THE INFINITI M30 WAS ALWAYS AN AMERICAN-MARKET CRUISER

For being such an original thought, Infiniti leaned on parent and benefactor far too often at the beginning of its life. That’s a viable excuse for delivering the M30 to the world, in an era before luxury meant high performance and style.

Where the Q45 was svelte, ovular and curvy on the outside, the M30 espoused a floppy disk’s rectangular, forthright personality, particularly in an all-black exterior finish. You could contend that the original Infiniti lineup was intended to comprise a melange of shapes and profiles, and that the M30 was the foil to the Q45 and later J30

Like so many of the original Infiniti models, the M30 was, in fact, a warmed-over product of the Japanese domestic market, the Nissan Leopard. The two-door M30 coupe went on sale in 1989 and continued through one product lifecycle before being discontinued in the United States. The M30 convertible was a rare breed when it was new, and seeing one today is a rare sight, indeed, particularly if its top is intact and operational. The -30 in its name stood for its 3.0-liter V-6 engine, which routed 165 horsepower through a four-speed automatic transmission. Its performance was nothing to celebrate, then or now, but the M30 was never about going fast.

No, the M30 was a personal coupe in the American tradition, intended for relaxing, stress-free drives and making a subtle but cultured statement. A cursory look at its long hood, shortish rear deck, relatively long wheelbase, and airy passenger compartment offers a clue as to the M30’s reason for being. It’s the type of design found on the backs of school notebooks, with three distinct boxes. The M30’s designers resisted that urge to play with the M30’s proportions, resulting in a sedanlike form with undersized wheels and tires. It’s like the M30 is wearing a simple cocktail dress and little makeup, but its shoes are noticeably too small. (I happen to think that look is beautiful.)

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