diff --git a/rest_framework/request.py b/rest_framework/request.py
index f9503cd593..9446910399 100644
--- a/rest_framework/request.py
+++ b/rest_framework/request.py
@@ -10,8 +10,6 @@
 """
 from __future__ import unicode_literals
 
-import sys
-
 from django.conf import settings
 from django.http import QueryDict
 from django.http.multipartparser import parse_header
@@ -373,19 +371,15 @@ def _not_authenticated(self):
         else:
             self.auth = None
 
-    def __getattribute__(self, attr):
+    def __getattr__(self, attr):
         """
         If an attribute does not exist on this instance, then we also attempt
         to proxy it to the underlying HttpRequest object.
         """
         try:
-            return super(Request, self).__getattribute__(attr)
+            return getattr(self._request, attr)
         except AttributeError:
-            info = sys.exc_info()
-            try:
-                return getattr(self._request, attr)
-            except AttributeError:
-                six.reraise(info[0], info[1], info[2].tb_next)
+            return self.__getattribute__(attr)
 
     @property
     def DATA(self):
diff --git a/tests/test_request.py b/tests/test_request.py
index a87060df10..cbadb14678 100644
--- a/tests/test_request.py
+++ b/tests/test_request.py
@@ -249,3 +249,26 @@ def test_default_secure_false(self):
     def test_default_secure_true(self):
         request = Request(factory.get('/', secure=True))
         assert request.scheme == 'https'
+
+
+class TestWSGIRequestProxy(TestCase):
+    def test_attribute_access(self):
+        wsgi_request = factory.get('/')
+        request = Request(wsgi_request)
+
+        inner_sentinel = object()
+        wsgi_request.inner_property = inner_sentinel
+        assert request.inner_property is inner_sentinel
+
+        outer_sentinel = object()
+        request.inner_property = outer_sentinel
+        assert request.inner_property is outer_sentinel
+
+    def test_exception(self):
+        # ensure the exception message is not for the underlying WSGIRequest
+        wsgi_request = factory.get('/')
+        request = Request(wsgi_request)
+
+        message = "'Request' object has no attribute 'inner_property'"
+        with self.assertRaisesMessage(AttributeError, message):
+            request.inner_property