Why didn't Infiniti offer this?
Manual transmissions are becoming a dying breed. Many manufacturers have ditched them even on their sports cars, leaving aftermarket tuning companies to carry the burden of keeping them alive. Enthusiast Auto Group in San Antonio, Texas plans to build the first Ferrari 458 with a manual and the company just announced it will manual-swap a 2020 Toyota Supra.
The practice of manual swapping new sports cars seems to be taking off and a company called Concept Z Performance in Phoenix, Arizona just built an Infiniti Q60 Red Sport with a six-speed manual transmission.
The Infiniti Q60 replaced the outgoing G37 Coupe, which was available with a 3.7-liter V6 mated to an optional (but rare) six-speed manual. With the introduction of the Q60, the 3.7-liter V6 was eventually replaced by a new 3.0-liter twin-turbo mill producing 400 horsepower in Red Sport guise. The additional power of the twin-turbo engine was welcomed but Infiniti no longer offered a manual, leaving a seven-speed automatic as the lone transmission option.
We always felt the Q60 would be great with a manual transmission and Concept Z clearly agreed. After measuring the car, Concept Z found out the Q60's bolt pattern was close to that of the Nissan 370Z's manual transmission, making it possible to perform a swap (though with some additional modifications).
There was a slight chance the transmission wouldn't fit perfectly but using a 350Z flywheel, the Arizona-based shop was able to get all of the components to line up. Concept Z's fitting of the transmission is excellent and almost looks like it came right out of a manual G37. The shop has posted every step of the process if you plan to do it yourself, but just be warned: it clearly doesn't look like a job you can complete in a single weekend.
Making the car look factory-spec on the interior required ordering parts from Nissan International and some took several months to arrive at the shop. This was clearly a labor of love and now that it's possible maybe Infiniti will take notice and build one from the factory.
Acura
Alfa Romeo
Aston Martin
Audi
Bentley
BMW
Bollinger
BrightDrop
Bugatti
Buick
Cadillac
Caterham
Chevrolet
Chrysler
Dodge
Ferrari
Fiat
Fisker
Ford
Genesis
GMC
Gordon Murray Automotive
Hennessey
Honda
Hyundai
Infiniti
Jaguar
Jeep
Karma
Kia
Koenigsegg
Lamborghini
Land Rover
Lexus
Lincoln
Lordstown
Lotus
Lucid Motors
Maserati
Mazda
McLaren
Mercedes-Benz
Mini
Mitsubishi
Nissan
Pagani
Polestar
Porsche
Ram
Rimac
Rivian
Rolls-Royce
Spyker
Subaru
Tesla
Toyota
VinFast
Volkswagen
Volvo
Join The Discussion