They weren’t there, but don’t tell them that.
Infiniti is a fairly new company. Like its contemporaries Lexus and Acura (Honda’s take on the North American premium market), Infiniti was a child born at the beginning of the 90s, and went on to take a path of its own, growing further and further away from its more mainstream parent company, Nissan.
As a result of its fairly recent arrival, it doesn’t have the sort of rich heritage to lean on the way Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz and Alfa Romeo does. Which is why its launch events aren’t garnished with stock footage of racers duking it out from a time gone by in historical Infinitis, because there are none. They certainly don’t want to remind people of the luxed-up Nissans that essentially built the brand.
So what’s a company to do when it doesn’t have a long, hallowed history like everyone else? You just sort of invent it.
That’s the opinion we walked away with after having first seen the ‘Prototype 9’ concept car, which will be unveiled at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. It’s built with the same sort of handcrafted care and attention that 1930’s and 1940’s open-wheel single-seat racers used to be made with, and though we mock the ‘I was there too’ narrative this car implies, it’s awfully pretty to look at.
And while you might believe that lurking under that long, shapely bonnet is some massive engine, you’ll be pleased to know that Infiniti hasn’t transplanted the engine from a WW2 fighter plane to give it some retro noise. Under the hand-wrought skin of the Prototype 9 lies the underpinnings of the new Nissan Leaf, meaning this baby is all-electric.
Nicking the electric drivetrain out of the Leaf means that the Prototype 9 is endowed with a respectable 110kW, but makes up for the modest power output with a healthy dollop of torque, capable of 319Nm. It’ll hit 100km/h in about 5.5-seconds, and rocket toward the horizon at a top speed of 170km/h. Its 21st-century power is mated to ‘heritage’ engineering, like unassisted steering, leaf-spring suspension, and a steel-ladder chassis. The body panels are made of steel (aluminium would be far too forward), and hand-crafted to perfection.
Just to be clear, Infiniti has absolutely no history hand-crafting a car this way. Its first car came out in 1989.
Is the Prototype 9 concept going to fool anyone into believing that they once duked it out with the big boys at the Mille Miglia, or once came close to victory at Monaco after the war? Probably not. This is basically a show-car made simply for showing off (perfect for the Concours), and when judged solely as an art piece, it’s absolutely stunning.
We invite you to spend some time going through the gallery below. And for more information on Infiniti, check out our Showroom.
