Infiniti vehicles are not sold in Japan, but that hasn’t stopped Tatsuhiro Shibata from importing them for his personal use for the past decade.
Considered to be the brand’s biggest fan in Japan, Shibata, a vehicle restoration specialist turned his new Q60 into an entry in Japan’s top-tier drift championship. He told officials of the Nissan luxury brand that he wanted the “best-looking” racer.
Infiniti was impressed enough that it produced a 2 1/2-minute video of the car in action, as well as a 9-minute behind-the-scenes video about the project.
“In my eyes, the Q60 was the best looking of (Infiniti cars) but they didn’t sell any in Japan,” Shibata is quoted in Infiniti’s news release. “So we had to go to the U.S. to find one.
“It’s simple; I just wanted a good-looking racing car.”
After arriving in Japan, the car was modified for drift competition, where it is driven by Koudai Sobagiri.