In the October issue we unleashed 2NR's twin-turbo Projekt Z, our fire-breathing road-going supercar based on the newest iteration of a legendary sports car icon. This month our cover car is a modified version of the Z's refined factory cousin, the luxurious Infiniti G35 coupe. Owned and built by Northern Cali's Dara Sodano, the car breathes through a GReddy twin-turbo setup identical to that used on Projekt Z and wears some of the most incredible paint we've ever seen.
This G35 is Sodano's second show vehicle. Her first was a '97 Civic EX she bought new as commuter transportation. She began modifying in the usual way, and like most, was inspired and egged on by her peers until she made her way from mild to wild, picking up an impressive list of sponsors in the process and traveling as far away as Atlanta to compete in show events. She had such great success that many of her sponsors for that car made the transition with her to the Infiniti platform. The Civic won such honors as the NCCA's Best Honda award in 2003-no easy feat-and finished second in the nation in overall points that same year. With this new car she launched a new company with her boyfriend and partner in crime, Jason Flowers, called Raging Bull Marketing. At this point, it seems the sky marks the limit.
Perhaps the most impressive thing about the exterior is the masterful paint, applied by Mike Lavallee of Killer Paint in Snohomish, Wash. You might know the name; word has it he's done work for such well-known outfits as Discovery's "Monster Garage" and Jesse James' "West Coast Choppers." The fact she could win support from such an in-demand artisan speaks volumes for Sodano's marketability. Though at first glance it appears to be a multi-stage chameleon-type treatment, Lavallee actually faded and blended several custom House of Kolor mixes, employing varied candies and pearls, and added such design cues as his own signature airbrushed flames, custom airbrushed characters and ghost watermarks of the Havoline and Racing Revolution logos (Racing Revolution by Havoline is Sodano's title sponsor). All things considered, this paint job probably cost as much as the car itself, and we dare say you won't find one like it anywhere else on the planet.
Lavallee's art has been laid over a mildly massaged exterior that includes widened rear fenders, a Top Secret fascia and side skirts, and a GTP carbon-fiber hood and rear wing. Distractions like the door handles and moldings were removed and smoothed over. A one-off rear diffuser was also added to the back end, fabricated by Justin Samberg of Samberg Fabrications. Like the paint, these exterior mods were carried out at Lavallee's shop in Snohomish.