Car Feature>>one-off M35 Stagea

Any fan of Japanese cars should be familiar with the Nissan Stagea. The first generation Stagea is known for being the closest you can get to having a Skyline GT-R station wagon and Autech even produced a limited edition RB26-powered Stagea known as the 260RS. In the early 2000's when the Skyline switched to the new drastically different V35 chassis, the Stagea evolved along with it to become the M35 chassis. It is essentially a wagon version of the V35 Skyline or Infiniti G35. It is pretty uncommon to see fixed up M35 Stageas, so when I came across this one while browsing Minkara, I knew that I had to post it up here.

The car is owned by member "Yasurin" who lives in the Osaka area and the car brings a strong VIP influence to a platform that does not see a lot of love from car builders VIP or otherwise. The aftermarket is pretty small for this car, meaning that it required a lot of custom work and one-off parts to get this car to the level that it is at now.

In this photo you can really see the M35's Skyline roots. Particularly in the tail lamps and the mid section. The exhaust system consists of one-off piping with a set of four Junction Produce muffler tips. You can also the see the arching that has been done to the fenders that allow the car to accommodate its aggressive wheels and ride even lower. The Infiniti M35 badge also adds a nice touch as it represents the chassis code of this Stagea.

Yep, that's some serious Shakotan action right there. Look at how close the top of the wheels are to the fenders! It's not air suspension but a set of one-off full "shakocho" (coilovers). As you would expect, healthy doses of negative camber are used in order to tuck the tops of the wheels and to add to the VIP look. Other suspension parts include various braces from Garage Hori and a one-off front tower bar from Asis. Power-wise, the engine remains essentially stock. Don't you think the V35 Skyline base makes a for a good looking wagon? It's too bad they never sold these in the USA.

The wheels are one-piece 20" WALD D21F's and they do a great job of showcasing the four pot Lexus monoblock calipers and Toyota 334mm rotors. In another use of cross-branded parts, the rear calipers come from a Subaru Impreza 22B. In order to keep up with all this braking power, the master cylinder has been upgraded to a factory BNR34 Skyline GT-R unit.

While the body modifications have been kept relatively simple, the front bumper is another one-off piece. The front headlights have been outfitted with 15000K HID bulbs, so you should be able to see this car coming from miles away. The tail lamps have also undergone an LED conversion. The interior does not have any crazy custom work, but there is plenty of high end audio and video equipment for driver and passengers to enjoy.

Everything comes together to give the car an aggressive vibe without being too over the top. Then again, it is quite rare to see modified M35 Stageas at all, so the car will draw plenty of looks even with a subtle exterior appearance.

All of the custom work has paid off, and although the modifications are fairly common among VIP builds, the rarity of the platform makes the Stagea stand out in a sea of Aristos and Celsiors. I am always a sucker for unique builds, and this car does everything right for me.

Check out Yasurin's Minkara page for detailed documentation on the build process. It's well worth the look.

-Mike Garrett

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1

This make's me realy sad that nissan discontinued the stagea last year. This has got to be the best looking wagon ever.

2

someone correct me if i'm wrong, but the "M35" badging looks like its off of a Mercedes and not an Infiniti

3

I agree with you Mike. It's sad that we don't commonly see modified Stageas. I haven't even seen the RB26 version, dammit! Even pictures of it! My car life sucks. heheh.

4

Dennis, I think you are correct. I didn't look that closely at the badge. I guess I just made the Nissan/Infinit connection in my head. haha

5

wonderfully VIP car! i <3 wagons, i <3 WALD one-piece rims, i <3 volvo-style outer tails on wagons



awesome! lol

6

Vip style or not, its pretty ugly on the eye. No real vip quality styling gone into the appearence of the car factory. The Vip style on this car just hides and highlights it, that its not very good in the first place.

Thats my approach on this car. Go for a nice looking Lexus or something and get better results if its your bag.

7

Actually, Dennis, the bading you are looking at is actually from Garson/D.A.D. They offer letters embedded with swarovski crystals which look like Mercedes Benz Badging

8

well thanks for sorta kinda correcting me Neil =]

9

Wagons are bad ass. too bad wagons aren't as popular here state side. I would love to have an Evo 9 wagon =]

10

Stunning, I love it! The way the roof and the rear bar taper toward each other makes it, I fail to see how anyone would say "just get a Lexus", Since someone mentioned the Volvo-esque tail lights, they are my only sore point on this, they are great in some places but this would look better without them.

11

Love the tail-side of this thing!!!!!!! The way the hatch incorporates itself into the rear bumper instead of being above the bumper is pure dopeness!!!!! BADASS!!!!!!!!!

12

Pisses me off...America gets the shit end of the deal! This car is definately bad ass!

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