swelled corporate coffers. The heady atmosphere lead first Honda, then Toyota and Nissan, to launch luxury divisions, aimed primarily at the U.S. market. Nissan formed a secret task force in 1985 to create Infiniti, and the brand launched (simultaneously with Lexus) at the 1989 Detroit Auto Show. The Infiniti Q45 was the brand's flagship and displayed a distinctly Japanese take on the luxury sedan. Whereas the Lexus LS400 was like the world's most perfect Cadillac — all silence and smoothness — the more driver-oriented Q45 was something akin to an Asian Jaguar. The Zen-like styling eschewed luxury car cliches such as interior wood trim and a fancy chrome grille. Instead, the nose of the Q45 was adorned with a stylized badge that was suggestive of a samurai shield. When Lexus stormed out of the gate and left Infiniti far behind, Nissan's luxury division began to dial back the iconoclasm and tack toward conventionality. All of which makes this early, 1992-model Q45 a rare and intriguing machine. It's all the more representative of Infiniti's early days because of its ultra-low mileage: just 8,800 miles are on the clock. Up for sale right now on the auction website Cars & Bids, this Q45 reportedly had just one owner up until last year. It features a leather interior, power seats, a sunroof and a trunk-mounted 10-disc CD changer. Under the hood is a DOHC 4.5-liter V8 that's good for 278 horsepower and pairs with a four-speed automatic transmission to drive the rear wheels. Of note is the factory case that houses the original titanium keys. At this writing, bidding for this rarely seen Japanese luxury sedan stands at $11,000 with two days left to go in the auction. That seems a small sum for such a well-preserved totem of the Japanese auto industry's master-of-the-universe period. Related Video:

Watch Formula Drift's Chris Forsberg break in a new warehouse

Here are just a few great drift cars: Toyota AE86, Mazda RX-7, Nissan Z, Nissan Silvia, and Ford Mustang. One vehicle you won't find on that list, however, is the Infiniti M, because it's a big, heavy luxury car.
It's comfortable, spacious and better to drive than you might expect. And yet, even though it was possible to get one with a very nice 335-horsepower, 4.5-liter V8, it wouldn't be the first car we'd gut and take drifting in an empty warehouse. Formula Drift driver Chris Forsberg didn't get our memo, evidently, which is why we have this video of him flinging a big, white Infiniti through an empty building.
It's an entertaining video, if only because using an M as a drift car is just such a ludicrous sight. Scroll down to watch the entire clip.

Is your new-car warranty good at the race track?

We've all heard the horror stories. Your buddy knows a girl that was dating a guy whose best friend's brother once broke his brand-new, recently purchased performance car while making runs at a drag strip or laps at a track day, and the manufacturer wouldn't cover the repair under warranty. True story? Urban legend? Complete crap? Yes, no, maybe. One thing's for sure: Automotive warranties have always come with caveats. In 1908, an ad in the Trenton Evening Times clearly stated: "All Ford Cars Guaranteed for One Year." Although it changed over time, by 1925 the Ford New Car Guarantee only covered 90 days on material and 30 days on labor, and it clearly stated that that there was "No guarantee whatever on Fan Belts, Glass, Bulbs, Wiring, Transmission, Bands, Hose Connections, Commutator Shells, Rollers, Spark Plugs or Gaskets." Whether or not Ol' Henry would pay to fix your Model T if you broke it shaving a tenth off your lap time at the local board track seems to be lost to history. We're guessing no. But what about today? Do new-car warranties in 2017 cover cars when they are driven on race tracks? We researched the warranties of 14 auto brands to find out, and the answer is yes, no, maybe, depending on the brand, in some cases the model, and whether or not your car is modified from stock. Acura has been out of the high-performance car game for a number of years, but jumps back into the party in 2017 with its hybrid-powered $173,000 NSX supercar. And Acura's warranty, as well as Honda's, clearly states that it does not cover "the use of the vehicle in competition or racing events." View 33 Photos So we asked Sage Marie, Senior Manager of Public Relations for Honda and Acura. "If the car is stock, the warranty covers it on a track just as it does on the street. No question," he told us. "However, if the car is modified, say with slick tires or other components that would put higher stresses on the vehicle's parts and systems, then we would have to investigate the circumstances further." Marie went on to say the same would be true for any Acura model or Honda vehicle, including the new 2017 Honda Civic Si. This became a common theme. Chevrolet actually started this practice with the fifth-generation Camaro on the high-performance ZL1 and Z/28 models.