Despite being an electric prototype, Infiniti’s new “Prototype 9” race car — reportedly inspired by vintage 1940s era race cars — can apparently handle around 20 minutes of aggressive driving at the racing track.
Electric cars, prototypes or otherwise, that are designed to handle the sorts of aggressive driving often undertaken at race tracks aren’t all that common. While sticking to a design that allows aggressive use without overheating, the Infiniti Prototype 9 can reportedly still do 0–60 mph in just 5.5 seconds and can maintain a top speed of 105 mph.
The prototype features a 30 kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery pack and possesses 148 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque.
Tech Crunch provides more: “Nissan’s motor department built the engine, which is a prototype not yet used on any kind of production car. It seems mostly made for showing off at the super-fancy Concours D’Elegance, which is some kind of highfalutin car show at Pebble Beach golf course.
“Another interesting thing about the Prototype 9 is that it uses steel throughout, from frame to body panels. This is again more of a throwback, especially for an EV, since most modern electric cars favor lighter materials like aluminum to help lower overall body weight and aim for more range. The car is also completely silent, which is unusual for a race car but not for an EV. Infinity says its design was inspired by Japanese archers, and the silent, speedy arrows that they let loose from their bows.”
Interesting. I wonder if Nissan or Infiniti has any plans to use the engine in an actual production offering?
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