► Infiniti’s new old-fashioned concept
► Protoype 9 is ‘barn find’ racer
► Features an EV powertrain
Well this thing is unexpected. Infiniti has opened the barn door on its latest concept car, called the Prototype 9. The new open-wheeled racer will be on show at the 2017 Pebble Beach concours event from 18 August 2017.
Infiniti says its show car is a ‘heritage-inspired prototype vehicle that captures the ingenuity and adventure of early motor sports with the brand’s contemporary design language.’
It also says the concept ‘has been developed through a journey back to the roots of our company’ – the fact that the Nissan-owned brand first started selling cars in 1989 notwithstanding.
The Prototype 9 uses a prototype electric motor from Nissan’s Advanced Powertrain Department, where the brand produces its EVs like the Leaf. This prototype version could be what ends up in the next-generation of Nissan’s high-selling EV…
Concept based on a theoretical ‘barn find’
‘It started as a simple thought – what if we found a car, down at the Southern tip of Japan, buried deep in a barn, hidden from all eyes for 70 years? What would this discovery look like?’ That’s the explanation behind the concept given by Infiniti’s senior VP for design Alfonso Albaisa.
![Infiniti Prototype 9 side](https://car-images.bauersecure.com/wp-images/2291/480x0/infiniti_prototype9_83.jpg?scale=down)
Maybe the design team’s been binging on Downton Abbey box sets, maybe Infiniti is planning a factory team for the upcoming Goodwood Revival – either way, this could be one of 2017’s most curious and potentially most fun concept cars.
Check out our Infiniti reviews here