Infiniti Prototype nine – Retro inspired supercar is hiding one Giant secret
Infiniti’s Prototype nine is a devilishly captivating concept vehicle which looks fresh out of the 1940s Grand Prix.
The luxury supercar made its official debut at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in France over the past few days.
It’s hand-built steel bod was designed and built by a puny team and combines styling that is seventy years old with cutting edge electrified propulsion.
The inclusion of an electrical motor and battery pack will surprise motoring fans as, from the outside, there is no inkling that it is an electrified vehicle.
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Infiniti has truly pounded the styling on the Prototype nine and created something elegant and sleek
Powering the fresh electrical supercar is a prototype electrified motor and lithium-ion battery from Nissan’s Advanced Powertrain department.
Infiniti says the car was inspired by an emerging era of Japanese motorsport, namely, the custom-built Prince R380 which also made its debut at the two thousand seventeen concours d’Elegance.
The car is crafted in naked sheet metal with a steel ladder framework.
Infiniti Prototype nine Exposed in pictures
Fresh Infiniti Prototype nine Exposed in pictures
The single-seater produces 120kW (148bhp) of power and 320Nm (236 lb ft) of torque and has a top speed of 105.6mph and a sprint time of 0-62mph in just Five.Five seconds.
rototype nine celebrates the tradition of ingenuity, craftsmanship and passion of our forebears at Nissan
Alfonso Albaisa, Senior Vice President, Global Design
Alfonso Albaisa, Senior Vice President, Global Design said about the car: “Prototype nine celebrates the tradition of ingenuity, craftsmanship and passion of our forebears at Nissan, on whose shoulders we stand today.
“It began as a discussion – what if INFINITI had created a race car in the 1940s? If one were to imagine an open-wheeled INFINITI racer on the famous circuits of the era, such as Japan’s Tamagawa Speedway, what would that look like?
“The sketches were stunning and the idea so compelling that we had to produce a prototype. As other departments became aware of this, they volunteered their time to create a working vehicle.”
Infiniti Prototype nine electrical supercar was exposed at Concours d’Elegance
Primarily, Prototype nine was a secret project with only a few employees at the company have seen the design sketch.
After word got out at the company of the sketch a domino effect was triggered where staff were insisting the Prototype nine needed to be made.
“The creation of the real world INFINITI Prototype nine was entirely and coincidentally organic.
The car’s styling harks back to vintage 1940s grand prix race cars
“As we began work on a physical model, word spread beyond the core design team, and other departments commenced checking in and suggesting assistance.
“Eventually, the production team became aware of the project – and brought with them the desire and abilities to build it,” added Mr Albaisa.
Unluckily the Prototype nine will remain just that as there are no plans to put into production. One thing that may make its way into production cars in the future is the fresh 30kW powertrain.