• News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
  • News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
Sign up Now (For Free)

Sign up for our newsletter and receive the latest automotive news in your inbox!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!
News
Read Now
  • All News
  • Automakers
  • Automobiles
  • Auto Shows
  • Business
  • EVs & Environment
  • Guides
  • Lawsuits/Legal
  • Regulatory
  • Ride-Sharing
  • Safety & Recalls
  • Technology
Recent
  • Get the Latest about New Cars, EVs and More with the Headlight News Podcast
  • Order Up! Tesla Opens Order Books for the Tesla Semi
  • Detroit Automakers Reinstating Mask Mandates as COVID Surges
  • BMW Offers Up Official “Spy Shots” of Plug-In XM SUV
  • Court-Appointed Monitor Sets Schedule for UAW Elections
  • The Rearview Mirror: The Car That Begat Automotive Safety Laws
  • Mercedes Issues “Do Not Drive” Recall for 292K Vehicles
  • Targeting Tesla, VW CEO Says EVs are More Profitable Than First Forecast
  • Toyota Cuts Profit Guidance as Costs Continue to Rise
  • Honda Adds a Sport Trim to Odyssey Line for New Model Year
Editor’s Choice
    Reviews
    Read Now
    • All Reviews
    • Classic Cars
    • Concept Cars
    • Convertibles
    • Coupes
    • Crossovers/CUVs
    • Diesel
    • Hot hatches
    • Hybrids
    • Luxury Vehicles
    • Minivans
    • Muscle Cars
    • Pickups
    • Sedans
    • Sports Cars
    • Super Cars
    • SUVs
    Recent Reviews
    • First Drive: 2022 Mercedes-Benz C 300
    • First Impression: 2023 Nissan Z
    • A Week With: 2022 Lexus LC 500 Convertible
    • A Week With: 2022 Ram 2500 Power Wagon Crew Cab
    • First Drive: 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning
    • First Drive(s): 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate and AT4X
    • A Week With: 2022 BMW i4 M50
    • A Week With: 2022 Mazda CX-5
    • First Drive: 2023 Kia Sportage
    • First Drive: 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe
    Editor’s Choice
      Guides
      Car Warranty
      • Endurance Warranty Reviews
      • BMW Extended Warranty
      • Extended Warranty For Cars Over 100k Miles
      • Extended Car Warranty Cost
      • Subaru Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Reviews
      • CarShield Cost
      • Aftermarket Car Warranty
      • CARCHEX Warranty Reviews
      • Reputable Extended Car Warranty Companies
      • Used Car Warranty Companies
      • Best Car Warranty
      • Is CarShield A Scam?
      • Mercedes Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Plans
      Insurance
      • How To Identify A Car Insurance Company
      • Geico Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • How Far Back Does A Car Insurance Company Look
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance For Used Cars
      • State Farm Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance From Progressive
      • Dollar A Day Insurance
      • Auto Insurance For SSI Recipients
      • Car Insurance Rates After A Suspended License
      • Auto Insurance For Salvage Vehicles
      • Average Cost of Dodge Ram 1500 Car Insurance
      • Car Insurance Florida
      • Full Coverage Auto Insurance
      • GrubHub Insurance
      • Amazon Delivery Auto Insurance
      Shipping
      • Car Shipping Companies
      • uShip Reviews
      • Auto Shipping From California To Hawaii
      • Montway Auto Transport Reviews
      • Cheap Car Shipping
      • Easy Auto Ship Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Miami
      • Auto Shipping To Alaska
      • Car Shipping Cost
      • Auto Shipping Hawaii
      • Auto Shipping Puerto Rico
      • Sherpa Auto Transport Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Atlanta
      • Auto Shipping Boston
      • Auto Shipping. Chicago
      About
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Affiliate Disclosure
      • Sitemap
      TheDetroitBureau.com

      More than just “another” place to find news, reviews, spy shots, commentary, features, and guides about the auto industry. TheDetroitBureau doesn’t stop with the press releases or confuse a few lines of opinion with insightful, in-depth reporting.

      Contact Us

      Like what you see? Have some ideas for making The Detroit Bureau.com even better? Let us know, we’d love to hear your voice.

        Media
        Listen Now
        • Headlight News: All Episodes
        More from TheDetroitBureau
        • Guides
        • Latest News
        • Auto Reviews
        • Podcasts
        Headlight News

        TheDetroitBureau.com’s Headlight News offers a look at the past week’s top automotive news stories, as well as what’s coming up in the week ahead. Check out the week’s top story and our latest review…along with a dive into the past with this week in automotive history.

        home > news > Automobiles > Infiniti Goes Forward into the Past with Retro-Futuristic Prototype 9.

        Infiniti Goes Forward into the Past with Retro-Futuristic Prototype 9.

        Modern take on old racer integrates future electric drivetrain.

        Paul A. Eisenstein
        Paul A. Eisenstein , Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
        Aug. 14, 2017
        The Infiniti Prototype 9.

        Grand prix racer or classic Indy 500 entry? You might get to wondering when you get your first look at the Infiniti Prototype 9, especially if that happens out at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance next weekend.

        But despite going to the world’s most famous classic car event to reveal one-seat racer, this is not a competitor to one of the original Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows. What Infiniti is calling “a journey back in time,” is actually a completely modern take, down to its fully electric drivetrain.

        Classic News!

        “Prototype 9 celebrates the tradition of ingenuity, craftsmanship and passion of our forebears at Nissan Motor Corporation, on whose shoulders we stand today,” says Alfonso Albaisa, Infiniti’s Senior Vice President, Global Design.

        The Prototype 9 is largely retro in engineering and design - but for its electric drivetrain.

        The project “started as a discussion,” he explains, one exploring what it might have looked like if Infiniti were around and racing back in the 1940s on classic circuits like Japan’s Tamagawa Speedway. What was originally a thought exercise within the Infiniti design department was transformed into something tangible as other departments within the luxury brand got involved.

        A comparison to classic race cars of the 1930s and ‘40s is understandable, with the narrow open wheels and cross-ply tires, leaf springs and front-mounted engine. The hand-formed aluminum body panels are clearly reminiscent of those legendary Mercedes Silver Arrows. But a closer look reveals some very current Infiniti design cues, including the brand basge, hood crease and double-arch grille.

        As what was originally perceived as a sketch or 3D rendering started to evolve into sheet metal, all manner of Nissan and Infiniti engineers and craftsmen weighed in on the project.

        (Click Here for a review of the all-new Infiniti QX50 SUV.)

        The aluminum body was hand-worked, much like a classic '30s or '40s race car.

        “What started as an after-hours idea grew into a fully fledged prototype; our designers and engineers were excited by the notion of creating a past vision, a nod to our origins. They volunteered their own time; more and more staff became involved,” says Infiniti President Roland Krueger.

        Bu while the project might have been a paean to a past that never really occurred, at least some folks started to imagine an alternative, sort of the way steam punks reimagine the modern world. In this case, they asked what would happen if competent electric propulsion systems existed back then.

        They started out with a version of the driveline of the new Nissan Leaf that will be revealed next month. It might not sound like much in today’s world, but making 148 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque might have made the Prototype 9 a real contender back then (at least if you could sidestep the issue of range). With the concept vehicle weighing a modest 1,962 pounds, complete with a 30 kWh battery pack, it is said to be capable of hitting 130 mph, though it currently is limited to a top speed of 105 mph, and it will crack 60 in just 5.5 seconds.

        (Infiniti pushing the upper limits for a luxury SUV with QX80 Monograph. Click Here to check it out.)

        The breakthrough Prince R380.

        “They made Prototype 9 a reality, a result of their ingenuity – they recognized and realized the past, powered by a future-centric electric powertrain at its heart,” said Krueger. “Prototype 9 blends modern technology and hand-crafted details paying tribute to the forebears of Infiniti,” including the Prince Motor Co., which made one of the first serious efforts at building a Japanese race car.

        There are no plans to actually put the Infiniti Prototype 9 in production but it will debut during the 2017 Pebble Beach week, along with the mid-1960s Prince R380 which distinguished itself by becoming the first Japanese car to win a grand prix, the 1966 race at Fuji Speedway.

        (Acura Debuting new 2018 RLX flagship at Pebble Beach. Click Here to check it out.)

        Recently Published
        Podcasts
        Headlight News Podcast Microphone

        Get the Latest about New Cars, EVs and More with the Headlight News Podcast

        Yesterday

        Order Up! Tesla Opens Order Books for the Tesla Semi

        Yesterday
        An employee in the body shop at Stellantis’ Detroit Assembly Complex – Mack plant inspects the body of a Jeep® Grand Cherokee L to ensure it is within specification before it goes to the paint shop. The Company invested $1.6 billion to repurpose two existing facilities and build a paint shop to create the first new assembly plant in Detroit in 30 years and bring 3,850 new jobs to the city.

        Detroit Automakers Reinstating Mask Mandates as COVID Surges

        Yesterday

        Leave a Reply Cancel reply

        Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

        Share this article:
        © The Detroit Bureau 2022
        • Guides
        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms of Use
        • Affiliate Disclosure
        • Contact Us
        • Sitemap
        Follow Us: