The Infiniti G20 might not be a particularly exciting vehicle in stock form. It suffered from marketing issues here in the U.S. and it’s often wrongly labeled as a fancy Sentra, but in the rest of the world its Nissan Primera counterpart had proven itself through motorsport to be quite competitive. This international pedigree is undoubtedly what sucked me in.
This isn’t my first G20, and I didn’t fall into it by accident. I actually picked this one up after months of searching for a car that met my criteria of good condition, right color, and manual transmission. Over the last 7 years my 94' Infiniti G20 has evolved into what you see here.
When it comes to the car’s engine, I’ve replaced the original SR20DE with a factory turbocharged variant from a Japanese donor known as the Nissan Avenir. Fuel demands for this piglet are met by a Walbro 255 LPH pump and an SARD pressure regulator while air is guzzled in through an Apexi filter and then pressurized by the OEM turbocharger before being forced into a CX Racing front mount intercooler. Boost pressures are kept in check by a Halman manual boost controller and a Greddy type RS blow off valve. Finally, exhaust is plumbed out through a 3” mild steel pipe into a Magnaflow muffler. Engine management was kept simple with a Jim Wolf Technologies tuned ECU. The result is a moderate increase in power over stock.
After rebuilding the transmission, replacing it, and rebuilding again, it was clear that the factory equipped unit couldn’t handle the near double amount of power that the turbocharged engine produced, so a stronger 2002 Infiniti G20 gearbox was called upon to receive that increased power via an A.C.T 6 puck sprung clutch. The front brakes have also benefited from the 2nd generation G20 yielding an additional 23mm of rotor diameter. When it comes to handling, spring and dampening duties are handled by the vetted Fortune Auto 500 series coilovers, and all suspension and chassis bushings have been upgraded to either polyurethane or aluminum.
On the outside, the car was repainted with OEM platinum silver and eventually was vinyl wrapped with 3M gloss blue metallic film. A plethora of rare parts adorn the G20’s exterior. European market Nissan Primera bumpers, side skirts, and tail lights replace the neutered American market plastic. The Primera makeover continues with badging, an Eastbear grille, and Japanese market power folding mirrors. The factory Infiniti G20t spoiler rounds things out in the rear.
Inside, the dashboard has been swapped for one sans airbags and a 35mm Grant GT wheel connects the driver to the road while a Nismo shift knob connects the driver’s right hand to the powertrain. To keep the driver aware of what the engine is doing, an AEM wideband gauge and a cheap boost gauge have been added. The tattered front seats have been replaced with grabbier B15 Sentra Spec-V seats, but the 40/60 split bench seat in the rear still sports the luxurious black leather exclusive to the “touring package” of the G20. The audio system consists of a period correct Fujitsu Ten head unit, Infinity (Infinity, not Infiniti) speakers and a pair of 10” Infinity woofers, all of this is powered by 2 inexpensive amplifiers.
all in all, I’ve spent a lot of time and effort on my car. I know the G20 isn’t everyone’s idea of a project car platform, but at the end of the day, I’d like to think that I’ve built something interesting.