No Really, this is a Mitsubishi Eclipse Spider and it's Powered by a Subaru Turbo Boxer!

Don't let the Nissan 350Z snout and the Infiniti G35 Coupe (JDM Nissan Skyline V35) rear end design fool you; the glitzy painted roadster model you're gawking at is in fact a JDM Mitsubishi Eclipse Spider - possibly a third generation model. But before you try to digest all that info let us quickly add that Paint Star's Tokyo Auto Salon project car also hides a Subaru-sourced 2.0-liter turbocharged flat-four engine under its 350Z-shaped hood. See the rest of the photos in our image gallery after the break.

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Ex-cop Busted for helping to Illegally Import JDM Cars, Including one that Starred in Fast & Furious

Recently there was a situation in California involving an ex-Orange County Sheriff's deputy, some illegally imported Japanese cars, and what seems to be a plot from one of the rejected Fast & Furious scripts. One Daryl Alison, a 45-year old former law enforcement officer and entrepreneur of sorts, was charged with removing the markings from an imported Japanese domestic market (JDM) vehicle.

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Access Evolution Dips the Nissan Skyline / Infiniti G37 in Charcoal

Jon Sibal, in what appears to be a wheel search for a new Challenger 'chop (can't wait) has some pics of this JDM Nissan Skyline V36, or as we know it here in the States, the Infiniti G37, done-to-to-the-bone by Access Evolution. Those spider webs inside the tires are Forgiatto GTRs, and they're not getting any love from anybody...except me. They look like they belong on a futuristic sports car, but certainly look nice on the Skyline.

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Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 with R35 Fascia: Stud or Dud?

Found over at our JDM-loving friends at 'Farm of Mind', is this cosmetically modified Nissan Skyline GT-R R34. As you can see in the pictures above and below, the owner of the Japanese sports coupe kitted out the R34 with the new GT-R R35's fascia.

Even though we don't have many photos to go by, at a first glance the conversion looks fairly decent from a technical point of view. However, we'll let you decide if it's a 'stud' or a 'dud'. Have your say in the comments section after the jump.

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Infiniti said to Offer G25 with Smaller 2.5-liter V6 in the States to Compete with BMW 328i and Lexus IS250

The team over at Inside Line is reporting that it has learned from an unnamed high-ranking source within Nissan that Infiniti will launch a new entry-level version of its 2011 G sedan equipped with a smaller displacement V6 engine in the U.S. this fall. According to the report, the North American Infiniti G25 will be powered by the same 2.5-liter V6 unit found in the sedan's JDM sibling, the Nissan Skyline.

In the Skyline 250GT sedan, the VQ25HR is rated at 225 horsepower (IL says 210HP, but Nissan announces 225HP) and 26.8 kgm or 193.8 lb-ft of torque.

This means that the Japanese V6 is slightly less powerful than the BMW 328i's 3/0-liter inline-six that generates 230HP and 200 lb-ft inline, but stronger than the Lexus IS250's 2.5-liter V6 with 204HP and 185 lb-ft, who are the G25's most closest rivals.

The report goes on to say that for the time being, the smaller V6 is planned only for the sedan and not the Coupe or hardtop Convertible variants of the G Series.

Via: Inside Line

Infiniti said to Offer G25 with Smaller 2.5-liter V6 in the States to Compete with BMW 328i and Lexus IS250

The team over at Inside Line is reporting that it has learned from an unnamed high-ranking source within Nissan that Infiniti will launch a new entry-level version of its 2011 G sedan equipped with a smaller displacement V6 engine in the U.S. this fall. According to the report, the North American Infiniti G25 will be powered by the same 2.5-liter V6 unit found in the sedan's JDM sibling, the Nissan Skyline.

In the Skyline 250GT sedan, the VQ25HR is rated at 225 horsepower (IL says 210HP, but Nissan announces 225HP) and 26.8 kgm or 193.8 lb-ft of torque.

This means that the Japanese V6 is slightly less powerful than the BMW 328i's 3/0-liter inline-six that generates 230HP and 200 lb-ft inline, but stronger than the Lexus IS250's 2.5-liter V6 with 204HP and 185 lb-ft, who are the G25's most closest rivals.

The report goes on to say that for the time being, the smaller V6 is planned only for the sedan and not the Coupe or hardtop Convertible variants of the G Series.

Via: Inside Line

1972 Nissan Skyline GT-R S45 up for Sale at a California Dealer

Now here's a car you don't get to see often -if at all- in the States. A California auto dealer has listed a first-generation 1972 Nissan Skyline GT-R S45 for $38,998. The right-hand drive (RHD) model, which is apparently a Japanese import, has clocked 81,000 miles. However, we're not entirely certain if it's an original Skyline GT-R or a clone based on the Skyline 2000GT - notice the "2000GT" badge on the center console, though we also saw the same logo appearing on a supposedly original 1970 Skyline GT-R S45 that we showed you back in June.

The Skyline 2000GT C10 featured a less powerful 2.0-liter inline-six producing 120 horsepower instead of the GT-R's same displacement engine that cranked out 160 ponies.

Also from what we've read, the C10 Skyline series was produced up until 1971 as it was replace in 1972 by the second-generation C110 series that featured a different body. But in any case, we're pretty sure that if anyone is ready to pay out nearly $40k for a classic 1970s model will and should do his homework before writing a cheque.

Link: Gulliverusa , Via: Vwvortex - Kudos to Joe for the tip!

Classic Find: First-Generation 1970 Nissan Skyline GT-R Coupe S45

What looks to be a pristine (or fully restored) example of the modern day Nissan GT-R's granddaddy, a 1970 Skyline GT-R Coupe S45 with only 89,000 kilometers or a little over 55,000 miles on the odometer, is up for sale by a Japan-based dealer. There's no asking price on the seller's website but understandably, we reckon that a historic model like 1970 Skyline GT-R with such low mileage won't be offered for a low price.

The first Skyline GT-R was launched in Japan originally as a four door sedan in February 1969 (pictured here), followed shortly after by the coupe model you're all gawking at in the photo album below -no need to apologize, we did the same thing, ain't she a beauty?

Like its sedan counterpart, at the heart of the 1970 Skyline GT-R is Nissan's S20 2.0-liter straight-six DOHC 24-valve engine. It produces (or at least it did when it came out of the factory) a maximum output of 160PS at 7,000 rpm and a peak torque of 18.0 kgm or 130-lb/ft at 5,600 rpm. Power is transferred to the rear wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox.

We don't have any official performance figures for the Coupe (maybe some of you Nissan fans can help us out here), but we did manage to find out that the 1969 Skyline GT-R Sedan with the same engine was capable of achieving a top speed of 200km/h or 125mph while it covered the first 400m from a standing start in 16.1 seconds (official data from Nissan).

Link: Wintel

New Nissan Skyline Crossover for Japan

What we have come to know on both sides of the Atlantic as the Infiniti EX will be arriving in Japan this summer as the Nissan Skyline Crossover. The Crossover will be the latest addition to the Japanese market Skyline family which also includes the Infiniti G sedan- and coupe-based models. Just like the European version of the EX, the JDM Skyline Crossover will be equipped with Nissan's 3.7-liter VQ37VHR V6 engine mated to a 7-speed automatic transmission with a manual shift mode. The all-new Skyline Crossover will be showcased at Nissan Galleries in Japan starting April 18, 2009.

Nissan Skyline GT-R Replica Built on Acura Legend

We've yet to find a more irrational clone of the Nissan Skyline GT-R than this one that was based on a BMW 3-Series E36 Coupe, but we reckon today's eBay finding comes pretty close. Built upon a second-generation 1994 Acura Legend (most likely the coupe), the 2002 Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 replica is powered by a twin-turbocharged version of the Legend's V6 engine that produces in standard form 240-horsepower. The eBay seller guestimates that the modified V6 generates around 360-horsepower - don't take this figure for granted though. Hit the jump for more photos.

Link: eBay