It’s rebuilding season for Infiniti. With a rapid sales slide over the past five years, a shrinking lineup, and even retail space consolidation, something needs to change. Is a concept car enough? No, but it might not be a bad move. Nissan’s premium division signed up to go hard for this year’s SEMA show but when it came to building a modified show car, someone realized that only one model in the range sat on a longitudinal architecture, and it’s the Escalade-rival QX80. A hilariously powerful full-sized SUV? Strange, but it still feels like a letter of intent.
So, how do you build a 1,000-horsepower Infiniti QX80? You start with the heart of a car that’s been discontinued. See, the 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6 under the hood of a regular QX80 is a sibling to the 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V6 in the Nissan GT-R, so Infiniti went next door and plucked a VR38DETT out of the parts bin. Of course, some additional modifications were required to pump out a four-figure output like bigger fuel injectors, aftermarket pistons and rods, and third-party exhaust manifolds that accommodate a larger set of Garrett turbochargers.
Yeah, production feasibility’s pretty much out the window for this one, especially with a MoTeC ECU handling powertrain management, a machined adapter plate mating the VR38DETT with the nine-speed automatic transmission, and loads of additional fabrication from the intake system down to the exhaust system. I’m also not sure if I would trust the standard automatic transmission to handle the sort of torque a juiced-up GT-R engine can kick out, but hey, it’s for SEMA.
Power is great, but I’m actually more interested in all the work needed to get the QX80 R-Spec to sit low properly, starting with a set of Motion Control Suspension three-way adjustable coilovers. While most trims of regular QX80 ride on air suspension, this build uses the sort of high-end dampers and Eibach ESS coil springs you’d normally see on high-dollar trackday or restomod builds. For the record, a set of these coilovers costs more than I paid for my entire 335i, so while they’re expensive, they are quality pieces. Of course, seriously lowering a car introduces a host of geometry problems, most notably bump-steer. To combat the QX80 R-Spec trying to chart a new path over bumps, Infiniti’s relocated the steering rack and modified the knuckles to keep the tie rods in their happy zone. Oh, and then there are the carbon ceramic brakes adapted from the GT-R.
Plus, I can’t deny that the QX80 R-Spec looks pretty sweet. From the mad chunky overfenders to the extremely curbable front splitter, it looks like something you might actually see roll up to Daikoku Parking area. Sure, the eggplant-emoji hue is just a wrap, but the 24-inch wheels aren’t even that cartoonishly large now that GM lets you spec out an SUV on 24s right out of the factory. Still, considering this show car’s wrapped, it really makes you wonder just what’s going on here.
It just seems like Infiniti’s rolling out increasingly ridiculous one-off QX80s in an attempt to make people notice the brand again. Earlier this year, Infiniti boosted an example of its flagship SUV up past 650 horsepower to create the Track Spec concept for Monterey Car Week. It was an interesting experiment, but also one that people didn’t really ask for, but it seemed downright sensible compared to the R-Spec.
There is a point being made here, however. Remember the GT-R-powered Q50 Eau Rouge that never happened? The cancellation of that program marked a change in heading for Infiniti, which rose to prominence in the 2000s by putting performance first. For the past decade or so, Infiniti’s mostly been focused on slightly upscale crossovers, and that hasn’t really worked out for sales. Doubling down on fast concept SUVs may seem strange, but it also seems like Infiniti is starting to care about driving again, starting to remember why people bought all those G35s and FX35s twenty years ago. Now it’s time to actually prove it with more than a SEMA build, and with a stick-shift sports sedan reportedly arriving in the next two years, we won’t have to wait that long to see if Infiniti will back its word.
Top graphic image: Infiniti
The post Nobody Asked For A 1,000-Horsepower Infiniti QX80 But It Feels Like A Sign Infiniti’s Starting To Care Again appeared first on The Autopian.
