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OAK ISSUE - n° 16 - 2018 - € 10 www.theoney d.com
The Art of Sailing CRN Latona 50m
QUART ERLY - P.I. 28/10 /2018 Intern ationa l € 10, Poste Italiane S.p.a. Chf 10,50 , UK £ 7,50 Spedizione in Abbon Postale - 70% amento LO/MI
[ The CAR ]
S I LV E R B U L L E T Proud, extreme, unique. Infiniti’s Prototype 9 is an e-roadster concept that started as a reimagining of the track cars of the 1940s with a future-forward electric motor its only concession to modernity by Diego Tamone- Ph. by courtesy of Infiniti
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[ The CAR ]
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einventing the past can be a challenge with a long and
for creating cars that inspire and move enthusiasts. Prototype
glorious heritage. It’s nobody’s fault. That’s just how it
9 is the result of an intriguing discussion over coffee by the
is. In the car world, Infiniti might at first glance seem
company’s employees about what a mid-20th century Infiniti
the perfect example of this thorny problem. The luxury division
single-seater would have looked like. Things got serious
of Nissan was only founded in 1989, in fact, and on paper
pretty quickly with designers, technicians and craftsmen soon
that should make the success of any nostalgia-inspired project
volunteering their own time to turn the fruit of their collective
it might embark on difficult if not downright improbable to
imagination into glorious reality. The out-of-hours project is
achieve. And yet the exuberant creativity of the Japanese car
now known as Prototype 9. Interestingly the number nine is
world proved categorically that it could overcome any obstacle
pronounced “kyuu” in Japanese which mirrors the “Q” moniker
– including time itself - when Prototype 9 was unveiled by
used for Infiniti’s modern models. Hardly surprising in a way
Infiniti at the last Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. A car
as this open-wheel car, which is clothed in lines inspired by
crafted around the forms of a 1940s single-seater. But why
the aircraft fuselages (once deemed the most aerodynamically-
go to all that trouble for a concept? Passion, pure and simple,
efficient shape), is a blend of the retro and the modern. Its
An open-wheel single-seater clothed in sharp, spare yet dazzlingly creative lines inspired by the fuselages of the early aircraft. Its bodywork was handbeaten from steel panels while its wheels are wire-spoked. There is neither power steering nor power brakes
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[ The CAR ]
Designed by the Infiniti Design Studio’s creative team, Prototype 9 sports a next-generation EV powertrain capable of unleashing 148 hp and 320 Nm of torque with a range of 20 kilometres. Top speed of 170 km/h
body, for instance, was hand-beaten out of steel panels by the Takumi, Infiniti’s incredibly skilled Japanese master artisans, and the decision was made to do without power steering and brakes with wiredspoked wheels chosen over contemporary starburst versions. However, for the power unit, Nissan/Infiniti drew on their solid background in electric motor development. The result is that Prototype 9 sports a future-forward, next-generation EV powertrain that has yet to debut in any of the Japanese company’s production models. It unleashes an impressive 148 bhp and 320 Nm of torque in addition to having a 20-kilometre range. Performance-wise, it impresses too, sending Prototype 9 sprinting from 0-100 km/h in just 5.5 seconds and delivering a red-line speed of 170 km/h. This futuristic yet retro single-seater is beautifully styled and crafted by creative team at Infiniti Design in Atsugi. Japanese perfection.
www.infiniti.it
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