2002 Detroit Auto Show.(Brief Article)

Infiniti G35

The U.S. and Infiniti finally get a version of the very cool Nissan Skyline sold in right-hand-drive countries. The G35 sport sedan (and future coupe version) helps Infiniti live on equal terms with Lexus and BMW in snatching career-minded, mousse-haired fun money. Showing up in March, the G35 possesses a standard 260-horsepower 3.5-liter dohc V6 with 260 lb-ft of torque and is rear-wheel drive. This sounds serious. Pricing starts at a reasonable $27,100. A fully loaded G35 (i.e. 90 percent of sales) will leave the lot and merge onto Depreciation Drive for about $35,000.

Mazda RX-8

There was the RX-Evolv concept in 2000, then the RX-8 design prototype last year, and now here we have the production RX-8 due out this year. Besides being a sure hit with sports coupe lovers wanting easier entry, the RX-8 is the lab monkey for reintroducing the rotary Wankel. Sounds like a dance involving pelvic swivels and rum drinks, but no, this new rotary layout, called RENESIS, is much more environmentally caring than the old Mazda rotaries and puts out big power for its small size. The twin-rotor motor supplies 250 horsepower at an S2000-ish 8500 screaming rpm and 162 lb-ft of torque. The design keeps the four doors without a center pillar look, described as ``freestyle'' in preference over the more usual ``suicide.''

Ford GT40 concept

The Detroit show has had standout concepts in the past-the Porsche Boxster and Dodge Viper come to mind-and Ford's ...